Issue 16, October 2011
numéro 16, octobre 2011
Director Dental Services
Colonel James Taylor, CD, QHDS
Directeur - Service dentaire
I hope this finds the Dental Corps
family in good health and spirit, and
that you are all well into the fall
routine after a busy summer. I must
thank you all for the contributions
you have made across the full
spectrum of the Seven Key
Activities of the Dental Corps since
the last issue of the Communiqué.
Indeed, much of this issue is
dedicated to your accomplishments
in the areas of Activities 2, 3 and 5,
which are the principal reasons that
a nation has a uniformed Dental
Corps
capability:
Clinician
Readiness, Deployed Care and DVI/FOd. That
is not to say that 1 Dental Unit’s sustained and
world class in-garrison accomplishments in the
areas of Activities 1 and 4 (Warrior Readiness
and Warrior Rehabilitation), particularly in time
of war, are not noteworthy, and axial to the CF
Mission; it’s simply that the Dental Corps
Communiqué is not the appropriate medium
through
which
to
showcase
clinical
accomplishments which risk violating the patient
privacy of our soldiers.
In the realm of the Key Activities for the Dental
Corps, I’ve realized since the last issue of the
Communiqué that I’ve been remiss in not
including an eighth: Training & Mentorship. Be it
through the full-time staff at our School, through
the hundreds of duty days of Incremental Staff
support annually that 1 Dental Unit provides to
the School, to those Dental Corps personnel in
HS Field/Sea Units that prepare themselves and
others for service in deployed environments, to
the chain of command that provides the day-today mentorship that develops our future leaders,
J’espère que la famille du Corps
dentaire se porte bien et que vous
avez
tous
repris
la
routine
d’automne après un été fort occupé.
Je tiens à vous remercier tous pour
les contributions que vous avez
apportées dans l’ensemble du
spectre des sept activités clés du
Corps dentaire depuis la publication
du dernier communiqué. En effet,
une bonne partie du présent numéro
est consacrée à vos réalisations
dans le cadre des activités 2, 3 et 5,
qui constituent les principales
raisons pour lesquelles un pays se
dote d’un corps dentaire militaire : état de
préparation des cliniciens, soins en mission et IVC/
odontologie médico-légale. Cela ne veut pas dire
que les réalisations de calibre mondial exécutées de
façon soutenue en garnison par la 1re Unité dentaire
dans le cadre des activités 1 et 4 (état de
préparation des guerriers et réadaptation des
guerriers), en particulier en temps de guerre, ne
sont pas dignes de mention, en plus d’être le pivot
de la mission des FC. C’est simplement que le
communiqué du Corps dentaire n’est pas le véhicule
qui convient pour faire étalage des réalisations
cliniques, car on risquerait de porter atteinte à la vie
privée de nos patients militaires.
Pour poursuivre dans le domaine des activités clés
du Corps dentaire, je me suis rendu compte depuis
la publication du dernier numéro que j’en avais
négligé une huitième : Instruction et mentorat. Que
ce soit grâce au personnel à temps plein de notre
école, aux centaines de jours de service des
renforts que la 1re Unité dentaire fournit à l’école
chaque année, ou encore grâce aux membres du
Corps dentaire affectés à des unités des SS en
campagne ou en mer qui se préparent et qui
préparent aussi les autres en vue d’un
déploiement, ou grâce à la chaîne de
commandement qui assure couramment le
mentorat nécessaire à l’épanouissement de nos
futurs dirigeants, l’activité Instruction et mentorat
est le moteur du Corps dentaire en plus d’être un
élément habilitant essentiel au soutien des FC et
du gouvernement du Canada (GC).
The Academy of General Dentistry sponsored a
“Federal Dental Corps Chiefs Panel” at their 2011
Annual Meeting. Invitees were (L to R): RADM Bill
Bailey, US Public Health Service; MG Ted Wong, US
Army; MajGen Gerry Caron, US Air Force; Col James
Taylor, Canadian Forces; Dr. Patricia Arola, US Dept
of Veterans Affairs; and RDML Elaine Wagner, US
Navy.
Training and Mentorship is the lifeblood of the
Dental Corps and is a critical enabler of our support
to the CF and the Government of Canada (GoC).
Outre nos huit activités clés, une importante
dimension culturelle sous-tend l’ethos de notre
Corps dentaire. Je veux parler notamment de la
connexion que nous avons avec les pensées et
les actions de nos prédécesseurs et de la
compréhension que nous avons de celles-ci et
de la manière dont elles pourraient aider à
façonner notre façon de penser lorsqu’il s’agit de
planifier l’avenir. À cet égard, j’ai trois choses à
vous signaler. Premièrement, notre colonelcommandant (Col-cmdt), le Col (ret) John
Currah, a terminé son mandat. Il a été un
précieux mentor pour moi et pour notre ancien
directeur, ainsi que pour un grand nombre
d’entre vous, aussi bien pendant sa carrière que
depuis qu’il a pris sa retraite des FC. Je le
remercie sincèrement au nom du Corps dentaire
et je lui souhaite bonne continuation dans ses
rôles de clinicien et de grand-père. Notre
nouveau Col-cmdt, nommé récemment par notre
Ministre, est le Bgén (ret) Victor Lanctis. Je suis
persuadé qu’il donnera beaucoup d’énergie et de
visibilité à notre organisation et je vous invite à
lire sa rubrique dans ce numéro du
Communiqué. En plus de se charger de
promouvoir la culture du Corps dentaire et de
rehausser le moral de ses membres, les
Beyond our Eight Key Activities, there is an
important cultural dimension that underpins the
ethos of our Dental Corps, namely our connection
with and understanding of the thoughts and deeds
of those who have gone before us, and how those
might help shape our thinking as we plan the
future. In this regard I have three things to report.
Firstly, our 12th Colonel Commandant (Col Cmdt),
Col (ret’d) John Currah, has completed his term of
office. He has been an invaluable mentor to me
and to our previous Director, as well as to a great
many of you, both during his career and since his
retirement from the CF. I extend to him heartfelt
thanks on behalf of the Dental Corps and wish
him the best in his continuing roles as active
clinician, grandfather and friend of the Corps. Our
next and 13th Col Cmdt, recently appointed by
our Minister, is BGen (ret’d) Victor Lanctis.
Having served the Dental Corps for 34 years and
retiring in 1996 as our Director General, I know
that he will bring a lot of energy and visibility to
our organization. His CV is at http://cmpcpm.forces.mil.ca/health-sante/au-sn/bio/ccdbccbd-eng.asp; I encourage you to read his
section later in this issue of the Communiqué.
Beyond his role in fostering the culture and
morale of the Dental Corps and mentoring our
soldiers, NCOs, officers and civilians, the Col
Cmdt’s principal contributions to our Eight Key Col Taylor and LCol Picard spent the day before the
Activities will be in Activities 6 and 7 (Strategic 2011 Academy of Osseointegration meeting with Col
Engagement and Policy & Advice). Please join Taylor’s USAF counterpart, MajGen Gerry Caron
(USAF Assistant Surgeon General for Dental Services
me in welcoming him aboard.
2
and Chief of the USAF Dental Corps), and his senior
staff at his headquarters at Andrews Air Force Base.
principales contributions du
Col-cmdt
à
nos
huit
activités clés se feront dans
le cadre des activités 6 et 7
(Participation stratégique et
Politique
et
conseils).
Souhaitons-lui la bienvenue
parmi nous.
Deuxièmement, nous avons mis sur pied le Sénat
du Corps dentaire, qui sera composé des membres
de l’exécutif de la Branche, ainsi que de nos
anciens directeurs généraux, directeurs et
adjudants-chefs de la Branche. De plus, le
président en poste de l’Association du Corps
dentaire royal canadien (ACDRC) sera un membre
d’office de cet organisme. Établi à l’image des
sénats d’un certain nombre de branches de
l’Armée de terre, le sénat du Corps dentaire se
réunira deux fois par année et sera un organisme
consultatif qui contribuera à la prise de décisions
stratégiques éclairées concernant le Corps
dentaire. Notre première réunion, qui a eu lieu en
août, s’est révélée très fructueuse, et je suis
impatient d’obtenir l’appui de cet organisme dans
ce milieu toujours complexe et en constante
évolution dans lequel nous travaillons.
Enfin, je tiens à rappeler au personnel du SDFC
l’importance de l’ACDRC pour la structure du
Corps dentaire. En effet, les trois principales
fonctions constitutionnelles de cette association
font partie intégrante de notre fonction en tant que
corps. Je vous les résume : représenter le service
dentaire militaire à la Conférence des associations
Col Taylor met with his UK counterpart, Air
Commodore Tim Brown, and his senior staff at their
Headquarters at Coltman House. Col Taylor gave a
briefing on the state of military dentistry in Canada,
and had the opportunity to learn in detail of the
current activities and challenges facing our UK
colleagues.
Col Taylor had the privilege of an audience with
HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, the Colonel-inChief of the Canadian Dental Corps, at
Kensington Palace to discuss the state of the
Corps. He presented HRH with a regimental
plaque and a bound copy of the History of the
Corps. The Duchess is also the Colonel-in-Chief
of the UK Royal Army Dental Corps.
Next, we have established the Dental Corps
Senate, which comprises our Branch Executive
plus our former Directors-General, Directors and
Branch CWOs; also, the sitting President of the
Royal Canadian Dental Corps Association
(RCDCA) will be an ex officio member of this
body. Modeled after the Senates of a number of
Army Branches, it will meet twice per year, and
serve as an advisory body in support of informed
strategic decision-making for the Dental Corps.
Our inaugural meeting in August was very
productive, and I look forward to the support of
this body as we navigate the perpetually complex
and evolving environment in which we function.
Finally, I’d like to remind CFDS personnel of the
importance of the RCDCA to the fabric of our
Dental Corps; indeed, its three primary
constitutional functions are integral to our
function as a Corps. Paraphrased, they are:
representing Military Dentistry within the
Conference of Defence Associations, supporting
the mission of the CFDS, and serving as the
repository of Dental Corps history. In recognition
of this, I have created an RCDCA President’s
section in the Communiqué, and encourage you
to read Col (ret’d) McQueen’s inaugural
contribution to this section later in this issue.
3
de la défense, appuyer la mission du SDFC et être le
dépositaire de l’histoire du Corps dentaire. C’est pour
cette raison que j’ai créé une rubrique du président de
l’ACDRC dans le Communiqué et que je vous invite à
lire le premier article du Col (ret) McQueen dans le
présent numéro.
Alors que les FC cessent de jouer un rôle de force de
combat dans le sud de l’Afghanistan pour adopter un
rôle consultatif dans le nord de ce pays, le rôle du Corps
dentaire dans le cadre de la mission passe d’une
fonction de soutien aux premières lignes d’opération à
une partie intégrante de la première ligne d’opération,
comptant cette fois sur l’appui d’autrui. Je vous
encourage à réfléchir à cette évolution de notre rôle et à
vous demander comment vous pouvez contribuer à
notre nouveau rôle dans votre domaine au sein de
l’organisation. Le Corps dentaire s’est toujours bien
adapté au changement, et ce, parce que nous
travaillons tous ensemble à l’accomplissement de la
mission qui nous est confiée par les FC et le GC; je sais
que nous devrons encore faire des efforts d’adaptation
cet automne en fonction de l’évolution de la mission.
Merci à tous, votre travail est apprécié.
Sanitas in Ore
Col Taylor met with COL Larry Hanson,
Dean of Academics at the US Medical
Enlisted Training Campus, to tour this
brand-new world-class facility and discuss
opportunities for CF Combat Medics and
Dental Technicians.
As the CF transitions from a combat role in
southern Afghanistan to an advisory role in
northern Afghanistan, the Dental Corps role
in the mission transitions from that of a
supporting function to the primary line of
operation, to being an integral component of
the primary line of operation, and supported
by others. I encourage you to contemplate
this evolution in our role, and how you will
support our new role in your particular part
of the organization. The Dental Corps has
always adapted well to change through our
shared focus on the mission given to us by
the CF and the GoC; I know that we shall do
so once again this fall as that mission
evolves.
Thank you all for what you do.
Sanitas in Ore
4
The military section of the World Dental Federation (FDI),
very kindly and capably hosted by the Mexican military
dental services, met in conjunction with the FDI’s Annual
World Dental Congress. The Executive of the military
section, depicted here at the office of the Mexican
Secretary of National Defence, includes (L to R) COL Art
Scott (USA), GpCapt Greg Mahoney (Australia), MajGen
Yimin Zhao (Peoples’ Republic of China), BGen Derik van
Rensburg (South Africa), and Col James Taylor (Canada).
Branch Chief Warrant Officer Corner
CWO M.M.J. Beach / Adjuc M.M.J. Beach
CFDS Branch CWO / Adjuc du SDFC
Coin du Adjudant-chef de la Branche dentaire
Greetings to All CFDS
Personnel.
Bonjour à tout le personnel
du SDFC,
I hope that you have all had
the chance to take some time
off and relax with your
families this summer. It is
very important for all of our
folks at all levels to take
advantage of the fleeting
amount of “down time” that
we have during the summer
months. This time allows us
to re-energize and prepare
for another busy fall which is
quickly approaching.
J’espère que vous avez passé
de bonnes vacances cet été
avec vos proches. En effet, il est
important pour tout le monde de
profiter de la période creuse de
la saison estivale pour se
reposer un peu et refaire le plein
afin d’être prêt pour l’automne
mouvementé qui approche à
grands pas.
Since our last newsletter
there has been a significant
amount of activity for NCMs within the branch.
Promotions
From March – August 2011, there were 15
promotions of Dent Techs and Dent TechHygsts. A list of the newly promoted dental
personnel will be published elsewhere in this
communiqué. My sincerest congratulations are
extended to all.
Dental Training
I would also like to pass on my congratulations
to the 16 Dental Technicians who graduated
from their QL5A training at CFB Borden in April
2011. I have heard, on good authority (CSM of
Armstrong Company, MWO Haley) that this was
an excellent course. All of the students worked
well as a team and were a pleasure to teach.
Bravo Zulu to all!
Congratulations are also extended to Sgt
Atkinson (Det Halifax), Sgt Thornhill (Det
Comox) and Sgt Lavoie (Det Petawawa) for
having successfully completed their Dental
Hygiene training.
Posting Season
As I write this, APS 2011 is slowly coming to a
close. It officially ends 31 August of each year.
For a small occupation of 213 personnel, we
Depuis le dernier bulletin,
beaucoup de choses concernant
les militaires du rang de la
Branche se sont passées.
Promotions
De mars à août 2011, 15 techniciens et
hygiénistes dentaires ont obtenu une promotion.
La liste des personnes concernées est fournie
plus loin dans le présent message. Mes
félicitations les plus sincères à chacune d’entre
elles!
Formation en soins dentaires
Je tiens également à transmettre mes félicitations
aux 16 techniciens dentaires qui ont obtenu leur
niveau de qualification 5A à la BFC Borden, en
avril. J’ai su de source sûre (l’Adjum Haley, le
sergent-major de la Compagnie Armstrong) que le
cours s’est très bien déroulé. Les étudiants ont fait
preuve d’un bon esprit d’équipe et l’instructeur a
eu beaucoup de plaisir à leur enseigner. Bravo
Zulu à tous!
Félicitations également au Sgt Atkinson (Dét
Halifax), Sgt Thornhill (Dét Comox), et au Sgt
Lavoie (Dét Petawawa), qui ont réussi leur cours
d’hygiéniste dentaire.
Période des affectations
Au moment d’écrire ces lignes, la période active
des affectations 2011, qui se termine
officiellement le 31 août, tire à sa fin. Cette année,
malgré le faible nombre de membres au sein du
groupe des techniciens dentaires, il y a eu
5
beaucoup
de
mouvement. En tout,
50 personnes ont
changé de lieu de
travail.
Certaines
d’entre
elles
ont
changé
de
base,
tandis que d’autres
ont
simplement
obtenu un autre poste
dans la même base
(p.
ex.,
d’un
détachement
de
services dentaires à
une Ambulance de
campagne). Une grande partie des nouvelles
affectations découlent de promotions, mais il y en
aussi qui s’expliquent par le passage de la QMB, d’un
cours de langue seconde ou d’une formation
professionnelle. Je souhaite à toutes les personnes
concernées beaucoup de succès dans leur nouveau
lieu de travail.
À venir
Le cours NQ6A de technicien dentaire devrait avoir
lieu du 11 octobre au 29 novembre 2011, au
CI Svc S FC. Comparativement aux cours précédents,
il y aura bien peu de participants cette fois-ci. En
temps normal, ce cours donne 16 diplômés par
année; toutefois, pour une myriade de raisons, le
cours accueillera huit personnes cette année.
Les réunions du Conseil de promotion au mérite des
techniciens dentaires et des hygiénistes dentaires
auront lieu aux dates suivantes:
•
Cpl - Adj: Du 24 au 28 oct 2011
•
Adjum: Du 31 oct au 4 nov 2011
La réunion du Comité de sélection de la formation
d’hygiéniste dentaire aura également lieu durant cette
même semaine, mais la date reste à confirmer.
Comme lors des années précédentes, deux candidats
seront choisis pour participer au programme de
formation en hygiène dentaire de trois ans en Ontario,
à compter d’août-septembre 2012.
Les comités de planification de la relève des MR des
Services de santé se réuniront du 14 au
18 novembre 2011 pour examiner et mettre à jour les
dossiers de techniciens et d’hygiénistes dentaires aux
grades d’adjudant à adjudant-chef. Cette année,
l’Adjuc Wilson et moi-même assisterons à ces
réunions en tant que représentants du groupe des
techniciens dentaires.
had a significant amount
of movement for Dent
Techs this year. A total of
50 personnel moved from
one place to another.
Some of those were
moves from one base to
another, while other
postings were intrabase,
e.g. from a Dent Det to
the Fd Amb. Many of the
postings were generated
because of promotions,
but others occurred
because of graduation
from BMQ, SLT, and occupational training,
e.g. Dent Hyg and Dent Asst Level II. To all
of those who were posted, I wish you every
success at your new place of duty.
Upcoming Events
The Dent Tech QL6A Crse is scheduled to
get underway at CFHSvcsTC from 11
October to 29 November 2011. This will be a
relatively small course in comparison to
previous courses. Normally the Dent Tech
QL6A graduates 16 candidates annually.
However, for a myriad of reasons, we have a
course complement of eight this year.
The Merit Boards for Dent Tech and Dent
Tech-Hygst are scheduled for the following
dates:
•
Cpl – WO: 24 - 28 Oct 2011
•
MWO: 31 Oct - 4 Nov 2011
The Dental Hygiene Training Selection Board
will also take place during that week but I do
not yet have a confirmed date. As with other
years, two candidates will be selected to
attend a three-year Dental Hygiene training
program in the province of Ontario with a
start date in August/September 2012.
The Health Services NCM Succession
Planning boards will be held this year from
14 – 18 November 2011. Files for Dent
Techs and Dent Tech-Hygsts from the rank
of WO – CWO will be reviewed and updated.
This year CWO Wilson and I will be in
attendance at these boards and will
represent the Dent Tech occupation.
Second Language Training and Testing
I cannot emphasize enough how important it
is for CF personnel to be able to
6
Formation et examens de langue seconde
On n’insistera jamais assez sur le fait qu’il est très
important que les membres des FC soient en
mesure de communiquer dans leur langue seconde.
Selon moi, c’est particulièrement vrai pour nous,
étant donné que notre travail touche un aspect très
personnel de la santé de nos patients: la santé
dentaire. Non seulement la connaissance de la
langue seconde est très utile dans vos activités
quotidiennes, mais votre progression sur le plan
professionnel y est directement liée.
Chaque année aux examens du mérite, de
nombreux points sont alloués pour la maîtrise de la
langue seconde. Les membres du personnel dont le
profil linguistique porte la mention « courant »
détiennent un avantage certain sur leurs pairs en ce
qui a trait aux promotions. Tous les ans, la Branche
des Services dentaires se voit accorder deux places
pour suivre un cours de langue seconde à temps
plein. Comme vous le savez, ces places
disparaissent rapidement et sont assignées par
ordre de priorité. Il ne s’agit pas toutefois du seul
moyen par lequel vous pouvez suivre une formation
de langue seconde et ainsi obtenir le profil
linguistique voulu. En février 2011, les FC ont
approuvé la mise en place de ALLIES, un
programme d’études autonomes en langue seconde
sur le Web. Ce programme est offert à tous les
membres des FC. Pour en savoir plus sur ce
programme, consultez le CANFORGEN 037/11.
J’encourage tous les MR des Services dentaires à y
jeter un coup d’œil.
Je suis conscient du fait que cette formation exigera
une certaine partie de votre temps au-delà de vos
heures normales de travail, mais dites-vous bien
qu’il s’agit là d’un investissement qui vous aidera à
faire progresser votre carrière dans les FC. Une fois
que vous aurez terminé quelques étapes du
programme, je vous encourage à passer un examen
de langue (vous n’êtes pas obligés de suivre le
programme en entier pour cela). Il est probable que
vous améliorerez votre profil linguistique et que
vous serez alors en meilleure posture pour obtenir
une promotion. Les personnes dont le profil
linguistique est expiré doivent entreprendre la
démarche pour repasser un examen. Dans le cas
contraire, vous serez désavantagés.
Si vous avez des questions sur l’un ou l’autre des
sujets dont je viens de traiter (ou dont je n’ai pas
traité), n’hésitez pas à me les poser!
À la prochaine.
communicate in their second language. I see
this as being especially important for dental
personnel given that we are dealing with
something very personal to our patient
population; their dental health. Not only is
second language very important in your day to
day activities, but it is also directly linked to your
advancement and progression within your
profession. During the merit boards each year a
significant number of points are awarded for
second language ability. Those personnel who
have a current second language profile
definitely have an advantage over their peer
group in terms of promotion.
Each year the Dental Branch is given two
positions for full time second language training.
As you can appreciate, these positions are filled
quickly and on a priority basis. However, this is
not the only means by which you can obtain
second language training and a second
language profile. In February 2011, the CF
approved and made available for all CF
members a self-directed web-based second
language study program called ALLIES. For
more information on this is program, please
refer to CANFORGEN 037/11. I would
encourage all dental NCMs to check this out
and see how it can assist you in developing/
enhancing your second language ability.
While I acknowledge that the training will require
a commitment of your time beyond the normal
work day, it is a personal and professional
investment that you are making in yourself and
in your career in the CF. After having completed
the different levels of training in this program, I
would encourage that you then have yourself
language tested (you do not have to complete
the entire program to be language tested). This
will potentially result in an upgrade of your
second language profile and will allow you to be
more competitive with your peers for promotion.
For those of you with second language profiles
that have expired, please take the necessary
steps to get re-tested. By not doing so, you are
disadvantaging yourself.
