7919

 

7919 Tom Kupecz

 


CMR 1964-1967, RMC 1967-1969. Electrical Engineering

Married the week after grad to Kate, who has stuck it through:

·         1970 – Pilot Wings, CFB Gimli. Honour Diploma for highest standing.


·         1971 – Line pilot and Ops Officer, 414 Squadron, CFB Uplands and CFB North Bay (CF100, CT33). Also a stint at 447 Sqn (Bomarc SAMs) as Missile Ops Officer.

·         1974 – Qualified Flying Instructor, CFB Moose Jaw (CT144 Tutor). A1 Category, Standards Officer.

·         1978 – Operations Officer, 10 Tactical Air Group HQ, CFB ST Hubert. Flew CF5 fighters and DHC-1 Otters.

·         1981 – Flight Commander, A Flight and Standards Flight, 419 Sqn, CFB Cold Lake on CF5 fighters. Managed Fighter Weapons Instructor Course.

·         1985 – Operations Officer, Maple Flag Exercise Staff.

·         1986 – Target Ops Officer, 4th Allied Tactical Air Force, Heidelberg, West Germany. Planned air campaign attacks on Warsaw Pact in the Central Region. Developed a computerized targeting system for Offensive Air Operations.

·         1990 – Reconnaissance Plans Development Officer, SHAPE, Mons, Belgium. SHAPE rep on two NATO Standing Committees, and on an AGARD study for deployment of NATO fighters.   

·         1993 – CF Training System HQ, CFB Trenton and CFB Borden. Managed training programs for English, French and foreign languages. Oversaw development of computerized French language courses.

·         1998 – Canadian CO, Northeast Air Defence Sector HQ, Rome, NY. Was Director of Operations during the 9-11 attack.

·         2002 – Branch Head, Plans and Concepts, NORAD HQ, Colorado Springs, CO. This tour was made interesting by the amalgamation of US NORTHCOM with NORAD. Also by a diagnosis of a brain tumour on 11 Nov 2003, removed at Denver University Hospital. Been good since.

·         2005 – Chief of Doctrine for Land Forces support, CF Air Weapons Centre, Trenton, ON.

while working and raising a family in Canada, Europe and the US. We have 3 children, 6 grands and 1 great grandchild.

We retired in Trenton in 2007, and I continue with the Forces as an independent contractor for Army and Air Force exercises and training.

In my spare time I volunteer on the boards of the National Air Force Museum of Canada Foundation, 415 Wing of the Royal Canadian Air Force Association, Branch 46 of the National Association of Federal Retirees, the Trenton Memorial Hospital support group Our TMH, the Trenton Officers’ Mess Committee, and am a member of Branch 110 of the Royal Canadian Legion.

For fun I have a business as a Transport Canada certified UAV operator, paddle my kayak on the Bay of Quinte, golf in summer and ski when there is enough snow.

 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  8025 Dennis Dart 1969 Review Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan to CPR conductor Jack and housewife Vivian.  Moved to Brandon Manitoba in 1952.    Education: Vincent Massey Collegiate, Brandon, Manitoba RMC BEng. (civil) 1969 RMC MEng. (civil/structural) 1977   Military Postings RMC kingston, 1965 Summer 1966, TechCE classification training CFB Centralia Summer 1966, contact training CFB Borden CE Section Summer 1967, contact training CFB Portage La Prairie CE Section Summer 1968, Nav School orientation, CFB Winnipeg Summer 1969, MILE officer phase 3 training, CFB Chilliwack August 1969 posted to CFB Trenton CE section, various positions Fall 1969, MILE officer phase 4 training, CFB Chilliwack March 1971, posted to CFS Beausejour, SCEO (Station Construction Engineering Officer) July 1973, posted to CFB Ottawa, base CE, Planning Officer August 1974, posted to RMC Kingston, Masters in Civil Engineering, Structural August 1976, posted to 1 Construction Engineering U...
Read more

7943

Image
7943 J.W.K. (Bill) Lye College of Entry: Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean The   Review  1969        Le Défilé  1967          I, like several of us, was a Service (Army) brat, ending up in Chilliwack, BC, where I joined the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, (RCAC), 1725 RCE Cadet Corps in 1961.  It was here in 1962 that I first met Gord Hamilton, the Cadet Pipe Major of the Victoria, BC, RCAC Canadian Scottish Regiment Cadet Corps at a British Columbia Cadet Corps Tattoo, starting a lifelong friendship there, at CMR, at RMC, in the RCE and latterly as business partners and ski buddies. After only two weeks in Soest, Germany, where my dad had recently been posted after Chilliwack, I returned to Canada and met up again with Gord on 3 September, 1964 at CMR, neither of us having known that the other had even applied. We were both accepted into the Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers in 1965, graduating in 1969 from RMC with ...
Read more

8058

Image
  8058 Terry Melnyk 1969 Review Somewhat to my surprise, I completed 37 years in the CF as an artillery officer.  Regimental duty with 3 RCHA in Shilo and Winnipeg and 5 RALC in Valcartier. A tour in Cyprus with 5 RALC and a posting as Liaison Officer with the a US Army research institution in New Jersey pretty much sum up my foreign duties.  My career as an artillery officer crested when an appointment as Battery Commander (HQ Battery with 5 RALC) was cancelled when I slipped a disk in my back for the second time and was put on extended medical category.  That, of course, eventually healed but left me with permanent nerve damage in one leg, happily with no particular mobility issues or pain.  I was by then in competition with younger, keener (and better probably) officers for the key postings and so I settled into the life as a staff officer. I had earlier spent a number of years as a working military historian with the Directorate of History.  This was at...
Read more