Chief Warrant Officer G.R. Lacroix

Chief Warrant Officer G.R. Lacroix, MMM, CD Chief Warrant Officer of Land Force Command

Chief Warrant Officer Lacroix was born on 1 October 1958, in Saint Mard, Belgium. As the son of a military man—who later became a contractor—he spent his childhood years moving within Europe, Canada and the United States. He enrolled in the Canadian Forces on 17 February 1977 in Montreal, following the example of his two brothers.

After completing his basic and QL3 training, he was posted to 3 Field Squadron, Canadian Forces Base in Chilliwack, British Columbia. He remained in Chilliwack long enough to complete his basic parachutist course, and was subsequently posted to 2 Combat Engineer Regiment Petawawa in 1978, where he enjoyed all of the adventures associated with 2 Troop (Parachute).

Chief Warrant Officer Lacroix then returned to Europe in 1980 to 4 Combat Engineer Regiment, Lahr, Germany, where he spent four excellent years as a section member, an Armoured Engineer Operator, an Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge Crew Commander, and as a field section IC. Lahr proved to be an enriching experience both professionally and personally for Chief Warrant Officer Lacroix, who married in May 1983.

In 1984, Chief Warrant Officer Lacroix returned to the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering as an instructor with the Roads Airfields Water Supply and Accommodations Troop, and the Bridging Rafting Watermanship and Rigging Troop. This rewarding experience encompassed a myriad of successful projects.

Chief Warrant Officer Lacroix was then posted to 5e Régiment du génie de combat, Base des Forces canadiennes in Valcartier, Québec, where he served as Field Troop Warrant Officer, Field Squadron Operations Warrant Officer, Regimental Operations Warrant Officer, and as Squadron Sergeant-Major of 51 Field Squadron during his last year.

Promoted to Master Warrant Officer in 1992, he returned to the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering Chilliwack, to serve as Bridging Rafting Watermanship and Rigging Troop Commander and as the Squadron Sergeant-Major of Field Engineer Training Squadron.

Chief Warrant Officer Lacroix was promoted to his present rank in July 1996. As a Chief Warrant Officer, he has been employed: with Engineer Standards at Combat Training Centre in Gagetown; as Regimental Sergeant-Major of 2 Combat Engineer Regiment, in Petawawa; as School Chief Warrant Officer at Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in Gagetown (in 1999), and he also did a tour of duty as the Multi National Division South-West Division Sergeant-Major in Bosnia. Chief Warrant Officer Lacroix was appointed Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Group Chief Warrant Officer in May 2001.