If you have a question on anything that I have
covered or that I have not covered (for that
matter), please don’t be shy. Let me know!
Until next time,
J. Beach
CWO
Adjuc J. Beach
7
Retirements / Retraites :
Félicitations à: Congratulations to :
Frank Lemieux a pris sa retraite le 8 juillet 2011 après 37 années de service dévoué au sein des
FC et de la fonction publique. Frank et son épouse Marjory résideront à Chapeau, Québec. Leurs
projets de retraite incluent des voyages et du temps passé auprès de leurs enfants et petitsenfants. Frank Lemieux retired on 8 July 2011 after 37 years of dedicated service with the CF and
the PS. Frank and his wife Marjory will reside in Chapeau, Quebec. His plans involve travelling and
spending time with his children and grandchildren.
Anne Fitzpatrick retired on 9 Sep 2011 after 37 years of dedicated service with the Dental Corps.
Anne and her husband, Brian Rector, are now residing in Montague, PEI. Her plans include
enjoying their brand new house, gardening, and spending time with family and friends. Anne
Fitzpatrick a pris sa retraite le 9 sep 2011 après 37 années de service dévoué au sein des Corps
dentaire. Anne et son époux, Brian Rector, résident à Montague, Î.P.É. Elle a l'intention de profiter
de leur maison neuve, de jardiner et de passer du bon temps en famille et entre amis.
Adjum Jacques Tremblay débutera sa retraite des FC le 7 octobre 2011, après 30 ans de loyaux
service. L’adjum Tremblay, son épouse Johanne et sa fille Mylène continueront de résider dans la
région de la capital nationale où il travaillera dans la fonction publique avec le dem pers mil.
MWO Jacques Tremblay will retire from the CF on 7 Oct 2011, after 30 years of dedicated service.
MWO Tremblay, his wife Johanne and his daughter Mylène will remain in the National Capital
Region where he will be working as a public servant with D Mil Pers.
Sgt France Lebel débutera sa retraite le 28 novembre 2011 après 21 années de service dévoué.
Sgt Lebel et son conjoint vont déménager à Fort McMurray où elle complètera son diplôme en
gestion des ressources humaines et relations de travail. Sgt France Lebel will retire from the CF
on 28 November 2011 after 21 years of dedicated service. Sgt Lebel and her spouse will move to
Fort McMurray where she will complete a degree in Human Resources Management and Labour
Relations.
Maj Terry Ratkowski will commence retirement from the CF on 06 Nov 2011 after 21 years of
dedicated service. Maj Ratkowski, his wife Michelle and their two children will be moving to
Kingston ON, where he will be joining an oral and maxillofacial surgery group practice.
Maj Terry Ratkowski commencera sa retraite le 6 nov 2011 après 21 ans de lservice dévoué. Le
maj Ratkowski, son épouse Michelle et leurs deux enfants déménageront a Kingston, ON, où il
joindra une pratique de groupe en chirurgie orale et maxillo-faciale.
WO Lisa Sheppard retired from the CF on 9 May 2011 after 20 years of dedicated service. WO
Sheppard and her family will remain in the Cold Lake area, and she will continue to work at 1 DU
Det Cold Lake as a civilian hygienist. L’adj Lisa Sheppard a pris sa retraite le 9 mai 2011 après 20
ans de service dévoué. L’adj Sheppard et sa famille demeureront à Cold Lake et elle continuera à
travailler au détachement dentaire comme hygiéniste civile.
Maj Louis Haché a pris sa retraite des FC le 8 août 2011 après 19 années de service dévoué.
Louis envisage demeurer dans la région de Québec avec sa famille. Maj Louis Haché retired from
the CF on 8 Aug 2011 after 19 years of dedicated service. Louis plans on retiring in the Quebec
City area along with his family.
Capt Mehmet Danis retired from the CF on 31 Aug 2011 after 10 years of dedicated service.
Mehmet and his spouse, Sara, will stay in the Toronto area where he will work in a private practice.
Capt Mehmet Danis a pris sa retraite des FC le 31 août 2011 après 10 années de service dévoué.
Mehmet et sa conjointe, Sara, demeureront dans la grande région de Toronto où il travaillera en
clinique privée.
Capt Leo Johnson retired from the CF on 16 Oct 2011 after 10 years of dedicated service. Leo
has purchased a practice in Comox, BC where he will enter private practice. Capt Leo Johnson a
pris sa retraite des FC le 16 oct 2011 après 10 années de service dévoué. Leo a fait l’acquisition
d’une clinique dentaire a Comox, CB où il continuera à pratiquer la dentisterie.
8
Libérations / Releases:
Congratulations to : Félicitations à:
Sgt Donna Kenny released from the CF on 9 Sep 2011 after 9 years of dedicated service. She
will remain in the Halifax area with her husband Garry and children Jacob and Nikki.
Sgt Donna Kenny a pris sa libération des FC le 9 septembre 2011 après 9 années de service
dévoué. Elle a l’intention de demeurer dans la région d’Halifax avec son conjoint Garry et ses
enfants, Jacob et Nikki.
Capt Ryan Sinotte released from the CF on 1 June 2011 after 7 years of dedicated service.
Capt Ryan Sinotte a commencé sa libération des FC le 1 juin 2011 après 7 années de service
dévoué.
Cpl Irene Benoit released from the CF on 8 June 2011 after 7 years of dedicated service.
Cpl Irene Benoit a commencé sa libération des FC le 8 juin 2011 après 7 années de service
dévoué.
Capt Arek Siwoski released from the CF on 5 July 2011 after 7 years of dedicated service.
Capt Arek Siwoski a commencé sa libération des FC le 5 juillet 2011 après 7 années de
service dévoué.
Promotions:
Congratulations to : Félicitations à:
Cpl Jennifer Kerr, Dent Det Kingston, 11 Mar 2011
Cpl Krista Woolfrey, Dent Det Gagetown, 22 Apr 2011
Cpl Andrea Lajeunesse, Dent Det Petawawa, 22 Apr 2011
Sgt Julie Lavoie, Dent Det Petawawa, 29 Apr 2011
Maj Rachel Jette, Dent Det Moose Jaw, 16 May 2011
MCpl Sandra Pardy, Dent Det Kingston, 19 May 2011
Sgt Crystal Atkinson, Dent Det Halifax, 20 May 2011
MWO Linda White , Dent Det Gagetown, 7 June 2011
Maj James Yim, Dent Det Petawawa, 20 Jun 2011
Maj Dominic Belcastro, Dent Det Petawawa, 20 Jun 2011
Cplc Valérie Morin, Dét Dent St Jean, 4 Jul 2011
MCpl Michelle Parnell, Dent Det Petawawa, 4 Jul 2011
MCpl Noelle Prevost, Dent Det Cold Lake, 4 Jul 2011
MCpl Lorna Roberts, Dent Det Esquinmalt, 4 Jul 2011
WO Tom Johnson, 2 Fd Amb, 4 Jul 2011
MWO Leah Marche, Dent Det Halifax, 4 Jul 2011
Cpl Laura Clark, Dent Det Shilo, 23 Aug 2011
CWO Marina Roberge, CMP, 23 Aug 2011
MCpl Lori Nason, Dent Det Wainwright, 31 Aug 2011
9
Congratulations to Sgt Crystal Atkinson, who graduated
from the Hygiene Program at George Brown College in
June 2011. Sgt Atkinson was also the recipient of the
Dean's Award (the highest Grade Point average in the
School of Dental Health), the Community Health Services
Dean's Medal (top student in Dental Hygiene program),
the Dentsply Award (Overall Academic and Clinical
Excellence), and the School of Dental Health Leadership
Award, which were presented at a separate dinner earlier
in the month.
Félicitations au Sgt Crystal Atkinson qui a
récemment gradué du programme d'hygiène
dentaire au Collège George Brown en juin
2011. Lors d’une autre fonction qui a eu lieu
plus tôt dans le mois, elle a également été
récipiendaire du prix du doyen (la meilleure
moyenne à l'école de santé dentaire) et du
prix
Dentsply
(excellence
globale
académique et clinique). De plus, elle a reçu
la médaille de la Communauté des services
de santé du doyen (meilleure étudiante dans
le programme d'hygiène dentaire) et s’est vu
décerner le prix de leadership de l’école en
santé dentaire.
10
Congratulations to MCpl Lorna Roberts,
Dent Det Esquimalt, who was promoted
effective 04 Jul 2011
Congratulations to Sgt Crystal Atkinson,
Dent Det Halifax, who was promoted
effective 20 May 2011
Congratulations to Cpl Samantha
Beusoleil, who received the "Defence
Team Service Person of the Quarter"
award from LCol Lalumiere, WComd 19
Wing Comox, in April 2011. The
narrative on the certificate read: “19
Wing Comox and 1 Dental Unit
Detachment Comox are pleased to
recognize the outstanding contributions
of Cpl Samantha Beausoleil. Her efforts
not only benefited her unit and the CF
but the local communities as well. Cpl
Beausoleil consistently demonstrates
an exceptional work ethic and is a
valued asset to our Detachment. Above
and beyond her daily duties, she
participates in community events and
volunteers her time in support of
several charitable and benevolent
organizations. As a specific example,
Cpl Beausoleil headed an effort to
collect gifts and financial donations to assist a military family in need during the Christmas
holidays. Of her own volition, she canvassed a number of local businesses and members of
our unit for philanthropic support. As a result, more than $500 in gift certificates and $300 in
cash were donated to support a family in need. For her exceptional efforts we are proud to
present Cpl Samantha Beausoleil as the 19 Wing Service Member of the fourth quarter, 2010.”
Congratulations to MWO Linda White, Dent Det Gagetown, who was promoted on 7 June 2011
Published by authority of Colonel J.C. Taylor, Director Dental Services, the Dental Corps Communiqué serves as a
means for the exchange of ideas, experiences and information within the Canadian Forces Dental Services. Views and
opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Director Dental Services or the
Department of National Defence. Publié avec l'autorisation du Colonel J.C. Taylor, Directeur - Service dentaire. Le
Communiqué du Corps dentaire sert à l'échange d'idées, d'expériences et d'information au sein du Service dentaire
des Forces canadiennes. Les opinions exprimées dans le Communiqué sont celles des auteurs. Elles ne sont pas
nécessairement partagées par le Directeur du Service dentaire ou le ministère de la Défense nationale.
11
Dental Officers on Post-graduate training
Officiers dentaires aux études post-graduées
Congratulations to Maj Joel Doucette (AGD), Maj Roch Messier (OMFS) and Maj James Yim
(OMFS) who graduated from their PG program last summer! Félicitations aux Maj Joel Doucette
(AGD), Maj Roch Messier (CMBF) and Maj James Yim (CBMF) qui ont complété avec succès leur
programme d’études post-graduées l’été passé!
Specialty
Spécialité
Location
Lieu
Students
Étudiants
Graduation Year
Année de graduation
AGD
Fort Hood, TX
Lackland AFB , TX
Fort Hood, TX
Capt Ashley Mark
Maj Deidra McLean
Capt David MacPherson
2012
2013
2013
OMFS/CBMF
UT Houston, TX
Maj Adam Irvine
Capt George Forrest
Capt Ian Buckley
Capt Davin Schmidt
2012
2013
2014
2015
PERIO/PARO
U of M, Winnipeg
U Laval, Québec
Capt Robert Gadza
Capt Élyse Grenier
Maj Isabelle Quenneville
2012
2012
2013
PROSTH
Fort Gordon, Georgia
Lackland AFB , TX
U of T, Toronto
UBC, Vancouver
Capt David Lalande
Capt Patrick Miklos
Capt Brent Winnett
Capt Ian Thornton
2012
2012
2013
2014
Major James Yim graduated on 30 June 2011 from
OMFS Program (U of NC, NC). Major James Yim a
gradué le 30 juin 2011 du programme de CBMF (U of
NC, NC). (L to R): Dr. George Blakey III, Program
Director; Dr. Tara Valiquette (chief resident);
Dr. Nicholas Politano (chief resident); Dr. Timothy
Turvey, Chairman Dept of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery; Maj Yim (chief resident)
12
Maj Joel Doucette receiving his AGD
graduation certificate from Col JJ Shelley,
DENTAC Comd Ft Hood, with Col W Rongey
PG Director, Maj Mansell (in background)
Asst Director, and CoL B Hennessy in
attendance
Dental Hygiene Training
Tech dent aux études en hygiène dentaire
Location
Lieu
Students
Étudiants
Graduation Year
Année de graduation
Algonquin College, Ottawa
Sgt Tricia Soucy-Phillips
Sgt Andrea Plante
2012
2014
George Brown College, Toronto
MCpl Jennifer Virdi
MCpl Gillian Kelly
2012
2014
Félicitations au sgt Shawna Thornhill (Algonquin College, Ottawa), au sgt Crystal Feltmate
(George Brown College, Toronto) et au sgt Julie Lavoie (La Cité Collégiale, Ottawa) pour avoir
complété avec succès le programme d’hygiène dentaire l’été passé! Congratulations to Sgt
Shawna Thornhill (Algonquin College, Ottawa), Sgt Crystal Feltmate (George Brown College,
Toronto) and Sgt Julie Lavoie (La Cité Collégiale, Ottawa) who graduated from Dental Hygiene
Program last summer!
Second Langage Training
Études en langue seconde
Location
Shearwater
Gagetown
Saint-Jean
Lieu
Students
Étudiants
Maj Ray Warmerdam
MWO Linda White
Cplc Marie-Claude Desharnais
With Maj Messier at his graduation (L to R): Capt Davin Schmidt, Maj Adam Irvine,
Col James Taylor, Maj Roch Messier, Capt George Forrest and Capt Ian Buckley
13
Medals Parade
Joint Task Force Afghanistan Commander, BGen
Dean Milner presents General Campaign Stars to:
Bgén Dean Milner remet des Étoiles de campagne
généraux aux :
Sgt Manon Mailhot
Maj Annik Gingras
Cpl Katie Tracey
14
Sgt Suzanne Jean
Maj Trenna Reeve
LCol Mike Kaiser has been nominated to
receive the Meritorious Service Medal
(MSM). The citation reads, "As Deputy
Commanding Officer, Health Services Unit,
from September 2009 to April 2010, Major
Kaiser's outstanding leadership ensured the
implementation of numerous Afghan National
Army partnership and capacity-building
projects. His efforts increased the number of
coalition medical technicians available to
mentor Afghans, raised the standard of Afghan
dental care and significantly improved the
Afghans' ability to provide treatment on the
battlefield. Major Kaiser's superb efforts greatly
improved the capabilities of Afghan medical
institutions, bringing great credit to the
Canadian Forces."
Congratulations to LCol Kaiser, who is the first
member of the Dental Corps to receive this
prestigious medal.
From the DHH website: “The Meritorious
Service Medal (military division) recognizes a
military deed or activity that has been
performed in a highly professional manner or of
a very high standard that brings benefit or
honour to the Canadian Forces. A recipient is
entitled to use the letters "M.S.M.". As of June
2010, there have been 623 awards of the
Medal since its institution in 1984.”
Joint Task Force Afghanistan
Commander BGen Dean Milner
presents the Operational Service Medal
(Humanitas) to Sgt Marie-Claude
Brulotte. Bgén Dean Milner,
commandant de la Force opérationnelle
interarmées en Afghanistan, remet le
Médaille du service opérational
(Humanitas) à la Sgt Marie-Claude
Brulotte.
Félicitations au sgt Bruno Tremblay au Dét
Dent Bagotville qui a reçu la deuxième agrafe à
la décoration des Forces canadiennes. Le
capitaine Gérald Morissette lui remet son agrafe
qui dénote 32 ans de bons et loyaux services.
Congratulations to Sgt Bruno Tremblay, Dent
Det Bagotville, who was presented with the
second clasp to the Canadian Forces’
Decoration by Capt Gérald Morissette. The
second clasp to the CD denotes 32 years of
good and loyal service.
15
Maj Jacques Girard and Sgt Valérie Vigneau, 1 DU Det St-Jean, present MCpl Valerie Morin
with the Canadian Forces Decoration and MCpl Marie-Claude Desharnais with the General
Campaign Star. Le maj Jacques Girard et la sgt Valérie Vigneau, 1 UD Dét St-Jean, remettent
la décoration des Forces canadiennes au cplc Valérie Morin et l’Étoile de campagne générale
au cplc Marie-Claude Desharnais.
Editor’s Comments
After editing 16 issues of the CFDS
Communiqué over the past five years, it is time
for me to pass the editor’s hat on to Maj Mario
Mailhot. I wish to thank Col (ret’d) Scott Becker
for allowing me to revive this newsletter five
years ago, my many colleagues who have
assisted me by either proof-reading my drafts or
editing the French language material that was
submitted, and all of you who have submitted
photos and articles. The newsletter has grown
from a 16 page letter with no cohesive style to
60 page journals that reflect lessons learned on
my part and a tremendous amount of support
on your part. It never ceases to amaze me when
I read about the variety of interesting things
dental branch personnel do, either within the
military setting or on their own time.
This edition Maj Genevieve Bussiere has
prepared an Operations Section: 30 pages of
stories from deployed dental personnel.
Another project I am working on right now is a
book to document the first 100 years of the
Dental Services, which will hopefully be
published in 2014. Much of the most interesting
material comes from the fifty years of
newsletters in my office closet. Several times
16
the newsletters have been stopped, and always
for the same reasons: they are labour intensive
and the news never seems to arrive to the
readers in a timely fashion. My perspective is
slightly different - there are many documents that
capture what the Dental Branch does: how
productive we are, dental fitness statistics,
manning levels, and the money spent - but only
the newsletters capture the stories about our
people. When I read a 40 year old newsletter,
the fact that the stories may have been a few
months old when it was published is now
irrelevant; it is still a first-hand account of what
happened at the time, with names, faces and
events. This makes the effort that went into
producing it very worthwhile. The gaps without a
newsletter make any research difficult - even
identifying those dental personnel deployed
overseas during the newsletter gaps is almost
impossible. For this reason, I hope you continue
to support the Dental Corps Communiqué in
whatever form it takes.
It has been a great pleasure to be your Editor.
Sanitas in Ore
Major Richard Groves
Colonel Commandant’s Corner
BGen (retired) Victor J. Lanctis, MB, CD
Coin du Colonel commandant
Fifteen years later…
In extending my personal
greetings to all members of the
Dental Corps as your newly
appointed
Colonel
Commandant, I would like to
take this opportunity to
emphasize what a singular
honour and privilege it is to
serve in such a distinguished
capacity.
Having had the good fortune of
being part of this wonderful
organization over a varied and
active military career, I am
particularly delighted to
acknowledge its most recent
achievements, but also acutely
aware of the significant
demands and expectations
continually placed upon it in our increasingly
complex and ever-changing world.
It is rather humbling to realize that 15 years have
gone by since taking my leave from the Canadian
Forces. As many of you who have lived through
the chaotic period of the mid 1990s may recall, it
was a rather troubling time indeed --- a time when
the very existence of a uniformed dental service
was put into question by those in authority who did
not (or would not) fully grasp the substantial
returns accruing for what was then a relatively
modest financial investment. Who will ever forget
the infamous CF2000 exercise with its precarious
and daunting Team A/Team B showdown?
Hopefully, most of that remains behind us and the
‘integral service delivery’ option successfully
secured by our outstanding working group will,
with judicious and appropriate tweaking, endure
without further spurious challenges or officious
debate.
From the information gathered during the latest D
Dent Svcs executive sessions as well as that
obtained at the recently initiated Dental Corps
Senate meeting, I must admit to being genuinely
impressed by the resilience and determination
displayed by our Dental Services in the face of the
Quinze années plus tard…
A titre de votre nouveau
colonel commandant,
j’aimerais saluer chacun des
membres du corps dentaire
et
j’aimerais
également
souligner à quel point je
considère cette nomination
comme un honneur et un
privilège unique.
Ayant eu la chance de faire
partie de cette merveilleuse
organisation dans le cadre
d’une carrière militaire variée
et
dynamique,
je
suis
particulièrement
ravi
de
constater ses réalisations
récentes. Par ailleurs, je suis
également très conscient des
demandes et des attentes
dont l’organisation fait l’objet dans ce monde de
plus en plus complexe et en constante
transformation.
J’ai peine à croire que quinze années se sont
écoulées depuis mon départ des Forces
canadiennes. Comme bon nombre d’entre vous
se souviennent peut-être, le milieu des
années 1990 a été pour nous une époque
chaotique et assez troublante – une époque où
les gens en poste on été jusqu’à remettre en
question l’existence même du service dentaire
militaire parce qu’ils ne saisissaient pas
totalement (ou ne voulaient pas saisir) les
avantages
qu’ils
pouvaient
tirer
d’un
investissement somme toute assez modeste. Qui
ne se souvient pas de l’infâme exercice CF2000
et de cette pénible confrontation entre l’Équipe A
et l’Équipe B? J’espère que ce genre de choses
est maintenant derrière nous et que l’option de
« prestation de service intégral » garantie par
notre groupe de travail exceptionnel parviendra,
à l’aide d’une orientation judicieuse et adéquate,
à se poursuivre sans plus faire l’objet de
difficultés inutiles ou de débats zélés et
improvisés.
D’après les renseignements obtenus au cours
17
des dernières rencontres de l’exécutif du D svc
dent et de la réunion du nouveau Sénat du Corps
dentaire j’avoue être sincèrement impressionné
par la résilience et la détermination dont les
membres du Corps dentaire ont fait preuve en
dépit de la turbulence qu’ils ont connue au cours
des années qui ont suivi. Il est extrêmement
valorisant de constater non seulement la façon
efficace avec laquelle ils ont traversé ces
périodes orageuses, mais également de
voir de quelle manière ils ont positionné
le Service dentaire pour que ce dernier
devienne apte à relever les défis qui
se présenteront au cours des
prochaines années. Parmi ses plus
précieux
atouts,
le
Corps
dentaire semble avoir acquis
une souplesse et une grande
capacité d’adaptation aux
changements
d’impératifs
inattendus.
Évidemment, l’acquisition de
ces atouts est attribuable en
grande partie au leadership
visionnaire de ceux qui se
trouvaient
aux
échelons
supérieurs de cette organisation.
Cependant, il ne faut jamais négliger la
contribution cruciale des membres du
personnel clinique et administratif de tous les
niveaux, qui méritent une reconnaissance égale
pour l’important rôle qu’ils ont joué dans les
succès du Corps dentaire. Le professionnalisme
exceptionnel et la loyauté inébranlable dont ils
ont fait preuve à l’égard des valeurs et des
principes ayant toujours été associés à notre
organisation ont été remarquables et essentiels
au maintien de notre crédibilité et de notre
réputation enviable au pays et à l’étranger.
