Well done

I see in the Ottawa Citizen that “Canada’s top soldier will be retiring in the coming months … [and] … Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday that Gen. Jonathan Vance will leave the position as chief of the defence staff, the job he has held since July 2015.“

(Caveat lector: I know General Vance, I have known him since he was a young boy, his late father ~ Lieutenant General Jack Vance, the best Chief of the Defence Staff we never had ~ was my company commander back in the 1960s. General Vance and I still attend a couple of Regimental events together every year and share a few words and memories, as old soldiers do.)

General Vance served longer than any other chief in modern times; only General Jacques Dextraze (1972 to 77) came close. Five years in that job is too long, especially when one must serve a government that treats the military as an afterthought, at best, and, most often, with barely disguised contempt. I did not agree with many of the polices, including some of which he took ownership, that he supported and implemented, but he has served loyally and well and all Canadians should join in wishing him the best in a well-earned retirement.

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant …” The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, The Parable of Talents