Maj Keith Cameron, CD
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Major Keith Cameron graduated from Royal Military College, Kingston in 1995 with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Upon graduation, he completed his final military engineer officer training in Chilliwack, British Columbia. In 1996, he was posted to 21 Engineer Regiment (UK) in Osnabruck, Germany as the Plant Troop Commander. During this period, he served twice in Bosnia, first in Tomislavgrad, serving as Squadron Operations Officer as part of the NATO Implementation Force and second in Gornji Vakuf, serving as Support Troop Commander as part of the NATO Stabilization Force.
He was posted to the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in Gagetown, New Brunswick in 1998. Over three years in the School, he served as a tactics instructor and then school operations officer. During this period, he completed the Land Forces Staff Course and the Land Forces Command and Staff Course.
In 2001, he was posted to 2 Combat Engineer Regiment in Petawawa, Ontario as the operations officer. He was promoted to his current rank in March 2003, and assumed command of 24 Field Squadron. He deployed to Afghanistan on Operation Athena Roto 0 for six months in August 2003, commanding 99 soldiers. He was responsible for mobility and protection tasks, including route and area opening and clearances, mine tracking, explosive ordnance disposal, improvised explosive device disposal and heavy equipment support to 3rd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. Following his deployment, Major Cameron assumed command of 28 Administration Squadron. In 2005, Major Cameron was assigned as the regular force Deputy Commanding Officer of 31 Combat Engineer Regiment, a reserve unit based in St. Thomas, Ontario. Over two years with the unit, he was responsible for the overall operations and administration of a unit comprising almost 200 reserve soldiers in both St Thomas and Waterloo, Ontario.
In 2008, Major Cameron was awarded a Masters of Political Science (International Relations) from the University of Western Ontario. He is currently serving as the Executive Assistant for the Canadian Military Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, Belgium.
Major Cameron married Heather (née Robinson) in 1997. They were happily married for almost 8 years, loving life together and raising three children. Taken from this life by an exceptionally aggressive and rare blood infection, Heather and her unborn daughter Emily went to be with her Lord on 12 March, 2005.
In December 2007, Major Cameron married Amanda (née Baese) of Port Rowan, Ontario. They have four children, Nathan (twelve), Matthew (nine) and Holly (seven), and Rachel (one). He and his family will return to south-western Ontario in July 2010 on completion of 20 years of service in the Canadian Forces, where he will study teaching at the University of Western Ontario. Keith and Amanda share a vision of establishing a private elementary school in the area.