Les quinze années qui se sont écoulées depuis
ma retraite du service actif m’ont permis
d’observer d’autres ordres professionnels de
partout dans le monde et d’acquérir une
connaissance beaucoup plus claire et impartiale
de l’environnement organisationnel concurrentiel
dans lequel nous évoluons. Les postes de
direction que j’ai occupés dans différentes
organisations
professionnelles
et
communautaires
m’ont
apporté
des
connaissances et une expertise inestimables que
je peux maintenant mettre en valeur au nom du
Corps dentaire dans cet important rôle qu’on m’a
confié.
En tant que votre colonel commandant, l’un de
18
organizational turbulence encountered over the
intervening years. It is extremely gratifying to
witness not only how well it has weathered those
storms but also the convincing manner in which it
has positioned itself to confront potential
challenges down the road. Measured flexibility
and a well-honed ability to adapt to unexpectedly
shifting imperatives seem to have become
among its strongest assets.
While a significant amount of credit for this is
obviously due to the visionary leadership that
has prevailed at senior echelons of the
organization, one must never overlook the
critical contribution of clinical and
administrative personnel at all levels who
deserve equal recognition for their
meaningful role in the successes
achieved.
Their
e x c e p t i o n a l
pr of ess ionalism
and
unshakeable loyalty to the
traditional principles
a nd
v a l ues
h i s t o r i c a l l y
associated with our
Dental Corps have
been
truly
remarkable
and
instrumental
in
maintaining
its
credibility
and
enviable reputation,
both at home and
abroad.
T h e
fifteen year hiatus since my
retirement from active duty has allowed me to
acquire precious insights into other professional
bodies around the globe and to gain a much
clearer and ostensibly more impartial
understanding of the competitive corporate
environment in which we live. Executive
assignments in a variety of professional and
community organizations have provided valuable
knowledge and expertise that can now be carried
over to the important role that I have been given
to assume on behalf of the Dental Corps.
It will be one of my objectives as your Colonel
Commandant to apply that knowledge and
expertise for the greater benefit of the Dental
Corps and to encourage a better understanding
of where we are and how we got here. I intend to
do this by bridging the present with our
celebrated past and by working in close
partnership with, for example, the RCDCA to
promote initiatives designed to effectively
support the Dental Corps. I am therefore very
anxious to meet as many of you as possible
during my anticipated travels and visits across
the country, not only to get to know you better
and foster greater esprit-de-corps, but to ensure
that the many hard-earned lessons of the past
are never lost or forgotten. In that context, I was
delighted to participate in the excellent
Continuing Education programs organized by 1
DU Det Valcartier in Quebec City last summer
and recently by 1 DU Det Petawawa, and look
forward to attending similar events scheduled at
other 1 DU Detachments over the coming
weeks and months. In my mind, such activities
are absolutely essential to cultivate proficiency
and professional competence and, most
importantly, to consolidate and solidify the team
spirit necessary to successfully accomplish the
mandated mission.
It will likewise be my intention to pursue
representational activities on behalf of the
Dental Corps within both the military community
as well as organized dentistry in order to make
certain that it is kept up-to-date and in sync with
developing realities and to promote its status
and profile in the eyes and minds of those
important constituencies.
Thanks to its impressive leadership cadre as
well as the enthusiasm and energy of its
personnel, its superb training programs,
unequalled operational support capabilities, and
creative dental health delivery schemes, I
remain extremely confident that the Dental
Corps will continue to attain ever-increasing
heights of achievement, and I look forward to
once again being a part of that continuing
success story.
Le Brigadier général (ret) Victor Joseph Lanctis
est né à Montréal, au Québec, le
23 décembre 1940. Il a fait ses études primaires
et secondaires dans cette province et a obtenu
un baccalauréat ès arts du Collège SaintThomas-d’Aquin de Valleyfield en 1962. Il s’est
enrôlé au sein du CDRC à l’automne de cette
même année et a obtenu son DDS de
l’Université de Montréal en 1966.
Après l’obtention de son diplôme, le Bgén (ret)
Lanctis a servi comme dentiste clinicien,
commandant d’un détachement dentaire, officier
d’état-major et commandant à différents
endroits au Canada et ailleurs, y compris dans
l’Arctique canadien, en Allemagne, en Belgique,
mes objectifs consistera à appliquer cette
connaissance et cette expertise au profit du Corps
dentaire et à encourager une meilleure
compréhension de qui nous sommes et de ce qui
nous a amenés ici. Je compte y parvenir en
établissant le lien entre le présent et notre passé
glorieux, et en collaborant avec l’Association du
Corps dentaire royal canadien, par exemple, afin
de promouvoir des initiatives conçues pour
appuyer efficacement le Service dentaire. De ce
fait, je suis impatient de rencontrer le plus grand
nombre d’entre vous possible durant les voyages
et les visites que je compte faire partout au pays.
Je vise non seulement à apprendre à mieux vous
connaître et à favoriser un meilleur esprit de
corps, mais également à veiller à ce que les
nombreuses leçons retenues au fil des ans ne
soient jamais perdues ou oubliées. Dans ce
contexte, j’ai été ravi de participer aux excellents
programmes
de
formation
professionnelle
continue mis sur pied par le Dét 1 U Dent
Valcartier à Québec l’été dernier et plus
récemment par le Dét 1 U Petawawa, et je
participerai avec plaisir à des activités semblables
prévues dans d’autres détachements au cours
des semaines et des mois qui viennent. Selon
moi, ce type d’activités est essentiel au
développement
des
compétences
professionnelles et, par-dessus tout, à la
consolidation et la solidification de l’esprit d’équipe
nécessaire pour mener à bien la mission qu’on
nous a confiée.
En outre, je compte agir comme porte-parole du
Corps dentaire auprès de la communauté militaire
et des milieux des soins dentaires pour veiller à ce
que les formations que nous offrons soient à jour
et bien adaptées aux réalités émergentes, ainsi
que pour faire la mise en valeur du statut du
Service dentaire auprès de ces instances
importantes.
Je suis convaincu qu’en raison de son cadre de
leadership impressionnant, de l’énergie et de
l’enthousiasme de son personnel, de ses
excellents programmes de formation ainsi que de
ses capacités inégalées en matière de soutien
opérationnel, le Corps dentaire continuera
d’atteindre des sommets de plus en plus élevés,
et il me tarde de faire à nouveau partie de cette
histoire couronnée de succès.
BGen Victor Joseph Lanctis was born in Montreal,
Quebec, on 23 Dec 1940, completed his primary
and secondary education in that province, and
obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from College
19
Saint Thomas d’Aquin in Valleyfield in 1962. He
enrolled in the RCDC in the fall of that year and
obtained his DDS degree from the University of
Montreal in 1966.
Following graduation, BGen (ret’d) Lanctis served
as a clinical dentist, dental detachment
commander, staff officer and CO in various parts
of Canada and overseas, including the Canadian
Arctic, Germany, Belgium, Cyprus and Sardinia.
BGen (ret’d) Lanctis completed Canadian Forces
Staff College in 1973, qualified as a military
parachutist, and was subsequently assigned to
NDHQ as a career manager for the Dental, Legal
and Chaplaincy Branches. He then served in the
Directorate of Treatment Services before taking
over as CO of 1 Dental unit in 1978 in the rank of
LCol.
He was promoted to Colonel in 1982 and posted
to St-Hubert, Que. as Command Dental Officer for
the Canadian Army, where he oversaw the
reactivation of the Dental Reserves and the
establishment of a Canadian Field Dental
Company. He then served as Command Dental
Officer for the Canadian Air Force from 1987 to
1990 and attended National Defence College
upon completion of that assignment. Following
two years as the Director of Treatment Services at
NDHQ, he was promoted to the rank of BGen and
appointed DGDS in 1993. BGen (ret’d) Lanctis
retired from active military service in 1996 and
assumed the position of Colonel Commandant of
the Canadian Forces Dental Services on 16
August, 2011.
During his active military career, BGen (ret’d)
Lanctis received a Commissioner’s Citation from
the Ontario Provincial Police in 1988 and was
presented with the Medal of Bravery by the
Governor-General of Canada in 1989. He was
appointed as Queen’s Honorary Dental Surgeon,
a Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy and a
Fellow of the Academy of Dentistry International.
BGen (ret’d) Lanctis was inducted as a Fellow of
the International College of Dentists in 1989 and
became Regent for the Military District in 1992. He
was elected International Councilman and
assumed the Presidency of the Canadian Section
in 1999 and the Presidency of the College-at-large
in 2002. He was made a Master Fellow of the
College in 2006.
BGen (ret’d) Lanctis was an active member of the
Canadian Dental Association and served on its
Board of Governors for six years. He is a member
of the FDI and a former Executive in its Section of
20
à Chypre et en Sardaigne.
Le Bgén (ret) Lanctis a obtenu un diplôme du
Collège d’état-major des Forces canadiennes en
1973, s’est qualifié comme parachutiste militaire
et a ensuite été affecté au QGDN, où il a agi à
titre de gestionnaire de carrières durant deux
années pour les branches des soins dentaires,
des services juridiques et de l’aumônerie. Il a
ensuite servi au sein de la Direction – Prestation
des soins, avant de devenir commandant de la
1re Unité dentaire en 1978, au grade de
Lieutenant-colonel.
Il a été promu colonel en 1982 et a été affecté à
St-Hubert, au Québec, en tant que Dentiste-chef
du Commandement pour l’Armée de terre du
Canada, où il a joué un rôle fondamental dans la
remise sur pied de la Réserve dentaire et dans
l’établissement
d’une
compagnie
dentaire
canadienne de campagne. Il a ensuite servi
comme dentiste militaire du Commandement avec
la Force aérienne du Canada de 1987 à 1990,
avant de fréquenter le Collège de la Défense
nationale. Après deux années passées à titre de
Directeur – Prestation des soins au QGDN, il a été
promu au grade de Brigadier général et nommé
Directeur Général du Service dentaire en 1993. Le
Bgén (ret) Lanctis s’est retiré du service militaire
actif en 1996, et il a accepté le poste de
colonel commandant des Services dentaires des
Forces canadiennes le 16 août 2011.
Durant sa carrière militaire active, le Bgén (ret)
Lanctis a fait l’objet d’une mention élogieuse du
Commissaire de la Police provinciale de l’Ontario
en 1988, et a reçu la Médaille de la bravoure des
mains de la gouverneure générale du Canada en
1989. Il a été nommé Chirurgien-dentiste
honoraire de la Reine, compagnon de
l’Académie Pierre Fauchard et compagnon de
l’Academy of Dentistry International.
Le Bgén (ret) Lanctis a été nommé ‘fellow’ de
l’International College of Dentists (ICD) en 1989 et
est devenu régent du district militaire en 1992. Il a
été élu conseiller international et a agi comme
président de la section canadienne de cette
organisation en 1999, avant d’être nommé
président de l’ensemble du Collège en 2002. Il a
été nommé Maître ‘fellow’ du Collège en 2006.
Le Bgén (ret) Lanctis a été un membre actif de
l’Association dentaire canadienne et a siégé au
Conseil des gouverneurs de cette organisation
durant six ans. Il est membre de la Fédération
Dentaire Internationale (FDI), où il a fait partie de
la direction de la section des services dentaires
des forces de défense. Il est membre de
l’Association du Corps Dentaire Royal du Canada,
a été admis dans l'Ordre très vénérable de l’hôpital
de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem en octobre 2000 et a
été membre de la direction du conseil du district
fédéral de l’ambulance Saint-Jean durant un
certain nombre d’années. En outre, le Bgén (ret)
Lanctis a siégé au conseil d’administration du
Perley Rideau Veterans Health Care Centre, à
Ottawa. Il est l’un des membres fondateurs du
conseil d’administration de l’Association des
résidents de Rockcliffe Park. Il siège aux comités
du patrimoine et du développement de cette
association depuis de nombreuses années, et il a
servi comme vice-président du Comité consultatif
sur la conservation de l’architecture locale du
village patrimonial de Rockcliffe Park.
Parmi ses nombreux loisirs, le Bgén (ret) Lanctis
affectionne particulièrement les voyages, le
conditionnement physique, la musique et les arts. Il
est marié à Marilyn Kelly, originaire de Cormac, en
Ontario. Ils ont une fille (aujourd’hui décédée) et
deux fils.
Defence Forces Dental Services. He is a
member of the RCDCA; was inducted into the
Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem in
October 2000; and was an executive of the
Federal District Council of the Saint John
Ambulance for a number of years. BGen (ret’d)
Lanctis was also a member of the Board of
Directors of the Perley Rideau Veterans Health
Care Centre in Ottawa. He is a founding
member of the Board of Directors of the
Rockcliffe Park Residents Association, has been
serving on its Heritage/Development
committees for many years, and has also
served as Vice-Chairman of the Local
Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee
for the Heritage Village of Rockcliffe Park
General Lanctis enjoys a number of hobbies
including travel, fitness, music and the arts. He
is married to the former Marilyn Kelly of Cormac,
Ontario. They have a daughter (deceased) and
two sons.
SIX-peat! The Dental Corps team of (L-R) Bruce MacLeod, LCol (ret’d) Eric Reid, Col (ret’d) Scott Becker,
and Cody Barbeau won the 2011 CMP Golf Tournament with a score of ten under par 62. This is the 6th
time in a row the Dental Corps has won this tournament. As Col Kevin Goheen, currently deployed in
Afghanistan, is usually a member of the team, they are holding his picture, ensuring he was there in
spirit, if not in person, and also remembering our deployed brethren.
21
Cmdt 1re Unité Dentaire /
CO 1 Dental Unit
LCol Martin Brochu
While the Ops Tempo for the CF in general is
decreasing, 1 Dental Unit personnel have been and
continue to be extremely busy on several fronts:
preparing and deploying with OP Nanook, OP Athena
and OP Attention; providing incremental staff at the
CFHSTC (clinical course, 5A, 6A, BDOC, ADOC);
participating in exercises Pacific Partnership,
Continuing Promise, and New Horizon; organizing
regional CE days and the CFDS Symposium; and
presenting lectures at regional, national and
international events.
At the same time, our personnel continue to maintain
a high level of professional development by
completing several military and dental continuing
education courses.
With all these activities going on at the same time, It
is important that we take the time to ensure that our
efforts are focused on 1 Dental Unit treatment
priorities in order to meet our mission objectives.
Everyone should
understand that 1
Dental Unit is not
r es our c ed
to
provide the full
spectrum of care
for
all
CF
personnel
and
our mission is not
to bring every
patient to a level
of optimum oral
health.
Our
mandate
is
Operational level
c a r e
i n
accordance with
the
f ollowing
priorities:
Mr Claude Paul Boivin,
Executive Director of the
Canadian Dental Association,
was appointed Honorary
Colonel of 1 DU on 20 June
2011.
M Claude Paul Boivin, Directeur
général de l’Association
dentaire canadienne, a été
nommé Colonel honoraire du 1
UD à 20 juin 2011.
22
• 100%
of
d e p l o y i n g
personnel
will
continue to be
Operationally Fit/
Deployable
(category
2
fitness).
Alors que le tempo d’opération des FC diminue
de façon générale, le personnel de la 1ère
Unité dentaire a été et continue d’être
extrêmement occupé de diverses façons:
préparation et déploiement avec OP Nanook,
Op Athena, and Op Attention, désignation de
personnel supplémentaire pour le CESSFC
(cours cliniques, 5A, 6A, CBOD, CAOD);
participation aux exercices Pacific Partnership,
Continuing Promise et New Horizon;
organisation des journées d’éducation continue
régionale et du Symposium du SDFC; et
présentations données aux niveaux régional,
national, et international.
Parallèlement, notre personnel continue de
maintenir un niveau élevé de développement
professionnel en complétant plusieurs cours
militaires ou d’éducation continue dentaire.
Avec toutes ces activités concomitantes, il est
important que nous prenions le temps de nous
assurer que nos efforts soient concentrés sur
les priorités de traitement de la 1ère Unité
dentaire afin d'atteindre les objectifs de notre
mission. Tous devraient comprendre que la
1ère Unité dentaire n'a pas les ressources
nécessaires pour fournir la gamme complète
de soins pour tous les membres des FC et que
notre mission n’est pas de convertir tous les
patients à un niveau de santé bucco-dentaire
optimale.
Notre mandat est au niveau de santé dentaire
opérationnelle conformément aux priorités
suivantes:
•
La totalité (100%) du personnel devant être
déployé continuera à être apte/déployable
(classe de santé dentaire 2).
•
La réhabilitation des blessés présentant
des blessures orales/maxillofaciales.
•
La conversion à la catégorie apte/
déployable (classe de santé dentaire 2) du
personnel inapte/non-déployable et les
patients qui n’ont pas été examinés
annuellement (classe de santé dentaire 3
et 4).
•
Les problèmes dentaires qui pourraient
avoir un impact irréversible sur la santé
buccale d’un patient si non traités tel que
déterminé par un dentiste militaire. Par
exemple certaines maladies parodontales,
certains problèmes d’occlusion, certains
espaces édentés, molaires ayant reçu un
traitement endodontiquel, etc.
Les traitements dentaires référés aux cliniques
dentaires civiles doivent être conformes aux
priorités de traitement tel que décrit ci-haut.
Je suis extrêmement fier de l’excellente
performance de nos employés contractuels,
employés de la fonction publique, et de notre
personnel militaire pendant cette période
particulièrement active. Leur dévouement et
leur engagement à fournir les meilleurs
traitements possibles à nos patients sont
louables.
Gardez le sourire!
Lcol Martin Brochu
Cmdt intérimaire
•
Rehabilitation of wounded soldiers presenting
oral/maxillofacial injuries.
•
The conversion of category 3 and 4 client status to
category 2 client status.
•
Dental conditions that, if not treated, may have an
irreversible impact on the patient oral health i.e.
some Periodontal diseases, some mutilated
occlusion, some edentulous spaces, Endo treated
molars, etc.
Dental treatments outsourced to civilian practices shall
follow the same priorities.
I am extremely proud of the outstanding performance
of our contractors, public servants, and military
personnel during this particularly active period. Their
dedication and commitment towards providing the
best possible care to our patients is commendable.
Keep smiling!
LCol Martin Brochu
Acting CO
Dental Corps participants in the Army Run, including the Colonel Commandant
BGen (ret’d) Victor Lanctis, visited the National War Memorial before the race.
23
Army Run 2011- No Ordinary Runners,
No Ordinary Race
Course de l'Armée 2011 - Des
coureurs extraordinaires, Une course
extraordinaire
By Capt Jeanette Johnson, Dent Det Gagetown
September 18, 2011. It was an amazing day,
for a challenging run, in our beautiful Nation’s
Capital.
18 septembre 2011. Ce fut une journée incroyable,
pour une course difficile, dans la belle capitale de
notre pays.
1 Dental Unit supported members from across
Canada to compete in the 4th annual Army Run
in Ottawa on September 18th. The Army Run
saw its largest turn out yet with over 16,000
runners, walkers and rollers side-by-side,
raising $100,000 for the Soldier On program
and the Military Family Fund.
Des membres de la 1ère Unité dentaire sont venus
de partout au Canada pour participer à la 4ième
édition annuelle de la course de l’Armée à Ottawa le
18 septembre dernier. Avec une participation record
de plus de 16 000 coureurs, marcheurs et patineurs
qui se sont côtoyés, la Course de l’Armée a permis
d’amasser 100 000 $ pour le programme Soldat en
mouvement et le Fonds des familles des militaires.
There was a definite excitement in the air
during race weekend. The 1 Dental Unit
runners gathered for a pre-race dinner the
night before, to share stories of training,
lessons learned, along with encouragement
24
Il y avait un enthousiasme certain pendant la fin de
semaine de la course. Les coureurs de la 1ère Unité
dentaire se sont réunis la veille pour un souper où ils
ont eu la chance de partager des histoires
d’e ntr aîn em ent,
des
leçons
apprises,
et
m ê m e
d e
prodiguer
des
m
o
t
s
d’encouragement
et des conseils
aux coureurs qui
en étaient à leur
première épreuve.
Pour
certains,
l’entrainement a
commencé il y a
des mois mais
d'autres
ont
décidé de se fier à
leur niveau déjà
élevé de forme physique pour compléter cette
épreuve. De toute façon, tous les athlètes qui
ont participé avaient mis beaucoup d'effort pour
se préparer.
and ideas for our first time racers. For some
runners, training started months ago, others decided
to rely on their already high fitness level to get them
through the challenging race. Either way, the
athletes that participated had put forth a great deal
of effort to prepare.
Whether runners did the 5k or the 21k Half
Marathon, everyone enjoyed the perfect weather,
the well organized race and the tremendous sense
of accomplishment in having competed. There is no
explanation for the feeling of having thousands of
people lining the streets dressed up, dancing and
cheering for the entire 21 kilometres.
It was an honour to be a part of the fastest growing
race in Canada and to see so many people run
together for a united cause. Army Run 2011
reminded me that I’m proud to be Canadian, proud
to be in the Canadian Forces, and proud to be a
member of 1 Dental Unit.
Looking forward to more training and more
racing… as soon as I can walk again...
Qu’ils aient participé au 5 km ou au demimarathon de 21km, les coureurs ont apprécié
la température parfaite, la course bien
organisée et l'énorme sentiment
d'accomplissement suscité par leur
participation. C’est un sentiment
indescriptible de voir des milliers de
personnes massées le long des rues,
déguisées, entrain de danser et d’applaudir tout
au long du parcours de 21 km.
Ce fut un honneur de faire partie d’une course
dont la popularité ne cesse de croître à travers
le Canada et de voir tant de gens courir
ensemble pour une mêmecause. La course de
l'Armée 2011 m'a rappelé que je suis fier d'être
canadien, fier d'être dans les Forces
canadiennes et fier d'être un membre de la 1ère
Unité dentaire.
Je suis prêt à retourner à l’entraînement et à
compléter de nouvelles courses ... dès que je
pourrai marcher à nouveau ...
25
Dental Corps Senate
Sénat du Corps dentaire
The inaugural meeting of the Dental Branch
Senate was held on 19 August 2011. The most
senior Senate member in attendance was BGen
(ret'd) William Thompson (DGDS 76-82, CDA
President 82-83, Dental Corps Col Cmdt 85-90).
Among the topics discussed were an Operations
Update, the Oral Health Strategy component of
Health Services 2K16 Strategy, CF/CFHS
Global Engagement Strategy, Delineation of
Professional/Technical authorities and
responsibilities at the Strategic/Operational/
Tactical levels, CF National Periodontal
Program pilot design, Dental Corps research
questions to be answered by the Canadian
Institute of Military and Veterans Health
Research, and CFDS-RCDCA relationship and
functionality.
La réunion inaugurale du Sénat du Corps dentaire
a eu lieu le 19 août 2011. Le plus ancien membre
du Sénat qui était présent a été le BGén (ret)
William Thompson (DGSD 76-82, président de
l'ACD 82-83, Col Cmdt du Corps dentaire 85-90).
