BIOGRAPHY OF JOHN KENNETH McDONALD, CD
John was born in Neepawa, Manitoba on March 22, 1933. In 1990, he researched his family history and found that he is a descendant of a long line of Hudson’s Bay Company explorers and traders and their Swampy Cree wives.
John joined the Canadian Army Reserve on January 6, 1950 becoming a Gunner with the 48th Anti-Tank Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba.
He transferred to the Canadian Army Regular Force on August 3, 1951 and was posted to the 213th Independent Field Battery RCA in Camp Shilo, Manitoba. The Battery relocated to Winnipeg in November, 1951 to form part of the 79th Field Regiment RCA which in turn became part of the 27th Brigade that went to Hanover, West Germany.
John transferred to the Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) in Winnipeg in 1953 and became a Projector Mechanic. While there, he was employed in the Command Films and Publications Library at the Headquarters Prairie Command. John was promoted to Corporal in 1954.
He was posted to the Canadian Welfare Unit in Korea in December, 1954 and returned to the Film Library in Winnipeg in December, 1955.
John was posted to Headquarters Canadian Base Units in Soest, West Germany in September, 1956 as Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in charge of the Training Films and Publications Library. He returned to Canada in 1958 and was posted to the RCEME School in Kingston, Ontario.
He served with the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), Egypt in 1960 to 1961 and on return to the RCEME School was promoted to Sergeant. During the ten-year stay in Kingston, he was employed in Officer Training Company, Apprentice Training Company, Regimental Training Company, and other administrative jobs in the School. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant in 1966.
He remustered to become a Vehicle Technician in 1967 and posted to 2 Service Battalion in Petawawa, Ontario in April, 1971 when the RCEME School was disbanded.
John was then posted to 4 Service Battalion in Lahr, West Germany in September, 1972 and was employed in the S4 Maintenance Office for two years. He was promoted Master Warrant Officer in 1974 and became the Equipment Technical Sergeant Major (ETSM) of the 4 Field Engineer Squadron Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE).
He returned to Canada in September, 1976 to 202 Workshop (RCEME) in Montreal, Quebec where he was employed in the Land Maintenance Engineering Division. His team of maintenance engineers was assigned to evaluate and propose maintenance procedures for the Leopard Tank and Armoured Vehicle General Purpose (AVGP) upon their introduction into the Canadian Armed Forces. He was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) in September, 1978.
John was posted to Canadian Forces Base Edmonton to become the ETSM at Base Maintenance Land (BML) in July, 1980. He retired March, 1981 to take a job with the City of Edmonton as a Maintenance Engineering Analyst where he worked for seventeen years.
John was awarded the following medals:
- Canadian Forces Decoration with two bars
- Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal
- United Nations Emergency Force Medal (UNEF) Egypt
- Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal (CPSM)
- Canadian Special Service Medal
After a short time as a civilian, he joined the Canadian Armed Forces Militia and was appointed Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of 15 (Edmonton) Service Battalion in February, 1982. He was appointed District Regimental Sergeant Major (DRSM) of Northern Alberta Militia District in 1984.
He retired in 1989 from the Canadian Armed Forces Militia and retired from the City of Edmonton in 1998. John is currently an active volunteer at the Native Friendship Centre and is a member of the Aboriginal Veterans Society of Alberta.
John is a widow with children in Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
Total Military Service Time – 38 years.
