General Rick Hillier, CMM, MSC, CD Biography Home | add famous canadian | edit person

At the age of eight, from his home in Campbelton Newfoundland, General Rick Hillier constantly wrote to Canadian Army recruiters in attempts to enlist. Not knowing his age, army recruiters attempted to sign him up!

Rick Hillier finally sucessfully enlisted at the age of 17, immediatley after high-school graduation, and then went on to study Sciences at Memorial University in St. John's Newfoundland.

Upon graduation, his was admitted to the Officer core of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, and eventually went on to command the Dragoons' 120 tank strong comittment in Germany during the 80's. From there on, General Hillier's accomplishments are quite notable;

• 1997, Hillier commanded the two-brigade comittment to the Red River floodings
• 1998, Hillier commanded the CF comittment to the Quebec Ice Storm
• 2004, Hillier commanded 6000 allied soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force in Afganistan. (the largest multi-national force led by a Canadian since the 1956 Suez Canal Crisis)
• 2005 Hillier promoted to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the highest position in the Canadian Forces

Hillier Quotes

• called terrorists, "scumbags," who, "detest our freedoms".
• the army's job is to, "be able to kill people".
• "When a soldier steps on foreign soil in a high-risk environment, every single Canadian should be walking with him or her."
• "Any commander who would stand up here and say that we didn't need more soldiers should be tarred and feathered and rode out of town on a rail."
• "lead, follow, or get run over."
• "Any time you are close to or come under direct or indirect fire, it concentrates the mind wonderfully."
• "It took us a while to get in desperate straits (referring to the state of the CF), so we're not going to get out of them in one month or one year, but we've got enough money to start and we're going ahead fast"
• "You have to be confident that what you're doing is right and that the sacrifices are actually going to mean something. Is that on my mind? Damn right it is."