Parmi les sujets abordés ont été une mise à jour
des opérations, la partie santé bucco-dentaire de la
Stratégie des services de santé Stratégie 2K16,
FC / SSFC stratégie d'engagement mondial,
clarification des pouvoirs professionnelle /
technique et les responsabilités aux niveaux
stratégique / opérationnelle / tactique, de
conception de l’étude pilote du Programme
parodontale national des FC, questions de
recherche pour le corps dentaire auxquelles il faut
répondre par l'Institut canadien de recherche en
santé du militaire et des anciens combattants, et la
relation et fonctionnalité du lien SDFC-RCDCA.
Attendees at the inaugural Dental Branch Senate include (front row): Col James Taylor, BGen (ret’d)
Victor Lanctis, Col (ret’d) John Currah, BGen (ret’d) William Thompson, Col (ret’d) Scott Becker,
HCol Claude Paul Boivin, CWO Julie Beach (back row): LCol Frank Hedley, LCol Martin Brochu,
MWO Mario Bizier, LCol Dwayne Lemon, MWO Duane Forward, CWO Mike Wilson, Mr Bruce MacLeod,
LCol Michel Maltais, LCol J-P Picard
26
Boomer’s Legacy
by Cpl Samantha Beausoleil, Dent Det Comox
For the past three years I have volunteered with
Boomer’s Legacy here in Comox, BC. Mrs
Eykenlenboom and I share this life altering
event together. Her son, Cpl Andrew
Eykenlenboom, was killed in Afghanistan on 11
Aug 2006 and my brother, Sgt Prescott
Shipway, was killed in Afghanistan on 7 Sep
2008.
This past June, we held the 4th Annual Boomer’s
Legacy Bike ride, which started in Comox, BC. It
is a two day bike ride to Victoria. This year we
were fortunate to have the CDS and the
CFCWO participate in the ride. Shortly before
the ride commenced, the CDS came by to each
biker and addressed them. After a brief
discussion, the riders were rallied off to the
official start point.
During this event I was involved in hosting some
of the legacy meetings and sold Red Friday TShirts. One of my duties involved meeting with
the CDS and the CFCWO to pick up their bikes
at the scheduled pit stop as they rode for this
event. In addition, I was able to take some
photographs of some of the cyclists.
This is the second year in which each rider has
had two fallen soldier’s pictures and mini
biographies on their bike. It is amazing to see all
the riders with fallen soldiers’ biographies with
them, as it allowed people to put a face to the
name and know that each soldier is not just
another number, but a soldier, and a family
member.
Cpl Samantha Beausoleil and Chief of the Defence
Staff, Gen Walter Natynczyk
Next year I plan to participate in the event with my
brother’s biography on my bike, riding for him and all
the
other
soldiers
that
have paid the
u l t i m a t e
sacrifice for our
Country.
27
Royal Canadian Dental Corps Association
Bulletin
L’Association du corps dentaire royal canadien
by Colonel (Retired) Peter McQueen
The RCDCA welcomes Col Taylor’s
invitation to participate in CFDS
Newsletters by means of periodic
articles. Noting that this is the first
such article, perhaps it is best to
clarify who we are by reviewing our
origins and history.
The original iteration of the RCDCA
comprised retired Canadian Army
Dental Corps (CADC); officers: the
CADC was renamed the Canadian
Dental Corps (CDC) on 31 August
1939 and finally the Royal
Canadian Dental Corps (RCDC) on
15 January 1947. These retired dental
officers shared an interest in keeping alive the
camaraderie, history and spirit of the Corps. They
began to meet prior to World War 2 and were
part of the Defence Medical Association (DMA).
The DMA was a member of the Conference of
Defence Associations (CDA) which was created
in 1933; the CDA was and is the nongovernmental voice of defence and security
issues and advocacy in Canada. At the outset all
the associations that were in the CDA were
mainly “army” as was the RCDC. Over the years
the dental officers grew dissatisfied with DMA
m em be r s h i p,
the
main
r e as o n
f or
separation being that the DMA meetings
consisted exclusively of medical matters. In 1947
the Defence Dental Association (DDA) was
formed and was granted membership in the
CDA.
In 1953 the title “Royal“ was granted to the
CDC, thus began the RCDCA. For many years
the majority of RCDCA members were WW2
veterans with many still serving in Militia Dental
Units. The RCDCA leadership was provided by
an executive who included a president, a vice
president, a secretary, treasurer and, from time
to time as required, special appointees. The
RCDCA Constitution was drafted as the guiding
document. The RCDC flag, cap badge and name
were retained by the RCDCA when the RCDC
became the CFDS. There was an annual general
meeting
with
typical
business
discussions, elections and the creation of
28
meeting minutes always followed
by a Mess Dinner.
Liaison with the RCDC, and later
the CFDS, was maintained
although, as the years went by,
that relationship metamorphosed
from the RCDCA being military to
having more of a social and sports
orientation (golf & curling). All the
funding of RCDCA operations was
provided by DND grants to the
CDA, which in turn allocated funds
to the RCDCA and all the
associations of the CDA. With government
cutbacks over the years, that funding has
stopped. Regardless, the RCDCA remains an
active member of CDA and continues to serve
as the voice of Canadian military dentistry within
the CDA. Over the years the RCDCA has
modified its membership guidelines to include all
ranks and civilian employees of the Dental
Corps family.
There is much more to the history of the
RCDCA but that can wait until another
Newsletter.
Current officers of the RCDCA are:
President: Col (ret’d) P.R. McQueen
Vice President: BGen (ret’d) J. Fred
Begin
Secretary position: vacant
Treasurer: CWO (ret’d) Cliff
Beauchamp
CFDS Representative: Maj Richard
Groves
Historical archivist: MWO (ret’d) Bill
Parker
Advisors: LCol (ret’d) Bill Budzinski
and Col (ret’d) M. Deyette
Current RCDCA activities:
1. Administer the "affairs" of the RCDCA
•
Publish RCDCA Newsletters, usually two
per year.
•
Maintain contact with members via e-mail
consisting of news, humour and items of a military
nature.
•
Conduct two Meet & Greet functions in Ottawa at
the Orleans Legion.
2. Provide information and encouraging members to
attend CFDS Regional Functions
•
Encourage membership in the RCDC Association
by recruiting
3. Support CFDS as requested whenever possible
4. Research and document the Dental Corps
history
5. Participate in the Conference of Defence
Associations.
Why not follow in the footsteps of those who
went before all of us to create and maintain
that great family we know as the “Corps “ ?
Cheers to all,
Col (Ret’d) Peter R. McQueen
President RCDCA
[email protected]
National Dental Examining Board Moves Offices
Le Bureau national d’examen dentaire déménage
The NDEB had occupied the same office
space on Bronson Avenue in Ottawa for
more than 25 years. With increased
responsibility and associated growth, the
NDEB has recently moved its office into
the British High Commission Building at
80 Elgin Street. The photograph shows
NDEB Registrar Dr Jack Gerrow and
NDEB Past President Dr Danielle Joly
standing at the entrance to the new office.
The NDEB appoints examiners to assist in
the development, administration and
evaluation of all five of its examinations
and
assessments.
Examiners are
appointed on the recommendation of the
Dean of a Faculty of Dentistry, a
Provincial Dental Regulatory Authority or
the CF Director of Dental Services. The
NDEB
recently
received
several
recommendations for examiners from the
CF Director of Dental Services and looks
forward to working with them following
their appointment.
Le BNED a occupé les mêmes locaux sur l’avenue Bronson, à Ottawa, pendant plus de 25 ans. En raison
de ses responsabilités accrues et de la croissance qui s’ensuit, le BNED a dû récemment déménager
dans l’immeuble du haut-commissariat de Grande-Bretagne, au 80, rue Elgin. Sur la photo, on peut voir
le registraire du BNED, le Dr Jack Gerrow, et l’ex-présidente du BNED, le Dr Danielle Joly, debout devant
l’entrée du nouveau bureau.
Le BNED nomme des examinateurs pour aider à l’élaboration, à l’administration et à l’évaluation de ses
cinq examens et évaluations. Les examinateurs sont nommés sur la recommandation du doyen d’une
faculté de dentisterie, d’un organisme de réglementation dentaire provincial ou du Directeur des
services dentaires des FC. Ce dernier a justement fait dernièrement plusieurs recommandations au
BNED pour le poste d’examinateur et le personnel du BNED est impatient de travailler avec ces
personnes après leur nomination.
29
The Edmonton Examiner
By Capt Jennilee Jamison, Dent Det Edmonton
A lot has happened in Edmonton since the last
newsletter. We have experienced a large turnover
of staff this APS and members of our unit were
very busy with deployments, courses, and other
activities on top of our regular patient duties. We
aimed to have an event once a month to keep
morale up and we succeeded in that respect.
In February, we chose to use Valentine’s Day as a
reason to have a potluck and enjoy some
chocolate. March had more opportunities for
activities as we had a green themed potluck for St.
Patrick's day, a team-building day that included
bowling and lunch, and a staff appreciation lunch
which coincided with Dental Assistants’ Week.
April brought Easter (it seemed like a long wait
this year). For this we had the afternoon of April
21st to celebrate with a Subway lunch, Easter
basket creation and a scavenger hunt. This was a
successful event and the staff enjoyed their
prizes!
We were anxiously waiting for spring in May so we
had a “spring is coming” auction event. Staff
members brought in items they no longer had use
for and we auctioned them off that afternoon. It
gets very competitive and entertaining as well as it
raised money for our social committee. We also
did the unit proud and celebrated the 96th CFDS
birthday on May 13th. For this we did a rucksack
march around the base, played some “Minute to
Win It” games, and enjoyed some birthday cake.
Finally at the end of May, we had our unit BFT
which was successfully completed by all who
participated. We celebrated that afternoon by
coming to work in our flip flops as some of us had
blistered feet and could hardly walk…we will not
name any names.
In June most of the military staff from the clinic
took part in the 1 Fd Amb annual golf tournament,
which is always a fun event. The theme was
Hawaiian this year and all teams looked very
fashionable. It was a nice way to kick off
“summer”. The next day was the BBQ to say
goodbye to those being posted out as well as
welcome any new people that had arrived. During
the BBQ there were speeches and certificates to
show those members leaving our appreciation.
The rest of June and July was fairly quiet as many
were on summer leave and events started up
again in August. On the 11th we went on a 13 km
hike in the river valley followed by lunch and
games as part of adventure training and also had
a Friday afternoon BBQ as
a
social
committee
fundraiser on the 19th. We
mourned
the
end
of
summer on the 26th of
August at our “Goodbye to
Summer” lunch. As the fall
approaches we will have
more clinic events to plan
including the week-long
regional CE.
The military crew from the clinic posing on their Adventure Training.
30
We said, “So long” to some
great
clinic
staff
this
summer. Capt Athar Butt
left for the beautiful ocean
views of Victoria and is
working at the Esquimalt
clinic. Capt Peter Walker
didn’t go too far; he
stumbled down the road to
1 Field Ambulance as 2i/c
of the dental platoon. The
platoon at 1 Fd Amb went under
complete turnover this year and
joining Capt Walker is Maj Rachel
Jette, Sgt Dawn Reid and Cpl Kalie
Prince. Sgt Jordana Sproule headed
closer to home and is now posted to
Kingston. Sgt Andrea Plante and
MCpl Gillian Kelly are off to start their
hygiene program in Ontario. Both will
be going IR so hopefully their
husbands will be able to keep
themselves busy! Andy Plante will be,
now that he is back as Sgt Plante,
our floor supervisor! Our front end is
also going through a turnover as
Jocelyn Pelletier (PS) and Sylvia
Moores (PS) moved on to different
things. Kellie Briggs (PS) also left
when her husband got posted to
Yellowknife.
The Albuquerque Forensics Course crew. (L-R) Capt Rich
Kratz, Capt Chantelle Alarie, Maj Genevieve Bussiere,
Maj Christine Holmes, Capt Jennilee Jamison and
Maj Jodi Shaw
On the flip side we have new faces to
welcome to the clinic. We have two
members leaving humid Ontario; Capt
Nathan Elliot joined us from 1
Canadian Field Hospital in Petawawa and LCol
Glenda Ross from Kingston, will take over as our
Detachment Commander when she returns from
her TAV in Afghanistan. Capt Genevieve Poitras
graduated this spring from Dalhousie and spent
the summer at the MEGA in St. Jean, Quebec.
She will join us in Edmonton after she completes
BDOC in September. We also had a Calian
hygienist Krista Rendell transfer from Cold Lake to
Edmonton. Finally, Cpl Jessica French graduated
from dental assisting school at NAIT in June and
has been working in the clinic awaiting her final
posting to Toronto. Welcome to all the new faces.
We can also welcome back Maj Richard Mansour
from parental leave after the birth of his second
son. He will be off to Borden to teach on BDOC
shortly. We are currently awaiting the return of Cpl
Zina Eady, Cpl Jennifer Fratar, Reen Denisiuk
(PS), and Ella Traverse (PS) as they are all on
maternal leave. They have their hands full with
new babies and will hopefully be happy to return
to the clinic for a break.
Edmonton members were busy with training,
courses, TDs and deployments so far this year.
Our clinic was a large contributor to Op Pacific
Partnership 2011 with the US Navy. Three
members from Edmonton deployed on this
mission out of the eight that went from 1 Dental
Unit. Capt Peter Walker was part of team one that
went from the end of March to the beginning of
June. Capt Jennilee Jamison and Cpl Wendy
Krause were members of team two and were
gone for June and July. It was a great experience
for all and more details of the mission can be seen
in the PP11 article also in this newsletter.
We also had staff involved with the exercise Op
Nanook up around Alert Bay (NWT). Maj Rachel
Jette (1 Fd Amb) and Cpl Kelly Zseder were
dental support for this exercise and even helped
with a real forensic identification as there was a
plane crash with 12 fatalities and 3 survivors. It
was beneficial that they were already in that
location and available to help. Capt Nathan Elliot
was also part of a 1 Cdn Fd Hosp exercise before
being posted to Edmonton and has written an
insert about that exercise (see below).
Cpl Wendy Krause has been very busy this year
as she had to do her MLVW course in Edmonton
in Nov 2010 and her QL5 course in Borden from
February to April 2011. She had just enough time
after the QL5 course to get all the necessary IBTS
training and other requirements for PP11. Capt
Jamison was also busy right before PP11 as she
attended the 47th Annual Forensic Identification
and
Emerging
Technologies
course
in
Albuquerque, NM from May 16-20.
If we are talking about someone who has had a
crazy year, Cpl Shannon Steinke comes to mind.
She was staff on the CFHSTC OMFS course in
January, attended an OMFS trauma course in San
31
Francisco and job shadowed at the IRSM clinic in
February, went on pre-deployment training in
Petawawa in Feb-Mar and TD’d to Halifax for OR
time in June. Finally, she put on the tan combats
and boarded the plane for Kandahar in July. She
has been keeping us updated and says she is
busy everyday in the oral surgery wing. I am sure
she will see some interesting things over there.
We can’t wait to have her home! Our OMFS Maj
Antonella Trache also went to Afghanistan this
year. She was busy (as expected) while there and
we are glad to have her back!
Having fun in the sun at the 1 Fd Amb Annual Golf
Tournament. (L-R standing) Cpl Stephanie Curtis,
Dr. Hugh
Campbell, Cpl Kelly Zseder.
(L-R kneeling) Sgt Jordana Sproule, MWO Anna
Aldrich, Sgt Andy Plante, Sgt Andrea Plante
Another “busy bee” is Capt Dominik Rudecki. After
his USN Operative course in San Diego (12-14
Jan 2011), he filled in for a TD to Yellowknife (2-6
May 2011) and then headed to Borden for the
Advanced Dental Officer Course (24 May – 3 Jun
2011). He had a little break for the summer where
he didn’t have to go anywhere so he could get
married (Congratulations!) and then was the OPI
for the three U of A Dental Students OJT (18 Aug
– 26 Sep 2011). He was also lucky to get chosen
for a TD to Shilo (19 Aug – 9 Sep 2011) to keep
the clinic running. He is also the Edmonton
Regional CE OPI and so will have more work to
do when he gets back from Shilo.
Cpl Jemma Sutton and Cpl Stephanie Curtis were
involved with TDs. Both are the regular assistants
for the Calgary and Yellowknife TDs respectively.
The 1 Dent Det Edmonton 2011 clinic photo
32
equipment and personnel
were en route. The rest of
the mission was
a
continued success which
set up a future of greater
expectations.
The challenge came in
the form of CONPLAN
RENNAISSANCE
from
the Surgeon General to
transform into a 48hrs
Notice to Move unit for
Capt Jennilee Jamison and Cpl Wendy Krause on board the USS Cleveland
humanitarian
missions.
for Ex Pacific Partnership 2011 during a RAS (Replenishment at sea)
Previously, 1 Cdn Fd
Hosp mandate allowed
In addition to that they both left in the spring for
months to prepare. Much effort was put into the
TDs to other clinics. Cpl Sutton went to Moose
year following OP HESTIA. On May 9, 2011, it
Jaw and Cpl Curtis went to St. John’s. Cpl Sutton
was time for 1 Cdn Fd Hosp to trial their hard work
also instructs first aid around the base and
during EX SWIFT SERPENT, a complex exercise
volunteers with the MFRC, Edmonton Dental designed to test the ability to deploy, set up, and
Assistants’ Association and an Edmonton animal treat casualties within the Acute Medical Surgical
rescue group to keep herself extra busy. Cpl
Capability (AMSC) concept.
Curtis joined the soccer team and went to
Regionals in Winnipeg at the end of August and The ultimate goal was to be able to provide up to
got selected to go to Nationals in Borden. Way to 20 life saving surgeries at 72 hrs from the time of
disaster (AMSC Advance), after which additional
go Cpl Curtis!
supplies would be expected to arrive in order to
As you can see the Edmonton clinic is always in a
sustain the mission for up to 2 weeks, including
state of flux with the number of staff we have
dental (AMSC Light). The troops and officers were
coming and going with postings and taskings. It
equally motivated, and the deployment and set up
makes for challenging but exciting work phases went quickly. Medical personnel and
atmosphere. Despite how busy we have been we
specialists from Petawawa, Ottawa, Edmonton,
have also showed our dedication to our patients
Vancouver and Montreal were present to provide
as our DCP is looking better than ever. Keep up
valuable role playing and feedback during the
the good work everyone!
patient treatment phase which ultimately led to
productive changes. The dental team comprised
EX SWIFT SERPENT (Capt Nathan Elliot)
of Capt Elliott and MCpl Michelle Parnell. They
Over the past year, 1 Cdn Fd Hosp has
were responsible for dental set up and treatment
undergone significant changes. The Unit’s
of dental casualties. In addition, they acted as
success during OP HESTIA (Haiti) brought a quiet
and routine based unit into the limelight. 1 Cdn Fd Triage Officer and helped within the PAD.
Hosp was stood up after the earthquake struck Redeployment was quick and spirits remained
high from start to finish. Commodore Jung and the
Haiti on January 12, 2010. The Unit was pushed
visiting Dutch Surgeon General were equally
to deploy as quickly as possible, and within one
impressed, and labelled the exercise a success!
week of tireless effort the majority of our
33
A Year In The Life Of A New Detachment
By Capt Jason Yee, Dent Det St John’s
In August of 2010, 1 Dental Unit Detachment St.
John’s was stood up as the newest detachment
within the Canadian Forces Dental Services.
This transition took place as the permanent
dental positions were relocated from 5 Wing
Goose Bay to support Canadian Forces Station
(CFS) St. John's, the only Navy station within the
CF. Located in St. John’s, NL, much has
transpired at this former satellite clinic over the
course of the last year, and I'd like to take this
opportunity to share some of the highlights with
you all.
Cupples and LCol Glenda
Ross were also very willing
to supply me with anything
ranging
from
PDR
templates to DCP reports.
Through this experience of
standing up a new Det, I
have come to realize how
much knowledge and
support is readily available,
coast-to-coast and just a
phone call away.
With a new detachment, a brand new cadre of
staff had to be posted in. First, I was asked to
make the almost cross-country move from Cold
Lake to St. John's. Next, Sgt Bonnie Bailey,
Dental Clinic Coordinator extraordinaire, was
promoted and posted in from Greenwood. Our
cast of characters was complete when our chairside Dental Tech, Cpl Carrie Robbins, who
brought 3 years of private practice experience
along with her, arrived fresh off of her BMQ
course.
In our first year, some other
individuals were called upon to help our
detachment in a very tangible manner. As a "oneholer" clinic, daily activities may be easily
disrupted when staff are away, and Cpl Robbins
had to complete her Driver Wheel Training and
QL5A courses between Jan-Apr 2011. Thanks to
MWO Bizier, we were fortunate to be able to find
some Dent Techs to backfill her position. An
enthusiastic "thank you!" goes out to Cpl Curtis
(from Det Edmonton) and Cpl Bruzas (from Det
Winnipeg) for all of their help during that time.
They both ensured that operations continued
smoothly, and I can't express enough appreciation
for the great work ethic and attitude that they
brought to our team. I am happy to report that
both Cpls Curtis and Bruzas experienced the longheld tradition of being "screeched in" while they
It's been said that, "You don't know what you
have until it's gone", and this definitely applied to
many of the situations our team faced with
standing up a new Det. Questions that I never
thought of before seemed to arise every day:
where do we order this item from? Do we have a
budget for that? Do we need a FIN code? Is that
on our SCA? What’s a SCA?
Fortunately, our team had a lot of support, right
from the very beginning. Maj Raegan
Meadows, who was in Goose Bay before the
relocation took place, was a great source of
information, and prepared me as best as she
could for my DDC role before she left for
parental leave. After arriving in St. John's, I
could always count on a weekly phone call
from Maj Dominic Belcastro, who was in
Gander at the time, to offer answers to
anything that was on my mind. MWO Mario
Bizier and LCol Martin Brochu from 1 DU HQ
were also always there whenever any seniorlevel guidance was needed. Mr JC Carrier was
able to help us in a myriad of ways as well, not
the least of which included paying our invoices
before we were able to do so ourselves. Maj
Christine Holmes, Maj (Ret'd) Margaret
34
Sgt Bonnie Bailey and Capt Jason Yee, fresh-faced,
even after completing the Tely 10
were here, which included the
(after-hours) consumption of an
infamous alcoholic beverage; as a
result, both became "honourary
Newfoundlanders" after their time
in St. John’s. It has become one of
my unofficial goals to have each
member within 1 DU screeched in
after visiting us; so far, I have been
successful with this endeavour,
except for the folks from Dental HQ
when they arrived for the SAV last
year--LCol Brochu, we'll have to
get you one of these days!
