CMEA Commendations

Right after his posting to  5^e Régiment de Génie de Combat in July 2014, Capt Natynczyk took on the challenge of creating the future CMEA chapter for the area. Starting from scratch, he rallied the members of the Regiment to maximize recruitment for the Association. Of particular note, he developed a constitution that was inclusive of all military engineers in the entire Quebec City region. The new CMEA Chapter, le Chapitre de Québec was the result.

This commendation hereby acknowledges the extraordinary dedication, initiative, and leadership that MCpl Wade has brought to the CMEA and its membership.

MCpl Wade was the first to recommend to the CMEA the idea of acknowledging deployed engineers while serving in Kuwait in 2014. Coordinating with both the CMEA in Canada and his home base in Greenwood, OP Sapper Claus was born. It has now become an annual event in the CMEA Calendar, honouring all Engineers serving away from family and home at Christmas.

As the President of the CMEA Greenwood Chapter, recruitment has increased by over 70%. He has been an enthusiastic and strong supporter of the Association, locally and nationally.

In 2016, he identified a former sapper in need who had lost his home in a fire. Through MCpl Wade’s leadership, the CMEA to was able to inform its membership and provide timely support. This support effort was further recognised by the RCAF Association.

The CMEA commends MCpl Wade for his exceptional dedication and continuing support to the Association and its members.

The Canadian Military Engineers Association recognizes the extraordinary commitment and leadership of Craig Tucker during his tenure as President of the Gagetown Chapter of the CMEA. 

He has been an inspiration to hundreds of Engineers as they passed through CFSME on course, motivating members of over 25 courses per year.  In planting the seeds of membership in all of these Engineers he also planted the seeds for the creation of new CMEA Chapters as his new recruits returned to their units or were posted to new areas.

His undying efforts to recruit new members contributed to over 150% growth in the Association, in a very large part due to his efforts and excellence in service to the CMEA and the larger Engineer family.

Having served the Association for over a decade, his passionate support to the Engineer in Need program in both the Gagetown Chapter and nationally directly inspired new members to realize the benefit of membership and the role of the CMEA in the long term benefit of all Engineers, whether members or not.

The Canadian Military Engineers Association commends Craig Tucker for his exceptional dedication and continuing support to the CMEA aims and ambitions.

See: Chimo! article - https://cmea-agmc.ca/cmea-commendation-mwo-craig-tucker

The Canadian Military Engineers Association recognizes Captain Jacques Landry’s outstanding support to the Canadian Military Engineers Association during his assignment as Military Engineering Branch Adjutant from 2002 to this present day.

In an era that has been marked by a multitude of changes, Captain Landry has been constant in his provision of a high level of sound support from the Office of the Military Engineering Branch Advisor. He has contributed enormously in a liaison capacity and his secretarial and archival skills have often been relied upon to support the work of the CMEA. Particularly noteworthy has been his support to the CMEA Bursary Selection Board whose work has been conducted with utmost efficiency due to his solid and skilled secretarial support.

The Canadian Military Engineers Association recognizes the extraordinary commitment and leadership of Charles Keple during the creation of the Association. Charles joined the Military Engineers Association of Canada in 1971 when he was in the office of the Chief Engineer and responsible for many aspects of the newly formed Military Engineering Branch. In addition, he was on the Executive of the National Capital Region Chapter and he was one of two national MEAC Vice Presidents. He remained a contributing member-at-large of the MEAC throughout his subsequent postings including that as DGMEO/CME Branch Advisor 1989-1993.

After retirement in 1997, Charles was elected MEAC President and, in that year, the CME Branch Council approved the proposal to create a single, all-purpose Canadian Military Engineers Association. Charles then led much of the development and staffing of this proposal and was subsequently elected as inaugural President of the CMEA. He excelled in shepherding the new Association thorough its early years and ensuring the legacy of support to the wider Engineer Family through this new form.

The Canadian Military Engineers Association commends Charles Keple for his exceptional dedication and continuing support to CMEA aims and ambitions.

The Canadian Military Engineers Association recognizes Don Wilson’s contributions to the financial management of the Association. Since his retirement in 1993 after 36 years of Regular Force service in the Canadian Military Engineers, Don Wilson has given immensely to the both the Military Engineers Association of Canada and the Canadian Military Engineers Association. At the local level, Don served as the President of the MEAC National Capital Region Chapter 1993-94 and then volunteered as National MEAC Treasurer 1996 -2001. After the formation of the Canadian Military Engineers Association he carried on these responsibilities as National CMEA Treasurer 2001 - 2009.

As National Treasurer, Don was instrumental in transferring the financial books of the MEAC to a modern electronic financial application that greatly facilitated management, accounting and auditing of the Associations’ books. His familiarity with the operations of the MEAC provided a sound basis for the transition associated with the formation of the CMEA. In addition, his recommendations for alternative financial investment vehicles has improved the Association’s return on it’s investments.

The Canadian Military Engineers Association commends Don Wilson for his sound and lengthy period of dedication to the Association’s financial management.

The Canadian Military Engineers Association commends Vince Clark for his exceptional dedication and service towards the preservation of the archives of the Association. Vince Clark saw the need to properly archive and preserve the written records of the Military Engineers Association of Canada. Using this initiative and his extensive familiarity with the organization and its workings, he carefully compiled and arranged these records. Vince Clark’s work extended over many years and has resulted in a cataloguing of almost a century’s records of the operation of the MEAC. The professional standard of archiving achieved allows these records to be readily available and preserved for future reference.

Vince Clark’s foresight in undertaking this project and his dedication to this project has provided an invaluable contribution to the Canadian Military Engineers Museum in the form of a fond that is highly organized, fully indexed, and catalogued to a great depth.

In recognition of the strong support that he has provided to Retired Sappers Reunion, CMEA Chilliwack, the CFB Chilliwack Historical Society and the community of Chilliwack BC.

In recognition of the strong support that he has provided to Retired Sappers Reunion, CMEA Chilliwack, the CFB Chilliwack Historical Society and the community of Chilliwack BC.

In recognition of many years of dedicated support that he has provided to Retired Sappers Reunion and Sapper Apprentice committees and his contributions to the CD2 Association and the CFB Chilliwack Historical Society.