Having loyally served Queen and Country as a member of both the Regular and Reserve Forces for 35+ years, Colonel Dickson will commence his retirement leave on 1 June 2015, officially retiring from the Canadian Armed Forces on 4 January 2016 (please see attached message). To acknowledge Colonel Dickson’s service, you are cordially invited to join the Colonel, his wife Lynn, and their daughters Annie and Adele, at the historic Fort Frontenac Officers’ Mess (FFOM), Kingston, ON on Friday 29 May 2015, for his Depart With Dignity luncheon/ceremony. (see below)

In 1980, after three years as an Army Cadet, and one year as a sapper with 2 Field Engineer Regiment (Militia) in Toronto, Colonel Richard Dickson enrolled in the Regular Forces under the Regular Officer Training Plan. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada (Kingston) in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, and was commissioned into the Canadian Military Engineers.

Following completion of Military Engineering training in Chilliwack, Colonel Dickson’s initial postings were as a project officer at 1 Construction Engineering Unit (Winnipeg), where he undertook numerous engineering and construction projects mainly in the Canadian arctic, and at 5e Régiment du Génie de Combat (Valcartier), where he served as a troop commander and squadron 2IC. Returning to 1 CEU as Officer Commanding Construction, Colonel Dickson oversaw the unit’s move to Moncton and led the initial 1 CEU deployment to Bosnia in 1996.

Colonel Dickson’s command appointments included Commanding Officer of 4 Engineer Support Regiment (Gagetown) from 2004 to 2006, and Commander of the Operational Support Engineer Group, CANOSCOM (Ottawa) from 2010 to 2012. He has also held a number of key staff appointments, including: Divisional G3 Engineer with the 1st Canadian Division Headquarters (Kingston); J3 of the Standing Contingency Force Headquarters (Halifax); Director of Army Doctrine (Kingston); and his final assignment as Director of the Canadian Army Land Warfare Centre (Kingston). Additionally, from 2009 to 2014, Colonel Dickson had the honour of serving two years as the CME Branch Advisor, and three years as Director of the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers.

Operational assignments included: the UN Mine Awareness and Clearance Training Program in Pakistan (1989); CO Works and Design Company in Bosnia (1996-1997); J3 Engineer for the QG Force Interarmées de la Région de Montréal during the Ice Storm of 1998; and Deputy Commander, Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) during earthquake relief operations in Turkey (1999). On promotion to his current rank, Colonel Dickson deployed to Afghanistan from October 2008 to August 2009 as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Governance, Reconstruction and Development (GR&D) at Headquarters Regional Command (South) in Kandahar.

Colonel Dickson is a graduate of the Canadian Army Command and Staff College, the US Army Command and General Staff Course, and the US Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). Colonel Dickson's academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (RMCC, 1984), a Masters of Mechanical Engineering (RMCC, 1994) and a Masters of Military Arts and Science (US Army CGSC, 2004).

Colonel Dickson is married to Lynn Cairncross of Howick, Quebec, and has two adult daughters, Annie and Adele. Upon completion of retirement leave on 4 January 2016, he will retire in the Kingston area where he can continue to sail and enjoy the Fort Frontenac Officers’ Mess.

Departure with Dignity

Coordinating Instructions

Location: Patio of the FFOM (in the event of inclement weather, the luncheon will move indoors to the main dining room).

Timings: RV at the lower bar at 1230 hrs (the main floor bar in the event of inclement weather). Lunch will be from 1315 – 1415 hrs. Speeches, presentations and post-luncheon drinks to follow.

Dress: Dress of the Day or Mess business casual.

Cost: $30 per person (includes both your meal and gift contribution). Payment will be collected by the Mess Manager, Ms. Karen Pardy, on your arrival at the FFOM.

RSVP: Please confirm your attendance to Michael.Froess@forces.gc.ca by NLT Monday, 18 May 15. Please forward any congratulatory messages, photos, war stories and farewell wishes to the same email address by NLT Wednesday, 20 May 15.