Our Det has also had the good
fortune of being able to employ a
dental assisting student during this
past summer. Although students
often complete their placements at
our Dets, it is rare to have one who
has just enrolled in the CF. Pte
Jessica Rouzes joined our team in
June in order to complete her work
Sgt Bonnie Bailey serving beans to Rick Hansen during his visit
placement with Keyin College,
as part of the 25th anniversary of the Man in Motion World Tour
after formally enrolling in the CF in
May. She was a pleasure to have
to her return for her final work placement in
in our clinic and expressed great competency
November. As Sgt Bailey has been selected to
and enthusiasm to learn; we are looking forward
instruct on this year's QL6A course in Borden,
Pte Rouzes' presence will be that much more
welcome. Whichever detachment she will be
posted to next year will be lucky to have her!
As a new addition to CFS St. John's, it was
important that our Det establish strong
visibility at the Station; therefore, we took part
in as many events as was possible. This
meant being present for every mess dinner
that was arranged in the area and fully
participating in each operation, including OP
LAMA, which took place as a response to
Hurricane Igor, after it ravaged the east coast
in Sep2010.
More recently, on 25 Jun, our Det took part in
CF Day, an annual event that is open to the
general public. We set up a modular tent,
offered colouring books and crayons to the
children in attendance, and also gave
demonstrations regarding proper oral health
practices. Sgt Bailey even volunteered to
dress up as “Strawberry Shortcake”, battling
the summer heat in order to entertain the kids!
Rick Hansen, congratulating Capt Yee on his
master of ceremonies abilities
On 24 Jul, Sgt Bailey and I ran the Tely 10,
one of the oldest road races in Canada, which
was first organized in 1922. The 10-mile race
35
event for this occasion, and it was a
great privilege to meet such an
inspirational champion and Canadian
icon. Surprisingly, I was asked to be
the master of ceremonies once
more, which goes to show that if
you’re asked to do something and
you don’t mess it up, someone will
surely ask you to do it again. (If I’m
never asked to stand up a new clinic
in the future, then I guess I’ll know
what that means!)
Since our Det was stood up, the
dental clinic located at 5 Wing Goose
Bay has become a satellite clinic of
ours. From last April until very
recently, MCpl Krista Blizzard had
been very conscientious in taking
care of the daily activities at the
Our team on CF Day, with Sgt Bonnie Bailey
clinic, including booking patients
as Strawberry Shortcake.
whenever I arrived on TD. Always
motivated and very independent, her
required some preparation, but it was well worth it.
hard work allowed the clinic to run very smoothly.
We had a great time enjoying the run with the rest
Unfortunately, MCpl Blizzard returned to her
of the military personnel in St. John's, as well as previous trade as a Supply Tech as of September
along with the more athletically-inclined population 1st of this year. Although she is happy to remain
in the area.
in the Goose Bay area, we were sorry to see her
An abundance of opportunities are available if one leave the CFDS family. A big "thank you" goes out
wishes to get involved at a
small Base, Wing, Ship or
Station. For example, a
change
of
command
ceremony took place at CFS
St. John's on 15 Jul, and
yours truly was approached to
be the master of ceremonies.
I had never been asked to
take on this kind of speaking
engagement in a military
setting before, and it turned
out to be a great experience.
A month later, I was asked to
do a similar task. As many
people know, this year marks
the 25th anniversary of Rick
Hansen's Man In Motion
World Tour. To commemorate
the occasion, medal bearers
have been selected from
around the world to re-trace
the path that Mr. Hansen
travelled in his wheelchair so
many years ago. On 25 Aug,
CFS St. John's hosted an
36
Cpl Stephanie Curtis was presented with a certificate by
Sgt Bonnie Bailey and Capt Jason Yee for her excellent work while
on TD at 1 DU Det St. John's.
to MCpl Blizzard's contributions and to her eight
years of dedicated service to the patient
population in the community at 5 Wing Goose
Bay.
The past year has definitely been a busy one for
myself. Between learning to become a competent
DDC, frequent trips to Goose Bay, clinical courses
and the ADOC, I have also been enjoying local
activities in St. John’s, such as taking martial arts
classes at Memorial University. I am also working
on completing my OPME courses (it's probably
about time that I finish these). And, while I am on
TD in Goose Bay, I have also been teaching T'ai
Chi classes to the local community at the Wing
chapel.
Moving forward, the biggest development within
our Det includes preparing to move into our new
clinic, which has been under construction since
the spring. In addition, we will be hosting a CE
event for the Dets in Newfoundland & Labrador,
so that our friends and colleagues from Det
Gander will be able to join us for some fun and
learning. Capt Joseph, Sgt Gulliford and Cpl
Savoy, we are looking forward to seeing you soon!
St. John's is a wonderfully scenic area, with the
best to offer of the east coast. The people are
friendly, and there are an abundance of sights,
sounds and restaurants to enjoy. From a work
perspective, I have learned very much, and hope
that I have been responsible in leading a team in
standing up the Det. Regardless of the novel
challenges, I am very fortunate to be a part of an
amazing team, and can say with conviction that
being the nominal head of a great group of people
makes all the difference in the world.
If anyone of you are planning to visit St. John's,
please let us know, and we will do our best to give
you a taste of the famous Newfoundland
hospitality. Now, if only I can find some way to get
LCol Brochu screeched in…
Capt Jason Yee, Sgt Bonnie Bailey and Cpl Carrie Robbins enjoying a scenic view of St John’s
37
Open House at 8 Wing Trenton, 4-5 Jun 2011 &
Easter at 1 Dent Det Trenton
By Sgt Cynthia Goodyear
Staff members enjoying their chocolate eggs.
1 Dent Det Trenton was graciously blessed with a
visit from not only one but two Easter Bunnies this
year. There were many excited clinic members,
searching for chocolate treasures that the bunnies
had strategically hidden. These bunnies weren’t
interested in delivering carrots, just a whole lot of
chocolate! and the staff didn’t mind a bit. The staff
were given Easter baskets by the bunnies and they
rushed around trying to fill their baskets as fast as
they could. The bunnies created a little healthy
inner clinic competition by awarding the staff
member who collected the most eggs with a gift
certificate. Everyone’s efforts didn’t go
unrecognized, as the staff member with the least
number of eggs was also awarded a prize. It was a
fun filled event that put a lot of smiles on many
faces. We are hoping that the bunnies make an
appearance again next year!
38
1 Dent Det Trenton took part in
the Open House event at 8 Wing
Trenton themed “Your Wing,
Your Neighbors”. That weekend
presented an opportunity to
showcase the unique abilities of
many CF Personnel. There was a lot of planning,
preparation, organizing, set up and tear down by
the clinic staff in getting ready for that weekend,
and Dent Det Trenton did not disappoint, as it truly
was a huge success.
The dental clinic delivered a great display
demonstrating the Air transportable kit. There were
many pictures, poster boards and a power point
presentation promoting various roles that our
dental teams fulfill from humanitarian missions,
disaster relief, and overseas deployments. It
highlighted the CF Dental Corps ability to respond
Apprehensive patient had to be put in a bomb
suit. LOL
to the many global needs, making a difference
one mission at a time! Our military staff at Dent
Det Trenton worked both days, displaying
positive energy and smiles as they talked with
many people who were interested in our set up
and roles in the dental field. The Wing
Commander was very impressed with our
display and was thankful for the outstanding
work that went into preparations for that
weekend. Dent Det Trenton’s dedicated and
professional staff represented the base and the
CF in an exceptional fashion.
Capt Bryant Roy getting his teeth checked by a
prospective dentist.
39
Rendez-vous de la 1re Unité dentaire à Québec
par capt Alexandre Vo
Dent Det Valcartier
Du 6 au 10 juin dernier, le Corps dentaire et
l'Association du corps dentaire royal canadien
(ACDRC) se sont unis dans le magnifique décor
de la ville de Québec afin de présenter le
Symposium du printemps de la 1re Unité dentaire.
Cet événement annuel se voulait l’occasion pour
les différents niveaux de commandements de
passer en revue les derniers accomplissements
du corps dentaire et de discuter des orientations
futures du SDFC, le tout dans l’ambiance
décontractée de la Citadelle de Québec et le
paysage enchanteur de la Garnison Valcartier.
Désigné comme étant le centre de spécialité
régional hôte pour l’année 2011, le détachement
dentaire de Valcartier a reçu plus de 80
participants pour cet événement. La majorité de
ceux-ci provenaient des détachements dentaires
de Bagotville, Longue Pointe et St-Jean. De plus,
les équipes de commandements des cinq autres
centres de spécialité régionaux à travers le pays
ainsi que le personnel de l’état-major de l’Unité
accompagnés du Directeur du Service dentaire et
de l’adjuc de la Branche se sont aussi joints à
nous. De nombreux anciens membres du corps
dentaire étaient également présents, parmi eux
les Brigadier-Généraux (ret) Victor Lanctis et Fred
Bégin, de même que les Colonels (ret) Eugène
Lemieux, Scott Becker et Peter McQueen. Le
40
Lieutenant-colonel Marks ainsi que le Sergent de
1re classe Tezzo du Corps dentaire de l’Armée
américaine US Army DENCOM étaient aussi
présents.
Mis à part les discussions sur les directives et
programmes qui touchent directement les
opérations quotidiennes des 26 détachements du
Service dentaire à travers le pays et en Europe,
une journée de formation continue dentaire était
aussi planifiée. Divers conférenciers locaux
spécialistes en chirurgie buccale et maxillofaciale, en orthodontie ou provenant de la Faculté
de médecine dentaire de l’Université Laval ont
entretenu les participants sur des thèmes variés
allant des amalgames et composites en passant
par les biophosphonates à la gestion du stress en
situation de combat. Ce dernier sujet nous a
d’ailleurs été présenté par des scientifiques du
Centre de recherche de Valcartier.
La semaine s’est conclue avec la tenue d’un
tournoi de golf. Dès l’aube, les participants se sont
élancés sur le parcours du Centre Castor en
bravant des conditions météorologiques peu
clémentes. Le méchoui qui s’en suivit fut
l’occasion pour chacun de se dire au revoir et à
l’année prochaine à Esquimalt!
Ex NEW HORIZONS 2011 (HAÏTI)
Par Capt Roy, 2ième Ambulance de Campagne, Petawawa
Capt Dallaire-Giroux, 1 Dent Unit Det Kingston
Capt Jérôme Sylvain, 5ième Ambulance de Campagne, Valcartier
Capt Whitney Dagrain, 1 Dent Unit Det Wainwright
Capt Mathieu Carrier, 1 Dent Unit Det Valcartier
Team 1
Capt Cyndie
Dallaire-Giroux
7-21 May 11
Team 2
Capt LouisSimon Roy
7 May to
11 Jun 11
Team 3
Capt Jerome
Sylvain
28 May to
11 Jun 11
Team 4
none
Team 5
Capt Whitney
Dagrain
11-25 Jun 11
Team 6
Capt Mathieu
Carrier
11-25 Jun 11
Campagne vue d’un Blackhawk, de Capt Jérôme Sylvain
Capt Louis-Simon Roy: L’exercice NEW
HORIZONS 2011 (7 mai au 28 juin 2011) a fait
partie de TF BON VOIZEN Haïti 2011. Cette
mission humanitaire de support des services de
santé a été mise sur pied par l’Armée de
Réserve du Sud des États-Unis (Army Reserve
South, ARSOUTH). L'un de leurs principaux
objectifs est de promouvoir le partenariat
international dont l'assistance humanitaire par le
biais des soins médicaux et dentaires fournis aux
populations démunies. Cette année, la Force de
Réserve du Sud a été déployée pour aider la
population Haïtienne des Gonaïves qui est
dépourvue de ces services de bases. Les Forces
canadiennes ont été invitées à participer à cette
mission humanitaire pour offrir des services
dentaires et médicaux. Nous avons comblé trois
rotations: du 7 au 21 mai à la Clinique Petite
Desdunes pour les services médicaux et
dentaires, du 28 mai au 11 juin à la Clinique
Bocozelle pour les services médicaux et à
l'Hôpital St-Nicholas pour les services dentaires,
et du 11 au 25 juin à la Clinique de Santé
Desdunes pour les services médicaux et
dentaires. Les équipes de chaque rotation étaient
formées de deux dentistes pour les services
41
pour la stérilisation et les fournitures. Elle venait
nous donner un coup-de-main lorsque nous étions
très occupés.
dentaires et d'un médecin et d'un(e) infirmier
(ière) pour les services médicaux .
Chaque année, la Force de Réserve du sud des
États-Unis se déploie dans des régions
démunies. A Haïti, l'équipe américaine de cette
année a été jumelée avec des équipes de
Colombie, du Bélize et du Canada. Le Service de
santé comprenait des membres des États-Unis,
de la Colombie et du Canada. Les Béliziens
furent jumelés avec les ingénieurs. L'équipe
d'ingénieurs ont construit des écoles, des
cliniques et des latrines. Leurs réalisations furent
surprenantes compte tenu de leur équipement
limité: les écoles sont assez grandes pour
accueillir de 150 à 200 élèves; les cliniques
comprennent deux à trois petits bâtiments
comprenant des chambres de consultations
séparées; et les latrines sont construites
solidement pour résister aux tremblements de
terre et aux inondations.
Lors de notre première rotation, nous fûmes
surpris de voir comment les gens avaient besoin
de soins, tant au niveau dentaire que médical.
Nos équipements se résumaient à 2
chaises, 2 tables d'examens
médicales, des élévateurs à périoste et
dentaires, des daviers, quelques
apexos, rongeurs à os et pinces
hémostatiques. Les deux chaises
dentaires étaient placées dans un
porte-conteneur de haute mer avec les
bacs à vaisselle (stérilisation à froid) et
les tables d'examen étaient à
l'extérieur. Un dentiste américain (Maj.
Lance) et une dentiste canadienne
(Capt Dallaire-Giroux) pouvaient
travailler à l'intérieur du porteconteneur de haute mer tandis que
l'autre dentiste canadien (Capt. Roy,
moi-même) était à l'extérieur. Une
technicienne complétait notre équipe,
souvent une infirmière (Cpl Komosa),
42
Avec une température moyenne atteignant
facilement les 95F, il faisait très chaud et,
conséquemment, nous devions bien nous
hydrater. La majorité des traitements étaient des
extractions, dont certaines étaient plus difficiles
que d’autres: la difficulté provenait aussi du fait
que nous n’avions pas d’assistance, de succion,
de lumière ou de pièce à main pour aider dans
notre travail. De plus, la longue file de patients
ajoutait à l’angoisse de ne pouvoir répondre à la
grande demande. Heureusement, il y a avait
toujours la satisfaction de soigner quelqu’un dans
le besoin qui nous poussait à continuer. Les
patients arrivaient aux petites heures du matin
pour se mettre en file pour la journée. La
température et l’attente rendaient certains d’entre
eux très faibles. Ça nous motivait à voir les
patients le plus vite possible pour les soulager. Le
soir, nous allions préparer la journée du
lendemain: compter les pilules, préparer les
compresses et le matériel, tout en se contant des
histoires; chacun avait son anecdote du jour.
Lorsque les préparatifs étaient terminés, nous
prenions quelques moments libres pour faire
mieux connaissance et partager notre expérience.
Après nous rentrions nous reposer pour la nuit en
rêvant de cette cours des miracles. Notre camp de
base étant situé en campagne semi-désertique. Il
n’était pas rare de trouver une brebis dans la tente
ou un cochon qui faisait le tour de celle-ci la nuit.
Nous retrouvions souvent des criquets dans notre
lit; nous devions nettoyer notre chambre chaque
Capt Cyndie Dallaire-Giroux and Capt Louis-Simon Roy
with US members
dentistes, six hygiénistes et de trente techniciens
dentaires. Le tout fut mis en œuvre à l’hôpital StNicolas dans la ville de St-Marc. Faisant partie
d’un déploiement dentaire, nous avions
l’équipement nécessaire pour donner des soins de
base assez élaborés, jusqu’à la fabrication de
prothèses complètes immédiates après
extractions. Nous comptions aussi sur la présence
d’un parodontiste, d’un chirurgien maxillo-facial et
d’un spécialiste en dentisterie générale. L’hôpital
St-Nicolas est le centre de santé de référence
pour la province.
Capt Louis-Simon Roy
fois qu’on y entrait.
Je suis resté pour préparer la deuxième rotation.
Nous avons donc visité le site en compagnie du
Dr Vincent, le directeur de l’Hôpital St-Nicholas .
Cette visite nous a permis de préparer un plan
d’occupation de l’hôpital pour la salle d’attente,
les équipes de traitements dentaires et la salle
qui sert à donner des présentations d’hygiène.
De plus, le Dr Vincent nous a orienté vers ses
objectifs d’intervention. Ses conseils furent aussi
très pratiques pour établir l’horaire du transport et
se familiariser avec les règles de sécurité à
respecter lors des déplacements.
La deuxième rotation fut différente de la
première: elle était axée vers la dentisterie.
L’équipe était alors composée de neufs
Lors de notre séjour, il y eu recrudescence de
l’épidémie de choléra suivant le début de la saison
des pluies, ce qui a augmenté l’eau de surface et
qui, du même coup, a augmenté la dissémination
du virus. Les Haïtiens utilisent l'eau de surface
quotidiennement pour se laver, pour nettoyer leurs
vêtements, ou leurs ustensiles. L'Hôpital StNicolas a reçu beaucoup de patients atteints de
choléra. La clinique dentaire était située de telle
sorte que les murs de la cliniques formaient la
bordure extérieure du lieu où étaient nettoyés les
lits des mourants. Le lit d'un malade du choléra
est en fait un lit de camp blanc avec un trou dans
le milieu, au dessous duquel est déposé une
chaudière. Le malade décède souvent de
déshydratation.
Le travail dans l’hôpital était différent de la
première rotation, nous étions jumelés avec le
reste de l’hôpital et en étant en ville, les patients
étaient plus difficiles à satisfaire. Ils voulaient tous
un nettoyage, une obturation et une extraction.
Nous avons donc décidé de mettre en place un
système où nous réglions un problème par
patient. Ainsi, nous pouvions aider davantage de
patients. Ceux qui voulaient plusieurs traitements
revenaient faire la file, souvent bien
longue. Pour cette rotation nous avions un
dentiste qui faisait le triage (système
américain), par la suite les patients étaient
acheminés vers l’endroit ou on les traitait.
Encore là, nos activités dentaires étaient
gratifiantes, on sentait que les patients
appréciaient notre aide. Nous séparâmes
notre équipe en spécialités: le
parodontiste et le spécialiste généraliste
dans une chambre, trois dentistes
généralistes dont le Capt Sylvain de
Valcartier pour faire des extractions dans
une autre chambre, trois dentistes dont
Capt Roy (moi-même) qui faisaient des
traitements plus généraux dans une autre
chambre, et finalement cinq hygiénistes
Lit de cholera
43
succion. Aucune radiographie n’était possible. De
multiples extractions ont été effectuées.
Capt Cyndie Dallaire-Giroux
qui travaillaient en rotation dans une chambre
pouvant accueillir trois praticiens.
Le soir venu nous avions peu de temps libre,
mais on se gardait du temps pour jouer aux
cartes. Il faut dire que la pluie restreignait nos
déplacements hors de la tente, alors
qu'auparavant le soleil était toujours présent.
Soudainement la pluie a fait la différence, nos
habitudes ont un peu changé.
Ces expériences ont été gratifiantes autant pour
les praticiens que pour les patients; chacun sort
gagnant d’une telle aventure. On fait beaucoup
de bien aux gens en réglant leurs problèmes,
mais on a aussi une grande satisfaction morale
d’aider et de soulager son prochain tout en
s’ouvrant les yeux sur un monde ayant tellement
besoin d’aide. Enfin, j’espère que ce petit article
vous a renseigné sur ce qu’ont été les premières
rotations à Haïti.
Une excellente relation s'est établie dès le départ
avec le personnel militaire de la garde en charge
de l’exercice; Leur accueil chaleureux, leur
attitude accommodante en association avec notre
participation soutenue à la logistique de la mission
ont contribué à bâtir des liens professionnels
efficaces. Le peuple haïtien est très reconnaissant
des soins leur ayant été prodigués. Malgré les
conditions sanitaires limitées, les objectifs de la
mission ont été atteints. La fierté d’un travail
d’équipe bien accompli avec le support constant
de tous n’a qu’alimenté mon grand intérêt pour ce
genre de mission.
En plus de certains cas potentiels observables de
carcinomes invasifs épidermoides de la lèvre
inférieure, l'équipe dentaire a échangé avec
d'autres praticiens, entre autres, sur des
manifestations de cas de neurofibromatose, de
lymphome, de syphilis congénitale, de malaria,
d'hépatite, et de VIH.
Malgré l'éducation donnée aux patients et
l’application de toutes les précautions possibles, il
est inquiétant de voir un patient retourner dans
son milieu après une chirurgie dentaire sachant
que les mesures d'hygiène et la malnutrition font
parti du mode de vie là-bas.
Capt Jérôme Sylvain:
Mon expérience en tant qu’officier dentaire à
l’Exercice New Horizon 2011 fut extraordinaire.
Traiter des patients d’un pays défavorisé dans des
conditions des plus difficiles et la possibilité de
Capt Cyndie Dallaire-Giroux:
La mission humanitaire MEDRETE est le résultat
de la collaboration d'une équipe médicale assez
complète; cette coopération a rendu l'expérience
des plus intéressantes car la présentation de
certains cas médicaux variés et de différentes
méthodes de travail est très stimulante.
Une capacité et même une volonté d’adaptation
sont absolument nécessaires pour fonctionner
dans un environnement de travail aussi primitif:
l’équipe dentaire s’est accommodé efficacement
d’un contenant métallique de livraison en tant qu’
infrastructure de clinique, d’instruments
chirurgicaux de base, de simples chaises
juchées sur des blocs de ciment qui ne sont pas
accompagnées d’unité dentaire qui nous aurait
fourni une pièce à main et un système de
44
De la gauche: Cpl Anna Komosa, Capt LouisSimon Roy, Lt Michelle Wilson, Capt Richard
Handfield-Jones,
Capt
Dallaire-Giroux,
Capt Gordon Hutchinson.
travailler sous le commandement américain m’ont
permis de parfaire mon expérience militaire et
d’élargir mes horizons. Le nombre de patients se
présentant à chaque jour était impressionnant. Les
extractions constituaient la presque totalité des
soins que nous avons offerts.
La population haïtienne a très peu accès à des
soins dentaires, bon nombres de patients de tout
âge n’avaient jamais vu un dentiste. De plus, nous
avons extrait plusieurs racines que des dentistes
qui s’étaient proclamés capables d’extraire des
dents avaient laissées. En fait, ils cassent la
couronne avec un davier et laissent la ou les
racines en place et facturant des honoraires
importants à ces gens pauvres.
