Lieutenant-GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Charles H. Belzile,
CMThe Order of Canada is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the highest such order administered by the Governor General-in-Council, on behalf of the Queen of Canada. Created in 1967, to coincide with the centennial of Canadian...
,
CMMThe Order of Military Merit is a military honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the highest such order administered by the Governor General-in-Council,
on behalf of the Queen of Canada.
Created in 1972, to replace a grouping within the Order...
,
CDThe Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...
(born March 12, 1933) was a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soldierA soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and a former head of the
Canadian ArmyLand Force Command , often also called the Canadian Army, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces.The current size of Land Force Command is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers.LFC maintains regular forces units at bases...
. He is an honorary member of the
Royal Military College of CanadaThe Royal Military College of Canada , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers. Located on Point Frederick, a 41-hectare peninsula in Kingston, Ontario, the college is a blend of...
student #H22547.
Born in
Trois-PistolesTrois-Pistoles is a town in and the seat of the Les Basques Regional County Municipality within the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. It is also the county seat. The town is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River....
,
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, he graduated from the
Université de MontréalUniversité de Montréal is a public francophone university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
in 1953.
He enrolled in the Canadian Army in 1951 and was commissioned in
The Queen's Own Rifles of CanadaThe Queen's Own Rifles of Canada are a militia regiment within the Canadian Forces, based in Toronto, Ontario. The regiment is part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. It is the only Primary Reserve regiment in Canada to have a parachute role. The regiment consists of the...
(QOR of C). He was then assigned as a platoon commander in
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
. Upon his return from the Korean theatre, he assumed a number of staff and command positions including that of Adjutant with 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and staff officer at Quebec Command Headquarters in Montreal, Quebec.
In 1968 he was promoted lieutenant-colonel and appointed
Commanding OfficerThe commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
,
Royal 22e RégimentThe Royal 22
e Régiment is an infantry regiment and the most famous francophone organization of the Canadian Forces. The regiment comprises three Regular Force battalions, two Primary Reserve battalions, and a band, making it the largest regiment in the Canadian Army. The ceremonial...
in
ValcartierCanadian Forces Base Valcartier is located 25 km north of Quebec City and is home to 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.- Origins :...
.
Lieutenant-GeneralLieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Charles H. Belzile,
CMThe Order of Canada is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the highest such order administered by the Governor General-in-Council, on behalf of the Queen of Canada. Created in 1967, to coincide with the centennial of Canadian...
,
CMMThe Order of Military Merit is a military honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the highest such order administered by the Governor General-in-Council,
on behalf of the Queen of Canada.
Created in 1972, to replace a grouping within the Order...
,
CDThe Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...
(born March 12, 1933) was a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
soldierA soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and a former head of the
Canadian ArmyLand Force Command , often also called the Canadian Army, is responsible for army operations within the Canadian Forces.The current size of Land Force Command is 19,500 regular soldiers and 16,000 reserve soldiers, for a total of around 35,500 soldiers.LFC maintains regular forces units at bases...
. He is an honorary member of the
Royal Military College of CanadaThe Royal Military College of Canada , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers. Located on Point Frederick, a 41-hectare peninsula in Kingston, Ontario, the college is a blend of...
student #H22547.
Education
Born in
Trois-PistolesTrois-Pistoles is a town in and the seat of the Les Basques Regional County Municipality within the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. It is also the county seat. The town is located on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River....
,
QuebecQuebec is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking identity and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, he graduated from the
Université de MontréalUniversité de Montréal is a public francophone university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
in 1953.
Career
He enrolled in the Canadian Army in 1951 and was commissioned in
The Queen's Own Rifles of CanadaThe Queen's Own Rifles of Canada are a militia regiment within the Canadian Forces, based in Toronto, Ontario. The regiment is part of Land Force Central Area's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. It is the only Primary Reserve regiment in Canada to have a parachute role. The regiment consists of the...
(QOR of C). He was then assigned as a platoon commander in
KoreaKorea is a civilization and formerly unified nation currently divided into two states. Located on the Korean Peninsula, it borders China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait....
. Upon his return from the Korean theatre, he assumed a number of staff and command positions including that of Adjutant with 2nd Battalion, Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and staff officer at Quebec Command Headquarters in Montreal, Quebec.
In 1968 he was promoted lieutenant-colonel and appointed
Commanding OfficerThe commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
,
Royal 22e RégimentThe Royal 22
e Régiment is an infantry regiment and the most famous francophone organization of the Canadian Forces. The regiment comprises three Regular Force battalions, two Primary Reserve battalions, and a band, making it the largest regiment in the Canadian Army. The ceremonial...
in
ValcartierCanadian Forces Base Valcartier is located 25 km north of Quebec City and is home to 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.- Origins :...
. In 1972, he was appointed Commander, Combat Arms School, at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick as a colonel. He was later appointed to several high-profile positions in Canada and abroad. He commanded 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in the former Federal Republic of Germany as a brigadier-general. As major-general in 1977 he took command of Canadian Forces Europe. In 1981 he was promoted lieutenant-general and appointed
Commander, Mobile CommandThe Commander, Mobile Command was the head of the Canadian Forces Mobile Command, the former name for the Canadian army. The title was created after the unification of Canada's military forces in 1964. The position was renamed Chief of the Land Staff in the 1990s when the Mobile Command became the...
, the title under which the army was known at that time. He retired from active duty in 1986.
LGen Belzile retired from the
Canadian ForcesThe Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
in October 1986. Following his retirement from the military, LGen Belzile held a position of Vice-President with SNC Industrial Technologies of Le Gardeur, Quebec, from 1987 to 1992. Since 1992 he has been President of CH Belzile Consultants. In 1994 he became part of a team on a study to improve the efficiency of the Irish Defence Forces. He served on the Special Commission on the Restructuring of the Canadian Forces Reserves. He was a member of the Special Advisory Group on Military Justice and Military Police Investigation Services. He was appointed Colonel Commandant of the
Royal Canadian Army CadetsThe Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in...
from 1993-98. In 1998, he was appointed head of the Military Police Services Review Group. He has served as president of the Canadian Battle of Normandy Foundation (now the Canadian Battlefields Foundation), president of the Conference of Defence Associations and as a member of the
Canadian War MuseumThe Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the museum focuses on military conflicts that occurred on Canadian soil, involved Canadian forces, or had a significant effect on the country and its people...
Advisory Council.
Honours
In 2000, he was made a Member of the
Order of CanadaThe Order of Canada is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the highest such order administered by the Governor General-in-Council, on behalf of the Queen of Canada. Created in 1967, to coincide with the centennial of Canadian...
. He was a recipient of the
Vimy AwardThe Vimy Award is an award presented by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute to the “Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of and the preservation of democratic values". The award has been presented annually since 1991...
, which recognizes a Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of our nation and the preservation of our democratic values.
On 24 November 2001, he was appointed Honorary Grand President of The
Royal Canadian LegionThe Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
. Mr. Belzile is a Commander of the Order of Military Merit. He is a recipient of the French Légion d’Honneur.