Capt Whitney Dagrain:
I had the honor and privilege of representing the
Dental Corps during Serial Three New Horizon
MEDRETES/DENTRETES 11. Our mission was to
accompany the US Army Reserve on a
humanitarian mission to Haiti, one of the poorest
nations in the Western Hemisphere. This mission
bore an extra significance for me since Haiti is the
country I was born in before leaving 16 years ago
to have a better life in Canada. We were tasked to
Desdunes, a town in the Artibonite Department of
Haiti. It is located in the Artibonite valley, roughly
93 miles north of Port-au-Prince.
As part of the my task, I was able to step in and
start working right away as I was fortunate enough
Capt Jérôme Sylvain
to utilize the capacity that was left by the previous
serials and carry on their humanitarian work.
There is a serious lack of dental care available to
the Haitian people and our goal was to provide the
skills and expertise necessary to treat as many
people as we could. This was my first exposure to
dental care delivery at an international field
hospital in an austere environment.
Our arrival resulted in a tremendous response
from the country and community. Lines of two to
three thousands people were not uncommon.
Haitians presenting themselves to the Clinic would
normally begin lining up the night prior. People
travelled from miles and miles away for the clinic
and would be exposed to a mandatory public
health briefing run by a civilian Haitian
organization. There was a triage station prioritizing
patients based on need, then sending them to the
appropriate station for treatment. Approximately
Capt Whitney Dagrain
45
1400 people were treated for medical and dental
conditions daily, by us and our US hosts.
Approximately 150 dental extractions were
performed each day. The work day was from
dawn to dusk in the mud, using basic dental
tools, flashlights and gauze. Surgical extractions
had to be accomplished using only straight
elevators in a procedure we called “Hammer
Time”. Electricity was not available in the area
that we were in. Generators were used to fulfill
only the most basic of electricity needs. For the
most part we worked when we could utilize
daylight. I thoroughly enjoy taking part in this
kind of humanitarian mission and I wish I could
do it more often; however I also enjoy the
challenges of dentistry in Canada as well.
To say that my experience in Haiti was
remarkable would be an understatement. The
impact that it had on each member of our
Canadian group was amazing to see. The
reception that our group experienced was one of
profound gratitude and appreciation from the
Haitian people. We worked for ten days and
treated primarily patients wanting dental
extractions. Unfortunately we did not have
adequate equipment to provide cleanings and
some types of dental restorations. The level of
oral health was in my opinion, bordering on
abysmal. It brought me immense sadness when I
had to remove the four front teeth of a 14-yearold girl because they were so far beyond repair. It
is a sickening feeling knowing that such a young
girl will never have front teeth again. It is however
encouraging to see this same young lady smiling
and thanking you immensely when the work is
done, knowing that now she doesn’t have to
experience the discomfort she has lived with for
several years. To see the smiles on the faces of
the little kids and their mothers, knowing we were
helping them, fills you with so much satisfaction.
We were very fortunate during our travels to be
hosted by the US Army. Without modern
Happy Kids
conveniences such as air conditioning, land
telephone, flushing toilets, and very limited
amenities, we found ourselves completely
immersed in this beautiful culture.
It goes without saying that despite the over 1,500
patients Capt Carrier and I treated, and over 2,300
extractions later, the mission was a tremendous
success and changed lives in both countries
forever.
Capt Mathieu Carrier:
L’exercice New Horizon était, en ce qui me
concerne, une expérience des plus plaisantes et
intéressantes. Les Américains ont fait preuve
d’une hospitalité cordiale à notre égard, et ce, à
tous les niveaux et ils nous ont permis de passer
de très bons moments à leurs côtés. Il était
agréable de voir leurs façons d’envisager les
tâches et de collaborer avec eux dans
l’accomplissement de celles-ci. Traiter la
population haïtienne au jour le jour était fort
gratifiant, car la grande majorité de nos patients
étaient aux prises avec des conditions buccodentaires douloureuses restées beaucoup trop
longtemps sans traitement pour lesquels les soins
Triage des patients dentaires
46
que nous étions en mesure d’offrir avaient un
effet presque instantané. Nous avions donc
l'agréable satisfaction de savoir que, sur une
base individuelle, notre effort faisait toute la
différence.
Malgré la courte durée de l’exercice, nous avons
eu la possibilité d’observer, en travaillant avec
des spécialistes d’autres disciplines médicales,
des cas inhabituels et exotiques tels que des cas
d’éléphantiasis, de fièvre paludique, d’infection
parasitaire de la cornée, etc. En ce sens,
l’exercice a contribué énormément à notre
culture médicale générale et même vétérinaire!
En effet, lors de notre avant-dernière journée
alors que notre clinique dentaire était démontée,
j’ai eu la chance d’être invité à faire partie d’une
petite expédition vétérinaire et d’aider l’équipe à
vermifuger des animaux en tout genre: poules,
chiens, chèvres, cochons, vaches, etc. C’était un
moment inattendu et particulièrement amusant!
Capt Mathieu Carrier:
The New Horizon exercise was, in my opinion, a
both pleasant and interesting experience. The
Americans showed warm hospitality to us on all
levels and they allowed us to really enjoy working
along their side. It was interesting to see the way
they planned tasks, and to collaborate with them
in the accomplishment of these. Treating the
Haitian population day to day was extremely
gratifying as the majority of our patients had
painful dental conditions which had usually been
left too long without treatment. This meant that
any dental treatment we provided had an almost
instantaneous effect. We therefore had the
satisfaction of knowing that, on an individual
basis, our efforts made a large difference in their
oral health and general well-being.
Despite the short length of the exercise, we had
the opportunity to observe and work with
specialists of other medical disciplines. We saw
unusual and exotic cases such as elephantiasis,
paludic fever, a worm parasitic infection of the
cornea, etc. Because of this exposure, the
exercise contributed enormously to our general
medical experience, and even veterinarian
knowledge! In fact, during our second last day
while our dental clinic was being dismantled, I was
lucky enough to be invited to do a small veterinary
expedition and to help the team to de-worm all
kinds of animals: hens, dogs, goats, pigs, cows,
etc. It was a truly unexpected and particularly fun
moment!
Capt Mathieu Carrier and Capt Whitney Dagrain
47
Continuing Promise 2011 (CP11)
By MCpl Eileen Kenney, 1 DU Det Ottawa
Capt Alexandre Vo, Dent Det Valcartier
Team 1
Capt Amir Mahmood and
MCpl Eileen Kenny
5 Apr to 10 May 11
Team 2
Capt Plasse and
Cpl Maude Yargeau
15 May to 10 Jul 11
MCpl Eileen Kenny: On Monday, 04 April, a
dental team left Canada for Norfolk, Virginia to
meet up with USNS Comfort (T-AH-20), a Mercyclass hospital ship. The team consisted of Capt
Amir Mahmood, DDS, and MCpl Eileen Kenny,
Dent Tech. Their mission was to work with USNS
Comfort dental personnel during Continuing
Promise 2011, to provide and assist with dental
treatment throughout the Caribbean and Central
and South America.
Providing dental treatment to the people of
Jamaica and Peru proved to be an exceptionally
rewarding experience. Although culturally
different, the provision of dental treatment
remained the same. The use of mobile dental
equipment facilitated our need to provide on-site
dental hygiene, operative and oral surgery
procedures to over 2500
patients throughout these
regions. I still chuckle at
one
gentleman’s
response to my triage
questions “Me teeth be
shaken, Mon”. They were
long hours, but to see the
smiling faces and nods of
appreciation
was
confirmation enough that
all
the
hours
of
preparation, scheduling
and treatment provided
had paid off.
Of course, it was not all
work and no play. Off
duty hours provided us
opportunities to go to the
gym, attend ice cream
socials, karaoke, watch
movies and relax. It was
also an opportunity for us
to learn and train with
host and partner nations.
One
of
our
m ost
48
Team 3
Capt Alexandre Vo and
MCpl Flecknell
15 Jul to 2 Sep 11
memorable experiences was a three-hour tour of
Air Craft Carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN
77), a Nimitz-class super carrier of the United
States Navy. We were fortunate enough to have
been docked alongside and selected to attend the
tour. It was incredible!
One unexpected highlight of this trip was the sail
through the Panama Canal. An engineering feat
like no other, our successful transit largely
depended on the pilots navigating the locks, lanes
and lakes; the oversized tugboats gently nudging
the Comfort into position, and mules, electronic
locomotives designed to keep the ship centered in
the lock as the chamber filled with water. At 105
feet 9 inches, the Comfort’s width is just threeinches short of the maximum width regulation for
each lock. We often found ourselves looking over
Capt Amir Mahmood and MCpl Eileen Kenny deployed in April to USNS
Comfort, a Mercy-class hospital ship. They were Team One of a five-month
humanitarian assistance mission designed to provide health care,
engineering services and veterinary medicine to those in need throughout
the Caribbean and Central and South America.
the ship’s side and marvelling at the
lack of space between the ship and
the lock wall. The enormity of it still
amazes me today. To see a ship the
size of the Comfort being gently lifted
from the Atlantic then lowered into the
Pacific is something I will remember
for a long time to come.
What a wonderful opportunity to be
involved with people, especially
different cultures in different
atmospheres. We worked hard and at
the end of the day, walked away with
a strong sense of accomplishment.
We send our thanks to the members
of the USNS Comfort for providing us
the opportunity to work side by side
with them, for their hospitality, and for
making our maiden voyage a
memorable one.
Capt Alexandre Vo: The USNS
Comfort (T-AH 20) left its home port
of Baltimore under command of
Commodore Brian Nickerson for a
five-month expedition through parts of
Latin America and the Caribbean last
April. As part of the sixth edition of
Operation Continuing Promise 2011
(CP 11), the “most prestigious ship in
the US Navy” navigated in the waters
of more than nine countries to deliver
most-needed care to local
populations, from Jamaica to
Ecuador, crossing the Panama canal
twice.
The mission of CP 11 is to train
American personnel in cooperation
with accompanying partner nations
like Canada, host nations, NGOs and
volunteer organizations, to lead civic
and military operations, such as
humanitarian assistance and
infrastructure support. It is also an
opportunity to send a strong message
of the United States’ commitment to
maintaining positive relations with the
countries in the region.
MCpl Eileen Kenny at the stern of the USNS Comfort
The third wave of Canadians embarked on the
Comfort on July 15 in Salvador. During the next
seven weeks, they worked alongside the
Americans in Salvador, Costa Rica and Haïti. A
seven member strong team, among them MCpl
Joan Flecknell (Esquimalt) and Capt Alexandre
Vo (Valcartier) from 1 Dental Unit, whose
contribution and enthusiasm were unanimously
recognized by the ship’s personnel.
At every stop during the voyage, local national
health care providers were invited to come
onboard the Comfort to take part in Subject Matter
Expert Exchange (SMEE) training sessions.
During these SMEEs, the ship’s personnel worked
alongside their host nation counterparts,
49
exchanging information about
current health care practices
thereby solidifying professional
relations and increasing the local
healthcare capacit y. Local
healthcare providers would also
work by our side on shore delivering
well-needed care to our local
national patients. The legacy of
these interactive events will be to
have left behind a knowledge base
within that local healthcare provider
community that will continue to
serve the population long after the
mission has successfully ended.
In spite of the fact that Haiti - our
last stop - was still experiencing
security issues and was still listed
as a high risk country by US
government officials, Comfort’s
personnel were never endangered This is the very first time I set my eyes on the ship…needless to
nor did they have to wear protective
say I was impressed! - Cpl Maude Yargeau
gear while conducting their mission
on shore. Security on and around MEDCAP sites
in Haiti was provided by Nigerian police officers making the mission stop in Haiti a success. Being
and Sri Lankan military troops deployed in the short of French-speaking personnel onboard ship,
the Canadian contingent made maximum use of
region for the United Nations Stabilisation Mission
their bilingual abilities. They played a significant
in Haiti (MINUSTAH).
role in supporting the deployed mission through
The Canadian crew members played a key role in facilitating communications between the staff on
MCpl Joan Flecknell on USNS Comfort, traversing the Panama Canal
50
de cinq mois au large de
l’Amérique latine et des
Caraïbes en avril dernier. Dans
le cadre de la sixième édition
de l’Opération Promesse
continue (CP 11), «le plus
prestigieux navire de la marine
américaine» a navigué les eaux
de plus de neuf pays afin de
prodiguer des soins à ceux
dans le besoin.
La mission première de CP 11
est de former le personnel
américain en coopération avec
les
pays
partenaires
accompagnateurs– dont le
Canada –, les pays hôtes, les
ONG et les organisations
bénévoles, pour mener des
opérations civilo-militaires, dont
l’assistance humanitaire et le
Capt Isabelle Plasse and Cpl Maude Yargeau,
soutien en infrastructure. C’est
delighted to be participating in man overboard drills.
également l’occasion pour
envoyer un message fort de l’engagement des
board ship and the local people. They also played États-Unis à l’endroit des pays de la région.
a key role during distinguished visitors tours and
official diplomatic events. Their contribution was La troisième vague de Canadiens a joint le
greatly appreciated by the USNS Comfort Comfort au Salvador, le 15 juillet dernier. Pendant
sept semaines, ils ont travaillé aux côtés des
command team.
Américains au Salvador, au Costa Rica et en
By the end of the five month mission the operation Haïti. Fort de ses sept membres, dont deux
force of 900 military and civilian personnel had
rattachés à la 1re Unité dentaire, soit la cplc Joan
accomplished up to 1,000 surgeries of all kinds on
Flecknell (Esquimalt) et le capt Alexandre Vo
board ship. It had also relieved the pain of more
(Valcartier), leur contribution et leur enthousiasme
than 100,000 patients while acting of the
auront été unanimement souligné par l’équipage
numerous MEDCAP sites on shore.
du navire.
On the way back to Norfolk,
an all-Canadian exposé to
crew members attracted
hundreds of curious listeners,
eager to hear about their
neighbours to the north. A
commemorative plaque was
given to Commodore Brian
Nickerson as an expression
of our appreciation for having
been given such an incredible
training opportunity and to
signify the long-term
friendship that exists between
the two countries.
Capt Alexandre Vo: Le
USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) a
quitté son port d’attache de
Baltimore pour une expédition
Équipe Canada dentaire: MCpl Joan Flecknell
et Capt Alexandre Vo au Salvador
51
intervenants locaux par l’acquisition de
nouvelles connaissances. Ces derniers ont
également œuvré à nos côtés sur le terrain
à livrer des soins à leurs compatriotes. Ces
sessions interactives auront légué une base
de connaissances à la communauté de
prestateurs de soins de santé qui
continuera à servir la population locale bien
longtemps après la fin de la mission.
Le personnel canadien à bord a notamment
assuré le succès de l’escale en Haïti. À
court de personnel francophone sur le
navire, le contingent canadien s’est
particulièrement illustré en facilitant
grandement les échanges entre la
population locale et le personnel du navire.
Il a entre autres fourni des services de
Cpl Yargeau had the opportunity to help with the “Give a traduction et d’interprétation auprès de
kid a Back Pack” program, supplying school supplies to personnalités
politiques locales et
children.
nombreux autres distingués visiteurs, une
contribution largement appréciée par
À chaque escale, des intervenants locaux furent
l’équipe du commandement.
invités à venir à bord du Comfort afin de participer
à des discussions et échanges d’information sur Bien qu’Haïti connaisse une situation bien peu
certaines pratiques courantes, communément enviable en matière de sécurité, le personnel du
appelées SMEE (Subject Matter Expert Comfort n’a pas eu à prendre des mesures
Exchange). Ceux-ci ont pour but de renforcer les préventives additionnelles, bien que le pays soit
relations et développer les compétences des considéré à haut risque pour la sécurité par le
USNS Comfort Dental Team
52
gouvernement américain. La sécurité
était assurée par la police nigériane et
les troupes militaires sri lankaises
déployées dans la région dans le cadre
de la Mission des Nations unies pour la
stabilisation d’Haïti (MINUSTAH).
Au terme des cinq mois de la mission, la
force opérationnelle de 900 militaires et
civils réunis aura permis d’accomplir
près de 1000 chirurgies majeures à bord
du navire. Elle aura également permis
de soulager le mal de plus de 100 000
patients sur les nombreux sites
médicaux déployés sur terre.
Sur le chemin du retour vers Norfolk,
une présentation toute canadienne
auprès des membres d’équipage aura
attiré une foule de quelques centaines
de personnes, toutes friandes de
connaissances à propos de leur voisin
septentrional. En clôture de l’exposé,
une plaque a été remise au
comm andant de la m ission, le
Commodore Brian Nickerson, en guise
Capt Plasse inside a large tooth costume at a local school in
Manta, Ecuador.
de reconnaissance et d’appréciation pour
l’opportunité qui nous a été offerte, et pour
souligner l’amitié de longue date entre les deux
pays.
Capt Amir Mahmood with a patient
after an extraction
Capt Allexandre Vo with a patient
after an extraction
53
Exercise Patriot 2011
By Capt Andrew Kim, 33 Field Ambulance, Halifax
In July 2011, I was
f or tunate enough to
participate in Exercise
Patriot 2011 at Volk Field
Combat
Readiness
Training Center, Wisconsin.
This multinational exercise,
which was sponsored by
the US Air National Guard
Bureau, was conducted on
09-23 Jul 11 and integrated Role 1 to 3 support
with the focus being to exercise the US
Expeditionary Medical Support (EMEDS) package
in realistic, requirement-based scenarios. The
unique joint / combined training opportunities in an
international conflict / warfighting scenario was
enjoyed by participating nations: Canada, the
United States, and the Netherlands.
The CF Health Services Group’s role was to
augment US ANG medical units from Arkansas and
New Mexico with RegF and ResF personnel from
all over Canada. Physicians, nurses, med techs,
dentists and logistical support specialists were all
integrated into teams with their American and
Dutch counterparts and tasked with setting up and
manning the EMEDS+25, a facility capable of
providing medical support to an approximate
population of over 6,000 personnel.
As with any exercise, the potential for glitches
and confusion to reign was always present,
especially in a multinational coalition setting.
However, once the casualties, both live and
moulaged manikins, started arriving by helicopter
and ambulances at the EMEDS, the teams
quickly gelled together to provide efficient and
effective medical care, despite the type of
uniform worn.
Being the sole Canadian Dental Officer, I joined
four US dental officers in augmenting the dental
department, the operating rooms, and the
emergency department. While no dental
casualties were seen during the exercise, we
were all very busy in our secondary roles within
the EMEDS; especially those of us tasked with
being triage officers for the ER.
The genuine camaraderie experienced with our
American and Dutch colleagues during this
exercise was remarkable given the short period
of time we worked together. It certainly goes to
show that interoperability is key to real world
deployments, both domestic and abroad.
LCol Lemon was presented the Commander's Coin for his accomplishments as
DDentSvcs3, Acting G3 CFHSGHQ, and Acting CO CFHSGHQ
54
Pacific Partnership 2011: Start to Finish
By Capt Peter Walker, Capt Jennilee Jamison and Cpl Wendy Krause, 1 DU Det Edmonton
By Capt Tiffany Kisway, translated by Capt Lucsanszky, 1 DU Det Valcartier
Mission Overview
Edmonton was a significant contributor to the US
Navy Pacific Partnership mission this year. Our
clinic sent three of the eight PP11 members.
Capt Peter Walker, Capt Jennilee Jamison and
Cpl Wendy Krause all took part in this
humanitarian mission that helped people in five
south pacific nations. The mission was from April
to July and 1 Dental Unit sent two teams of four
members on the Amphibious Transport Vessel:
USS Cleveland. The first team consisted of Capt
Walker, Capt Tiffany Kisway (Valcartier), Cpl
Tracy Faught (Petawawa) and Cpl Caroline
Winters (Greenwood). They joined the ship in
Pearl Harbour and had three working ports:
Tonga, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea. They
also enjoyed a liberty port in New Caledonia
(before going to PNG) and disembarked in
Darwin, Australia. Here, the Canadians did a
complete handover and the second team joined
the “Steamin’ Cleve”. Team two’s members were
Capt Jamison, Capt Stefan Thomas (Halifax), Cpl
Krause, and Cpl Elizabeth Hubley (Petawawa).
After leaving Darwin, this team worked in Timor
Leste and Micronesia before disembarking at
Pearl Harbour. By having two dentists from
Edmonton take part in this mission,
together we can outline the mission
in its entirety.
from 1 Dental Unit in Honolulu where we boarded
our ship together. Excited and nervous we
started the slow process of settling into a routine
on our new temporary home, the USS Cleveland.
The team came together quickly and supported
each other throughout the mission even though
we were not always working at the same
treatment site.
After a short delay for repairs the ship sailed from
Pearl Harbour for Tonga. This six-day voyage
was an interesting indoctrination to life on board
a ship. The ocean was calm, but for newcomers
to ship life calm is a relative term. For the first
few days it was hard to leave my bunk; I
managed to acquire my sea legs just in time to
participate in the ships’ Shellback ceremony
where pollywogs (those who have never crossed
the equator on a ship before) go through an
initiation process to become shellbacks. It is
considered bad luck to cross the equator with
pollywogs on your ship.
We arrived in Tonga off the coast of the small
island of Vava’u on the 13th of April. There would
be two main MEDCAP sites on the island: one
was located adjacent to the island’s only hospital
Leg 1 – Tonga, Vanuatu, and
Papua New Guinea: Capt Peter
Walker
Besides the visa requirements,
health statistics and a few very
concise cultural summaries in the
mission brief, I knew very little about
the countries I would be working in. I
soon found myself looking up these
exotic places on the Internet.
Pictures of deserted sunny beaches,
deep blue-ocean, and dense tropical
jungle kept filling my screen.
I
promptly included sunscreen and
bug spray as the first two items on
my personal kit list.
I met up with the rest of the team
Team Two celebrating Canada Day on the USS Cleveland.
Capt Jennilee Jamison, Cpl Wendy Krause, Cpl Elizabeth Hubley,
Capt Stefan Thomas
55
while the other was in a rural region to the northwest. I was placed at the site near the hospital
where the conditions were basic but adequate;
my biggest complaint was the floor was not level
causing my instruments - stored on the snack
tray attached to the Coleman ‘camping/
treatment’ chair my patients were sitting in - kept
rolling off. Patient flow was high at the site I was
working at with dentists seeing between thirty to
fifty patients each day. All the patients were
extremely friendly and courteous, often thanking
us with a “God bless you”. Many would bring us
fruit such as bananas or passion fruit. I was
lucky enough to be invited to one family’s
Sunday dinner where Capt Tiffany Kisway and I
experienced some local food and customs. It
was nice to see how much the patients
appreciated the help that was being provided by
the Pacific Partnership teams.
The USS Cleveland pulled anchor in Tonga on
the 25th of April and headed for the island of
Santo in Vanuatu. Of the three countries I visited
on this mission, Vanuatu was the most logistically
challenging and remote. Over the course of two
weeks in the country, I would be sent to four very
different and very remote MEDCAP sites. In
order to get to these sites I had to take
helicopters, landing crafts, zodiacs, and long
rough four-wheel drive journeys through jungle.
Two of the sites that I visited on the northern
portion part of the island of Santo were
completely inaccessible by land based vehicles,
and could only be reached by a helicopter, or by
a daylong boat trip up the coast. Most of those I
treated in these secluded villages had never
seen a dentist or had any sort of dental
treatment. The last time western caregivers
reached this area was during WWII. Space and
weight limitations required us to only bring one
pelican case, which meant that a lot of time was
invested in planning and packing to keep
supplies to a bare minimum. My most memorable
moment on the mission came during this portion.
In order to reach the site of Nokuku, medical
providers were required to ride zodiacs in on the
pounding surf. If the riders did not time their entry
correctly, the zodiac could be caught broad side
and flipped; we never knew who would arrive
safe and dry and who would get dunked on
morning commute.
It was with mixed emotions that the USS
Cleveland departed Vanuatu for New Caledonia
on the 10th of May. Sad because of wonderful
experiences and fantastic patients, cheerful
56
Cpl Wendy Krause and Capt Jennilee Jamison
at the closing ceremonies in Pohnpei,
Federated States of Micronesia
because New Caledonia was a liberty port with
western amenities and comforts that would
remind us of home. New Caledonia is a
beautiful place, which combines the outstanding
geography of the south pacific with the refined
customs of French culture. After three days of
rest and relaxation, the Cleveland was
resupplied and liberty recalled.
We arrived in Papua New Guinea (PNG) on the
19th of May with apprehension. Our briefing
notes had indicated that PNG would be less
hospitable than the countries we had already
visited. Because of these reports, the mission
organizers had taken several extra security
precautions, which had an overall impact on the
amount of time available for treatment.
MEDCAP sites were kept in larger, more easily
accessible areas. No remote sites were
permitted and all traveling parties were required
to travel in convoys. Although PNG on the
surface appeared harsher than the other
counties we had worked in, the people were
warm and generous and the scenery
spectacular. The Cleveland anchored on the
outskirts of the port at Lai, a major port-town in
the northeast, which played a historic role during
WWII. The country is very populous and all sites
saw high patient traffic. As chewing the
carcinogenic beetle nut is a common custom,
we saw much higher rates of oral cancers in
PNG than the other places visited. Despite this,
the main focus of our work was on extractions
much as it had been in the other countries; the
scope of the mission meant that we needed to
focus on what treatment we could provide within
afternoon of June 12, it was a day and a half of
sailing to Dili, Timor Leste (which was a nice way
to ease into being at sea). I was fortunate to have
a remote site tasking for my first two days of work
in Timor because it meant a helicopter ride from
the ship to the site. I and another dentist from the
Australian Navy went with two American dental
techs to a village called Ainaro, where we were
responsible for seeing as many patients as we
could for two days. We were very busy at this site
but accomplished a lot, especially considering it
was our first experience. It was quite something
to sit your patient in a camping chair and bend
over them to do the extractions. My ergonomics
went right out the window and after the second
day I needed a massage! I ended the work in
Timor at a large MEDCAP site that, in addition to
dental, houses medical, pharmacy, and
optometry. Here we had a similar set up but were
inside an air-conditioned MSPU tent. It worked
fairly well to keep us cooler but we still all worked
up a sweat.
Capt Jennilee Jamison extracting teeth with
HM3 Sweat (US Navy) in Ainaro, Timor Leste.
This little girl napped the whole time!
a single visit rather than mapping out a long-term
treatment plan.
After two weeks of treatment in PNG we sailed
for Darwin, Australia. At this point Capt Tiffany
Kisway, Cpl Tracy Faught, Cpl Caroline Winters
and I handed over the mission to the next team,
but not before we had a night out to relive our
favourites stories and take in some local
Australian cuisine.
Leg 2 – Micronesia and Timor Leste:
Capt Jennilee Jamison
Cpl Wendy Krause and I arrived in Darwin to
meet the Cleveland at the beginning of June. We
were able to take in the beautiful sights of the city
before we headed to Timor Leste. We held some
baby crocodiles, walked along the waterfront,
enjoyed a sunset and shopping at a beach night
market, and most importantly got to enjoy some
food and drinks with the first Canadian group and
some of the people we would be working with on
the ship.
We pulled anchor a few days later than planned
due to some repairs that needed to be done to
the ship. When we finally pulled anchor the
To travel to the bigger MEDCAP sites we had to
leave the ship on the LCU (landing craft utility),
which is a smaller watercraft that is housed
inside the ship. The first few times this is exciting
as they have to flood the well deck where the
ship is docked so that it can sail out the back of
the ship and then drain the deck when we come
back so we can get off. After a while, however,
this loses its excitement because the process
adds another hour on each end of your day.
There were many cramped bus rides from the
port to the sites after getting off the LCU. The
ship also hosted a closing reception on the flight
deck for the Timor Leste dignitaries and I was
invited to represent the Canadians. It was a nice
chance to mingle with other providers and see
how the mission was appreciated by the local
government.
After we packed up in Timor, it was a seven day
sail to the Federated States of Micronesia. While
we were underway, we celebrated Canada Day.
For only having four of us they were very nice to
honour our request for acknowledgement of our
holiday. At the morning muster where we meet in
our respective disciplines, we got decked out in
Canadian gear so everyone would know it was
our special day. The mission commander also
played our national anthem over the 1MC
(intercom) and then said a short speech about
our independence. They also flew our flag beside
the American flag on the mast.
We were not able to anchor in Micronesia as it
57
listened to speeches by the mission
commander, Capt Jesse Wilson, and the
political members from Pohnpei. Also, to show
their appreciation, two local dance groups
performed traditional dance for us. It was a
good way to end the mission in Micronesia and
we celebrated our last LCU ride!
Cpl Wendy Krause assisting Capt Stefan Thomas at
the Nanpei High School MEDCAP in Pohnpei
Finally we were set to sail our last eight days to
Pearl Harbor. We had to cross the International
Date Line return to the USA so we ended up
having two Mondays in a row. Everyone was
excited to pull into Hawaii and so we all stood
out on the decks in our work dress to watch as
we sailed into the famous harbour. It was quite
remarkable to sail past the USS Missouri and
USS Arizona Memorial as we made our way to
our dock. We had the opportunity to see these
tourist sites from a different angle that not
many others do. Ending in Hawaii was a great
end to the mission as we all got to celebrate
together before heading home. It was also
more special to see the Pearl Harbor exhibits
after spending two months sailing with the US
Navy.
was very deep water so we were technically
underway from the time we left Timor Leste until
we arrived in Hawaii. I was invited to attend the
opening ceremony which was similar to the closing
ceremony in Timor, however it was a lot smaller
After two months of working and living side by
due to the location. It was hosted on the LCU in the
side with other members of PP11 and the
Pohnpei port. The smaller group gave everyone a
ship’s crew, you become close with one
good chance to meet each other. The large
another. We spent a lot of time in close
MEDCAP sites were located on Pohnpei and this is
quarters, laughing, sweating, pulling teeth, and
where all four Canadians spent their time (some
keeping ourselves entertained as best we
other providers went to other remote sites). This
could. I am very thankful for the great people I
island was the most dental equipped out of them all
met and the friendships I have made on this
but ironically we were very busy. People would
mission.
rather come see us than pay $7 in town for an
extraction. Many of our patients here
were children as they have access to
candy but little education in oral
hygiene. Some were not happy to see
us but the majority pushed through
their extractions and were very happy
to get a shiny sticker. In FSM I worked
in two different MEDCAP sites –
Nanpei was a high school and Lukop
was an elementary school. On the last
day I went to the hospital in Pohnpei
and had my busiest day of the whole
mission. 69 teeth found new homes in
the biohazard bag that day! Cpl Krause
and I volunteered to attend the closing
ceremony and so left the ship early in
the morning on the LCU. We were able
to see a little of the town this day
because we arrived on land with time Capt Peter Walker sits with some young patients at a MEDCAP
to spare before the ceremony. We on the island of Vava’u. This particular MEDCAP was located
received flower headdresses and at the island’s only hospital. Dental care providers primarily
treated local children at this location.
58
Team one at the closing ceremony for Tonga. The group was walking back to the ship together on
a very hot day in Vava’u island. (L-R) Cpl Caroline Winters, Capt Tiffany Kisway, Cpl Tracy Faught,
Capt Peter Walker.
Community Service Activities:
Cpl Wendy Krause
Pacific Partnership 11 was not only a medical
mission it also had a very large community
service aspect. In every country PP11 worked,
there were various engineering and humanitarian
projects completed by the U.S. Navy SeaBees
(an engineering contingent of the US military) in
Partnership with the Australian engineers who
worked on construction projects to better the
communities we visited. These projects included
repairing and painting the local community center
in Dili, Timor Leste as well as painting a local
elementary school. In Pohnpei, Micronesia the
roof was replaced at the local library and repairs
were made to a local school.
There were various Subject Matter Exchange
Expert “SMEE” interactions given through out the
local community to better educate the population
on the importance of oral hygiene, personal
hygiene, women’s health, paediatric health,
preventive medicine and veterinarian care. Many
of these SMEEs were given by NGOs such as
Project Hope, World Vets, the University of
California Pre-Dental Society as well as military
members of the other partner nations. During our
mission I was given the opportunity to volunteer
on several Community Service Activities or
‘Comm Serves’. One of my favourite days in
Timor Leste was volunteering to deliver palettes
of humanitarian aid. The day started with the
usual 05:30 am departure from the Cleveland.
Once we reached port in Dili we helped the
Pacific Fleet Navy band, who were hosting a
concert and BBQ that day, load their equipment
while we waited for our truck to be loaded with
palettes of medical supplies. Our first stop was a
local medical clinic which provided basic medical
care and immunizations to the local population.
59
Part of the mandate of PP11
is to better prepare Pacific
countries for the next natural
disaster. I
had the
opportunity to help deliver
num erous palettes of
emergency relief kits. These
kits were filled with everyday
toiletries the population
would need to help them
survive until more substantial
aid arrived.
One of the many sunsets seen from the amphibious landing craft as we
returned home from a day of dental treatment.
I very much enjoyed my time
aboard the USS Cleveland
and working with our partner
nations during PP11. The
opportunity to provide dental
treatment to those in need
as well as helping to deliver
aid to so many who truly will
benefit was a very rewarding
opportunity and an awesome
experience.
Final Thoughts
We then delivered palettes of school supplies,
toys, clothing, and hygiene kits to a shelter for
battered women and children. I was invited to
meet with some of the victims at a separate
location and personally give them some of
supplies that had been so generously donated.
We also delivered 86 wheel chairs to the only
clinic in Timor Leste that specialized in the
treatment and rehabilitation of people with
physical disabilities. This clinic is able to fit
patients with prosthetics as well provide them
with wheel chairs and walkers. Our last stop of
the day was to deliver palettes of disposable
medical supplies to the local hospital in Dili.
My first day on the ground in Micronesia was the
4th of July where I attended the opening
ceremonies in Pohnpei. After many formal
speeches and welcomes from the local
dignitaries we were treated to a delicious lunch
provided by many of the government staff. There
were many local dishes to sample as well as
fresh coconut milk to drink. Being that it was the
4th of July we were invited to celebrate the
American holiday in true American style. A
baseball game was held at the Pohnpei baseball
stadium with the US Navy competing against a
local Pohnpei baseball team. There was also a
hotdog BBQ, face painting and a concert hosted
by the Pacific Fleet band.
60
We found the Pacific Partnership to be a very
rewarding experience. We enjoyed helping the
people of the south pacific islands we visited and
had a great experience working alongside the
other partner nations. We also had the
opportunity to see how a working US Navy
warship functions and see how hard their sailors
work to keep us sailing. We would highly
recommend this type of mission to anyone who
wants to travel and participate in humanitarian
medical treatment.
Capt Tiffany Kisway: Pacific Partnership is an
annual multi-national military humanitarian civic
assistance and environmental sustainability
mission that takes place in the South Pacific
every year. It began in 2006 in the wake of the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and subsequent
devastating tsunami when the world responded
to a massive humanitarian crisis. It has now
come to be an excellent training and
multinational force inter-operability activity as well
as an opportunity to provide humanitarian relief
for a less-fortunate part of the world. Every year
this mission is conducted by health services and
allied personnel deployed from their home
country on board a different ship. In odd years
the troops voyage on amphibious warships (greyhulls) and even years the care is delivered by
personnel from USNS Mercy. I was fortunate
enough to participate in 2011 aboard the USS
Cleveland, her final voyage before her
decommissioning in September 2011. Partner
nations included Australia, New Zealand, France,
Spain, Singapore, Japan and of course, the
United States and Canada.
USS Cleveland departed San Diego in March
2011 and we Canadians joined the ship’s
company in April in Hawaii. In other years,
Canada sent forces from many health
occupations. This year the Canadian contingent
consisted solely of eight dental personnel,
divided equally between two legs of the tour, four
in the first half of the mission and another four in
the second half. The first contingent consisted of
Captain Peter Walker from CFB Edmonton,
Corporal Tracy Faught from CFB Petawawa and
Corporal Caroline Winters from CFB Greenwood
and me, Captain Tiffany Kisway from CFB
Valcartier.
The ship deployed from Pearl Harbour and our
first stop after nine days at sea was at the island
of Tonga. USS Cleveland anchored at sea and
troops mustered at 0530 hrs down in the well
deck from where we were shuttled in to shore on
the amphibious landing craft. The early start
ensured that we were out and working providing
care by 0800 most days. In Tonga, we were
working in hospitals, small clinics and outlying
areas alongside engineers, preventative
medicine technicians, doctors, veterinarians and
public health educators. All of these people
worked together to provide health care for the
locals and to improve the quality of life for the
people living in Tonga through the
implementation of various community service and
engineering projects.
After spending two weeks in Tonga, USS
Cleveland sailed to the islands of Vanuatu, New
Caledonia and finally Papua New Guinea. The
health service outreach portions of the mission
were similar in all countries and an enormous
21,000 patients were treated in Tonga, Vanuatu
and Papua New Guinea combined. As dentists,
we performed mostly extractions as it was the
most effective treatment we could provide in the
limited time given. The most unique aspect of the
dentistry was that there were no surgical handpieces and any bone removal was done with
hammer and chisel. Buccal bone reached up to
5mm thick in the population we were treating and
removing teeth became extremely challenging at
times. Naturally, social activities such as opening
ceremonies, closing ceremonies and cocktail
parties were all part of life aboard USS Cleveland
during Pacific Partnership 2011.
Captain Tiffany Kisway with a young girl after her
dental treatment in Papua New Guinea
The country that most touched our hearts was
Papua New Guinea where we worked in and
around the city of Lae, located in the East portion
of the island. During the days, the locals would
bring us fruit and crafts that they had made and
generously offered us what few things they had.
Some of the personnel on our mission were even
brave enough to try betel nut, a local natural
stimulant which when chewed turns the mouth
and tongue a bright red-orange. It was quite
common to see red mouths of locals throughout
the streets of Papua New Guinea. Upon our
departure, thousands of locals showed up with
numerous gifts that they gave to all of us. We
shook as many hands as we could and looked
into their grateful faces and all of us could not
help but be incredibly touched by their sincere
gratitude and their warm hospitality. Papua New
Guinea is a country I will never forget.
Life at sea was also an adventure as we
witnessed a number of replenishments-at-sea,
and were able to watch the helicopters perform
their maritime duties and exercises. We were
fortunate enough to have activities during our
time at sea to help pass the time. Activities
included Bingo, an Xbox Halo Tournament and
movies on the flight deck.
As Canadians, we felt very honoured to be a part
of this humanitarian mission. We were not only
introduced to each other within the Dental Corps,
61
dirigée par les services de santé ainsi que le
personnel allié, qui déploient à partir de leur pays
respectif un bateau différent à chaque année. Il y
a quelques années, la mission se déroulait sur
un navire de guerre amphibie tandis que d’autres
opérations ont été accomplies le personnel de la
USNS Mercy. Pour ma part, j'ai eu la chance de
participer à la dernière mission à bord du USS
Cleveland qui sera déclassé au mois de
septembre 2011. Les nations travaillant en
partenariat sont l’Australie, la Nouvelle-Zélande,
la France, l’Espagne, Singapour, le Japon et bien
sûr, les États-Unis et le Canada.
Capt Jennilee Jamison, Cpl Wendy Krause,
Commodore Jesse
A. Wilson
(Mission
Commander for Pacific Partnership 2011 and
Commander, Destroyer Squadron 23 ‘The Little
Beavers’, Cpl Elizabeth Hubley and Capt Stefan
Thomas
but were also introduced to health services and
allied personnel from numerous
partnering nations all working together
to improve the quality of life for others.
I highly recommend this extremely
fulfilling experience.
Pacific Partnership est une mission
militaire internationale d’assistance
civique, visant l’aide humanitaire et la
durabilité écologique qui intervient
dans le sud du pacifique tous les ans.
Cette mission a commencé en 2006,
en réponse au tsunami survenu dans
l’océan Indien en 2004, qui a donné
lieu à une crise humanitaire massive.
Avec les années, cette mission est
devenue une excellente source
d'interopérabilité de forces
multinationales tout en fournissant un
certain soutien humanitaire aux pays
défavorisés. Pacific Partnership est
62
Le USS Cleveland est parti de San Diego au
mois de mars 2011 et nous, les Canadiens avons
joint le bateau au mois d'avril à Hawaii.
Contrairement à certaines années antérieures où
le Canada envoyait du personnel de santé
d’occupations diverses, cette année, le choix a
plutôt été de fournir huit membres du personnel
dentaire. Ces derniers ont été divisé en deux
équipes de quatre personnes et envoyé
respectivement en première et seconde moitié de
mission. Le premier contingent a été formé du
capitaine Peter Walker du détachement (dét)
Edmonton, du caporal Tracy Faught du dét
Petawawa, du caporal Caroline Winters du dét
Greenwood et de moi-même, le capitaine Tiffany
Kisway du dét Valcartier.
Le navire a quitté le port de Pearl Harbour et
notre premier arrêt, après neuf jours passés en
mer fût l'île de Tonga. Le USS Cleveland a donc
jeté l’ancre en mer et les troupes ont eu rendezvous à 5h30. Nous avons alors pris un bateau
Travelling to and from shore
de transport amphibie pour nous
rendre sur l’île. L’objectif était de
fournir des soins pour 8h00 à chaque
jour. À Tonga, nous travaillions dans
les hôpitaux, les petites cliniques et
les secteurs isolés, côte à côte avec
des ingénieurs, des techniciens en
médecine préventive, des médecins,
des vétérinaires et des éducateurs de
santé publique. Tous ces gens
travaillaient ensemble à fournir des
services de santé pour la population
locale visant à améliorer la qualité de
vie des habitants de Tonga, et ce,
par l'implantation de divers services
communautaires et de projets
d'ingénierie.
Après avoir passé deux semaines à
Cpl Elizabeth Hubley holding a baby in Temor Leste while the
Tonga, le USS Cleveland a navigué
mother was receiving dental treatment
vers l’île de Vanuatu en NouvelleCalédonie et enfin vers la Papouasie-Nouvelleorange brillant. C'était donc tout à fait commun
Guinée. La portion service de santé de la mission
de voir des gens ayant la bouche colorée se
était similaire dans toutes les régions visitées,
promener dans les rues de Papouasie-Nouvellesoit l’île de Tonga, l’île de Vanuatu et la
Guinée. À notre départ, des milliers de locaux
Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée et a permis de
sont venus nous saluer et nous offrir de
traiter plus de 21,000 personnes. Comme
nombreux cadeaux. Nous avons serré autant de
dentistes, nous avons exécuté surtout des
mains que nous avons pu et avons apprécié
extractions étant donné que c'était le traitement
toute la reconnaissance de ces gens au travers
le plus efficace que nous pouvions fournir en
de leurs visages remplis d’émotion. Nous avons
temps restreint. L'aspect le plus unique de l'art
été incroyablement touchés par leur gratitude
dentaire était que nous n’avions pas accès aux
sincère et leur chaude hospitalité. La Papouasieturbines chirurgicales et que nous devions
Nouvelle-Guinée est un pays que je n'oublierai
pratiquer l’ablation d’os avec marteaux et
jamais.
ciseaux. Une des caractéristiques présentes au
La vie en mer était aussi une aventure en soi.
sein des populations traitées était que l'os buccal
Nous avons pu observer bon nombre de
des gens pouvait atteindre jusqu'à 5 mm d’épais
ravitaillement, ainsi que des hélicoptères
ce qui rendait certaines extractions dentaires
exécutant leurs devoirs et leurs exercices
particulièrement difficiles. De plus, les activités
maritimes. Nous avons aussi eu la chance
sociales comme les cérémonies d’ouverture,
d’accomplir quelques activités pendant notre
cérémonies de fermeture et les soirées cocktails
temps en mer pour nous aider à nous divertir.
faisaient toutes parties intégrantes de la vie à
Par exemple, nous avons joué au Bingo, fait un
bord USS Cleveland pendant le Pacific
tournoi de Halo au Xbox ainsi que regardé des
Partnership 2011.
films sur le flight deck.
Le pays qui a touché le plus nos cœurs est la
En tant que Canadiens, nous nous sommes
Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée où nous avons
sentis très honorés d’avoir contribué à cette
travaillé dans et autour de la ville de Lae,
mission humanitaire. Nous n’avons pas
localisée dans la portion de l'Est de l'île. Pendant
seulement partagé, coopéré et échangé avec les
que nous travaillions, les locaux nous ont offert
membres du Corps dentaire, mais nous l’avons
généreusement, et à maintes reprises, des fruits
plutôt fait avec tout le service de santé ainsi que
et des objets fabriqués à la main. Certains
le personnel allié à bord du USS Cleveland,
membres du personnel de notre mission ont
ainsi, en contribuant au développement et à
même été assez courageux pour goûter à la noix
l’aide humanitaire. Je recommande fortement
de Bétel, un stimulant naturel local qui une fois
cette expérience qui fut plus qu’enrichissante.
mâchés, colore la bouche et la langue rouge
63
Op ATTENTION Roto 0
By Maj Dominic Belcastro
establish AFAMS as a centre of
excellence for military medical and
dental educational training in
Afghanistan.
Maj Dominic Belcastro
On the 8 July 2011, the Canadian Forces Health
Services Group, along with other members of the
Canadian Forces, deployed on a land-based
mission, named Op ATTENTION, into the Kabul
region of northern Afghanistan, to deliver training
and professional mentorship to their Afghan
counterparts. Led by Capt (N) Rebecca
Patterson, a small group of Canadian Forces
Health Care Providers deployed with the primary
task of advising and mentoring their ANA medical
counterparts at the Armed Forces Academy of
Medical Sciences (AFAMS). This combined USA/
CAN team, selected for their expertise in their
specialized medical and dental fields, worked
hand in hand with Afghan instructors to re-
64
The NKC (New Kabul Compound) is
a US Army FOB and home to
USFOR-A headquarters. NMH
(National Military Hospital) is an ANA
(Afghan National Army) facility,
which is located directly adjacent to
NKC where both the MET-Team
(Medical Embedded Training Team)
and AFAMS Team reside. The Poly
Clinic is the hospital’s outpatient
clinic, which is also located on the
NMH compound, 400 meters from
NMH. The Medical/Dental Advisors
travel by foot each day to the NMH
compound, walking across the
helicopter pad divide between the NMH and the
Poly Clinic. All advisors travel in pairs, in full
personal protective gear, and carrying weapons.
A US FORCE-PRO squad is always on the
compound whenever the Dental Advisors are out
accomplishing their mentoring duties.
The medical and dental educational system is the
driving force towards the quality of healthcare
delivered in any healthcare system. The ANA
dental department and its partnership between
USA, CAN and the GRE dental teams are
actively engaged in frequent visits to NMH and
the Poly-Clinic (Out Patient Clinic) to participate
in guided discussions, comprehensive lectures
and mentoring on North American dental
procedures. This friendly partnership between all
coalition parties has allowed for the supplying of
much needed dental equipment and supplies to
the 16 dental clinics within the Kabul Region and
the needs of the 32 dental clinics around
Afghanistan. Future plans have been discussed
to develop a Dental Assistant program with
hopes to start the new program early 2012.
We are already two months into our deployment,
and the presence of Sgt Shaun Molyneaux has
been a great asset to the success of the mission.
I would be lying if I said that it is all work and no
play. During our down time, we have been able
to get back into shape which has helped keep
morale high, and even got to play with some
military “toys”. When asked what Sgt
Molyneaux’s most memorable moments were to
date, he stated that, “the witnessing of improved
education and patient care to the ANA, my first
tactical road move from Camp Phoenix to New
Kabul Compound (NKC) and the friendships that
I have gained in a very short period of time”.
Mine, even though driving the Hummer was
amazing, was having the entire group, sitting at a
table after Ramadan, talking and laughing like
one big family. In many ways it is hard to put
down on paper the complexity of building a
relationship with our Afghan counterparts, as
trust does take a lot of time to earn. But in saying
that, I have come to realize that we are being
successful. The working relationship that has
been created between ANA, the coalition force,
and our team, makes all of us proud to be part of
this CF mission.
The Canadian Forces Health Services (CFHS) Team. Back row (L to R) CWO Jim St George (Command
Sergeant Major – Physician Assistant), Capt (N) Rebecca Patterson (Command Advisor Mentor - HSO),
WO Terry Auld (Physician Assistant). Middle row (L to R) Sgt Shaun Molyneaux (Dental Technician), Cpl
Gabriel Santonne (Administration I/C). Front row (L to R) Maj Bert Kendall (Training Development Officer),
Capt Kretschmann (Medical Officer), Maj Domenic Belcastro (Dental Officer), MWO Kelly Humphreys
(Physician Assistant).
65
Roto 10 - KAF Closure
Maj Annik Gingras, DCO 5 Fd Amb
15 July 2011 was an important day for Op
Athena since this was the last day of the combat
operation in the history of the Canadian legacy in
Afghanistan. Roto 10, lead by the 1R22R Battle
Group (BG), was the last Roto conducting and
supporting combat ops in the Canadian Area of
Responsibility (AOR). We were also responsible
to consolidate on Kadahar Air Field (KAF) and
close all the Forward Operating Bases and
Observation Points from our AOR before that
critical date. This involved continuous planning
and coordination to get all the personnel and
equipment back to KAF and to set the conditions
for Roto 11 for mission closure before 31 Dec
2011. This entailed vast amounts of requests for
support from Health Services Unit (HSU), which
included medical coverage for all the convoys
coming back to KAF, and for medical and dental
treatments when the BG companies where back
at the main camp. HSU was one of the busiest
units I have served with and part of that great
team was a total of nine Dental Corps members
that deployed in this historic operational mission.
The Role 3 dental teams were composed of Maj
Benoit Caouette, who deployed from November
2010 to March 2011 and his replacement, Maj
Trenna Reeve, who deployed until July 2011.
Sgt Manon Mailhot was
the Dental Tech for the
complete tour and was
the stability for the
dental teams at the US
Navy lead NATO Role 3,
as she often acted as A/
CSM for the Role 3
Canadian contingent.
The OMFS teams were
led by Maj François
Thériault
from
November to February,
Maj Antonella Trache
from February to May
and then Maj Sandeep
Dhesi, who deployed
until July 2011. The
OMFS Tech for the
duration of the tour was
Sgt
Marie-Claude
Brulotte. MCpl MarieClaude
Desharnais
66
deployed on a TAV to replace both Dent Techs in
the Dental clinic and in the OR.
To complete these great dental teams, we also had
Dental personnel filling other positions within the
organization. Cpl Katie Tracey worked at the US
Navy led Role 3 as part of the TOC, coordinating
the casualties evacuations to the trauma bays and
then on to Bagram or Landstuhl. Cpl Tracey was
recognized for her excellence and dedication by
the Role 3 personnel and was often asked to train
and supervise other staff from the US Navy.
Sgt Suzanne Jean was part of the HSU Role 1 and
was in charge of all med records, coordinating the
physician’s appointments for all Canadian
personnel, military and civilian as well as some
locals working on KAF. She also received a letter
of appreciation from the Brigade Troop CO for her
work and support to the reservists.
As for myself, I had the privilege of being the DCO
of HSU from Jan 2010 to July 2011, taking care of
the pre-deployment training for all Health Services
and support personnel of HSU and being the Ops
and Plans shop manager. This has been a
challenge that was worth the long working hours
and the 24/7 dedication to the mission. Seeing
what Health Services, and particularly how Dental
personnel performed, during
Roto 10 was the greatest
reward of all. To officialise
our accomplishments, a
medals
parade
was
conducted on 9 June 2011
where most of our team
r ec eived our G eneral
Campaign Stars from the
Joint Task Force Afghanistan
Commander, BGen Dean
Milner, and where Sgt
Brulotte also received her
medal for her deployment on
Op Hestia in Haiti. (Note the
Maj Caouette, Maj Theriault
and Maj Dhesi received their
medals at another time).
I can honestly say that it has
been an honour to be on
parade in front of the HSU
wearing a Dental cap badge.
Good luck to Roto 11 with
your tour and Mission
Termination task.
Col Kevin Goheen, currently deployed as XO of the NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit in Kandahar,
is the first Dental Corps colonel to go overseas on an operational deployment since Col Edgecombe
deployed as Director Dental Services for the European Theatre in World War II.
CWO Lorraine Shirley
was the first Dental
Corps CWO/WO1 to
deploy overseas since
WWII.
She
was
deployed as HSS RSM
on Op Apollo Roto 1
from Feb to Sep 2006.
67
Unité médicale multinationale de rôle 3 de l’OTAN
NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit
Col Kevin Goheen, OMM, CD
It’s a sombre feeling at the NATO Role 3 at Kandahar
Air Field (KAF) today as it’s 11 September 2011. The
four 9/11 coordinated suicide attacks cost nearly
3,000 people their lives and destroyed the sense of
security that we had all grown up with. The NATO led
retaliation in Nov/Dec of 2001 struck hard into the
Taliban stronghold at Kandahar City, ultimately
liberating KAF where the NATO Role 3 Multinational
Medical Unit (MMU) is now located. The USA’s
“OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM” and the
Canadian version dubbed “OP ATHENA aim to reestablish the freedom that each and every person in
the world has a right to enjoy. It’s critical that we all
remember that the war that we are currently engaged
in is not exclusively about saving Afghanistan but
moreover about securing the rights and freedoms
that are at the very heart of our way of life. Without
freedom, how very different our lives and the lives of
our families would be. Today at the Role 3 we had a
small ceremony to remember all of those who have
served, been wounded or paid the ultimate sacrifice
in upholding those precious rights around the world.
68
Un sentiment de tristesse prévaut aujourd’hui
au sein de l’Unité de rôle 3 de l’OTAN, à
l’aérodrome de Kandahar; c’est le
11 septembre 2011. Les quatre attentats
suicidaires coordonnés du 11 septembre ont
coûté la vie à 3 000 personnes et ont détruit le
sentiment de sécurité avec lequel nous avons
tous grandi. La riposte, menée par l’OTAN en
novembre et décembre 2001, a durement
frappé la ville de Kandahar, le bastion des
talibans, libérant au bout de compte
l’aérodrome de Kandahar où est présentement
située l’Unité médicale multinationale de rôle 3
de l’OTAN. «L’OPERATION ENDURING
FREEDOM», des États-Unis, et la version
canadienne appelée «OP ATHENA» visent à
rendre la liberté de laquelle tous les citoyens
du monde ont le droit de bénéficier. Il est
essentiel que nous nous rappelions que la
guerre que nous menons actuellement ne vise
pas uniquement à sauver l’Afghanistan, mais
bien à assurer les droits et libertés qui sont au
Throughout the day I couldn’t help but feel how
incredibly fortunate we are to be citizens of
Canada and that often we take for granted all
that our great country freely offers us, myself
included.
Our team of trauma, surgical and support staff
is constantly in a fight to save the heroes who
lay their lives on the line daily here in
Afghanistan. They are often young men and
women of uncommon maturity and
responsibility who, in conversation, are more
concerned about the members of their team
than the leg they lost earlier in the day. How
they have the courage to head “outside the
wire” every day knowing that some will not
likely return is incredible. Their deep desire to
serve and the bond they have with their
comrades gives them a heightened
appreciation for what matters most in life. So,
yes, it’s always easy to find something to
complain about or find fault in what someone
else is doing, but I encourage all of us to seek
camaraderie in the work place or in our
neighbourhoods and to offer assistance and
encouragement instead of criticism. Take the
challenge to find good in people and not fault
and in doing so you’ll be happier in life yourself.
Sincerest appreciation for the support given to
our troops
Kevin L Goheen
Colonel
Executive Officer
cœur de notre façon
de vivre. Sans la
liberté, notre vie et
celle des membres de
nos familles seraient
très
différentes.
Aujourd’hui, l’Unité de
rôle 3 a tenu une
modeste cérémonie en
la mémoire de tous
ceux et celles qui ont
servi, ont été blessés
ou ont fait l’ultime
sacrifice
pour
le
maintien
de
ces
précieux droits dans le
monde entier. Tout au
long de la journée, je
ne
pouvais
pas
m’empêcher
de
ressentir à quel point
nous
sommes
incroyablement privilégiés d’être des citoyens du
Canada, alors que nous prenons souvent pour
acquis tout ce que nous offre librement notre grand
pays, y compris le soussigné.
Notre équipe de traumatologie et de chirurgie, ainsi
que notre personnel de soutien, livre un combat
permanent pour sauver les héros qui vont au front
tous les jours en Afghanistan. Ce sont souvent de
jeunes hommes et femmes qui possèdent une
maturité et un sens des responsabilités hors du
commun qui, lorsqu’on leur parle, se préoccupent
davantage des membres de leur équipe que de la
jambe qu’ils ont perdue plus tôt dans la journée. Le
fait qu’ils ont le courage de se diriger « à l’extérieure
de l’enceinte » tous les jours, en sachant que
certains d’entre eux ne reviendront probablement pas
tient du mystère. Leur profond désir de servir et le
lien qu’ils ont bâti avec leurs camarades leur donnent
un sens aigu de ce qui compte dans la vie. Oui, il est
toujours facile de trouver une raison de se plaindre
ou de critiquer ce que quelqu’un d’autre fait, mais
nous devrions tous accorder une place
prépondérante à la camaraderie dans notre milieu de
travail et dans ce qui nous entoure et aider et
encourager autrui au lieu de critiquer. Efforcez-vous
de trouver le bon côté des gens et non leurs défauts
et vous vous en trouverez plus heureux dans votre
vie.
Nous vous remercions sincèrement pour l’appui
donné à nos troupes.
Kevin L. Goheen
Colonel
Commandant en second
69
Op Nanook 2011 & CF DVI Tasking
By Major Rachel Jetté, 1 Fd Amb,
Major Richard Groves, D Dent Svcs,
& Daniel Blouin, PA Team
Operation NANOOK 11,
the largest of three annual
northern
sovereignty
operations, featured many
firsts for the Canadian
Forces, including the first
Arctic
deployment
of
unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) and combined
maritime operations with
Danish
and
American
vessels. But, it also
represented two firsts for
the Dental Corps. While
Canadian military dental
teams
have
deployed
previously with CF troops
around the world wherever
they serve, and aboard
allied
ships
providing
treatment
to
isolated Maj Rachel Jetté discusses stainless steel crowns with His Excellency the
populations
in
foreign Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and his
countries, Op NANOOK wife, Sharon.
represented the first time a
time. In the event of an emergency during the
Canadian Forces dental team was deployed on
dentist’s absence, patients have to be flown out for
an operation in the High Arctic to provide
treatment.
dental care to deployed CF members and to
The Op NANOOK dental section was tasked with a
participate in a dental outreach initiative with
double mandate: first, to provide integral dental
Health Canada and the Government of
support to the 500-plus personnel on exercise and
Nunavut. The Op NANOOK dental team,
second, to conduct outreach to the community by
composed of Corporal Kelly Zseder from 1
providing dental treatment to the residents of
Dental Detachment Edmonton and Major
Resolute Bay. This dual role involved packing and
Rachel Jetté from 1 Field Ambulance
transporting a deployable field dental clinic to
Edmonton, deployed from CFB Trenton to
operate on Camp Nanook, and all the equipment,
Resolute Bay on 23 July 2011 with the main
materials and supplies to be self-sufficient in the
body of Op NANOOK’s support component.
community health center where civilians were
Resolute Bay, is located on Cornwallis Island in
treated.
the territory of Nunavut. It is the second
Following our arrival in Resolute, a 16’x20’
northernmost civilian community in Canada,
prospector tent was erected and the Air
with a population of approximately 250 people;
Transportable Kit and equipment was set up.
about half of them children and 80 percent
Treatment of Op NANOOK personnel began the
Inuit. The terrain is mainly gravel and the
next morning. In addition to taking care of dental
average yearly temperature is -16.4 Celsius.
emergencies on the military personnel, general
Dental care, like many support services in the
hygiene services were provided, which was well
community, is sporadic. A dentist travels to
appreciated by the troops. The outreach to the
Resolute Bay three to four times a year,
community proved a success as well. We travelled
spending about a week in the community each
to the community health centre each afternoon for
70
two weeks to treat residents of Resolute.
According to a recent Health Canada survey, 70
percent of the Inuit are in need of immediate
dental care. The patients appeared very
appreciative of the opportunity to be seen and
treated.
A significant component of Op NANOOK was
preparation for a simulated major air disaster
(MAJAID) that would have tested the Canadian
Forces’ ability to respond to downed aircraft in the
High Arctic. Activities related to the MAJAID were
suddenly suspended on 20 Aug 2011, however,
following the tragic crash of inbound First Air
Flight 6560, just two kilometres from the Camp.
During the rescue efforts the dental section
deployed to the unit medical station and assisted
in the care of three injured passengers. That day
was a day to remember for all of us in Resolute
Bay; tragic as it was, it was a day to be proud of
being a member of the Canadian Forces. As part
of a professional team that came together, our
quick and effective response saved lives.
In the following days, at the request of the
Nunavut Coroner, Dental Corps personnel
assisted the RCMP in what is referred to as a
Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) operation.
Finger prints and dental examinations of the 12
souls who had unfortunately passed away in the
accident were initially attempted in Resolute Bay.
Major Rachel Jetté, the Dental Officer on site,
provided assistance by taking radiographic
records of the remains in a temporary morgue setup on the camp. The Dental Corps officers on
standby for DVI were notified that they may be
tasked to move on short notice, however the
remains were moved to Ottawa for identification.
LCol Dwayne Lemon, LCol Frank Hedley, LCol JP Picard and Maj Geneviève Bussière spent two
long days at the Ottawa General Hospital morgue
collecting post-mortem data, using the CF Dental
DVI team equipment and supplies. An antemortem team was set up consisting of Maj
Richard Groves, Maj Genevieve Bussière, Maj
Mario Mailhot and Maj Sophie Toupin, and
eventually processed seven dental charts for
comparison and dental confirmation of identity.
Maj Bussière, who was the designated
commander of the forensic odontology team,
then presented these cases to the Chief
Coroner for Nunavut for final approval.
One set of antemortem dental records was
found in Resolute Bay as Maj Jetté was enroute back to her unit. In order to complete the
identifications as quickly as possible Maj Jetté
was provided with the post-mortem records and
tasked to prepare the antemortem records and
write a comparison. She successfully confirmed
the identification before flying out the next
morning.
All in all, the deployment represented a unique
opportunity to provide direct dental care and
support to Canadians, and, while the tragedy of
Flight 6560 naturally cast a shadow over the
experience, it reinforced the essential working
relationship between the CF and Other
Government Departments, and strengthened
our connection with the people of Nunavut. Also,
once again the Dental Corps was able to
provide forensic odontology expertise on short
notice, contributing to the successful completion
of a DVI mission in support of the RCMP.
Cpl Kelly Zseder providing oral hygiene care
to a CF Ranger
71
Dental Officers to present at the Toronto Academy of
Dentistry Winter Clinic
Maj Geneviève Bussière, Capt Jeanette
Johnson and Capt Isabelle Plasse have been
invited by the Toronto Academy of Dentistry
(TAD) to speak about dental involvement in
humanitarian operations and disaster relief at
this year’s Winter Clinic. Below is an extract of
the program:
In 1915, Dentistry, as an organization, was first
introduced as a distinct entity within the
Canadian military. Throughout the years, the
military dental personnel have fulfilled their
duties in peace time and during wars, in
garrison, on domestic and international
operations, and most recently on humanitarian
operations and disaster relief deployments.
Active duty Dental Officers will speak of their
exciting experiences as part of U.S. Navy-led
multinational exercises Pacific Partnership and
Continuing Promise, where they sailed from
country to country, island to island, providing
dental care to under-serviced areas of the
Caribbean, Latin America and the South Pacific.
Learning Objectives
•
To develop an understanding of the
historical implication of dental practitioners
in the Canadian Forces.
•
To be familiar with current CFDS
Humanitarian Operations and Disaster
•
Relief deployments.
72
Major Geneviève Bussière
After graduating from Dental School at Montréal
University in 1997, Maj Bussière completed a
one-year multidisciplinary residency at Laval
University.
She then worked in private practice and as a
clinician at Montréal University before joining the
Canadian Forces in 1999 as a Dental Officer
Maj Bussière practiced in different Canadian
Forces Dental clinics including CFB Valcartier,
CFB Borden, and CFB Petawawa. She also
deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2001. Maj
Bussière completed a 2-year Advanced General
Dentistry Program at Fort Hood (Texas, U.S.)
with the U.S. Army in 2008 and is Board
certified by the American Board of General
Dentistry. She is currently employed at the
Canadian Forces Directorate of Dental Services
in Ottawa with Dental Operations.
Captain Jeanette Johnson
Captain Isabelle Plasse
After completing an undergraduate degree in
Biochemistry at Mount Allison University, Dr
Jeanette Johnson pursued her Doctor of Dental
Surgery degree at Dalhousie University. Since
graduation in 2009, she has been practicing
general dentistry with the Canadian Forces as a
Dental Officer at CFB Gagetown New
Brunswick. In August 2010, Dr Johnson
deployed on a humanitarian mission to Latin
America with the United States Navy on the
USS IWO JIMA. Dr. Johnson is a member of the
CF National Triathlon and Swim teams, and is
also the head coach for Fredericton Special
Olympics Swimming.
Dr Isabelle Plasse completed her undergraduate
degree in Biology and Psychology at Saint
Mary’s University in Halifax, NS. She then
obtained her dental degree from Dalhousie
University in 2009. Capt Plasse currently
practices at CFB Petawawa, located in Ontario
as a general dentist. In July2010, Capt Plasse
was deployed onboard the USNS Mercy to the
South pacific on a humanitarian mission and
once again in May 2011 to South/Central
America onboard the USNS Comfort in a joint
mission with the United States Navy.
HMCS Preserver dental team Sgt Madonna Savery and Capt Rich Kratz at Damage Control School
73
LCol Jean-Pierre Picard represented the
Dental
Corps
at
the
Canadian
Association of Periodontology meeting
where he met (above) the new CAP
President, Dr Troy Basarab from
Lethbridge, AB and (lower left) U Laval
PG Perio students Maj Isabelle
Quenneville and Capt Elyse Grenier; and
as an examiner with the Royal College of
Dentists of Canada 16-19 June 2011
(upper left, pictured with fellow
examiners Maj Jim Lai and Maj Yannik
Roussy)
LCol Jean-Pierre Picard is the CF
representative to the NATO COMEDS
Expert Panel Dental Services, the
group that reviews, develops and
amends the dental STANAGS and
dental doctrine for the Alliance. The
last meeting was held on the Island
of Ischia, Italy. LCol Picard
participates in a break-out session
with representatives from Ireland, the
US, and the UK.
74
11th Annual VCDS Canoe Race
11ième Course annuelle de canot du VCEMD
Congratulations to the CMP Canoe
team consisting of BGen Madower,
CWO Dalcourt and our very own
Maj Sophie Toupin. The team
came in second overall in timing.
But, victory was repeated again
this year for the infamous "Paddle,"
for the team who raised the most
amount in sponsorship. In total, the
team raised $1749, which was
24% of the entire amount raised for
the event.
Félicitations à l'équipe de canot du
C P M c om pos é e d u B G é n
Madower, de l'Adjuc Dalcourt et de
notre Maj Sophie Toupin. L'équipe
s'est classée deuxième en temps
dans l'ensemble. Mais la victoire a
été répétée encore une fois cette
année par le fameux "Aviron" pour
l'équipe qui a amassé le plus
grand montant en parrainage. Au
total, l'équipe a recueilli 1749$ qui
représente 24% de la totalité du
montant amassé pour l'événement.
75
Dental Corps Coins and Spousal Coins
Médaillons du Corps dentaire et
médaillons pour conjoint(e)s
Ces médaillons sont disponibles auprès de l’O Admin D Svc Dent, le Major Frank
Bourque, 613-945-6786, au coût de 10$ l’unité. These coins are available from the
D Dent Svcs AO, Major Frank Bourque, 613-945-6786, at a cost of $10 each.
76

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