On Monday 16 December 2024, in collaboration with friends at CFN Consultants, the outgoing and incoming Executive Directors of the RCAF Association, Dean Black and Brook Bangsboll presented an award to a special individual, as a result of a nomination championed by Mr. Charles “Chuck” Lovallo and the RCAF Association Board of Directors, earlier in the year.

The RCAF Association’s General Paul David Manson, OC, CMM, CD Memorial Sword is awarded annually, on receipt of nominations, to an individual with service in the Royal Canadian Air Force who has demonstrated the qualities for which General Manson was renowned; qualities of leadership, integrity and respect so effective in their combination that they enabled positive collaboration, a disciplined pursuit of goals, and a passion for empowering others who, as he was prone to do, choose to aim high and succeed not for themselves per se but more so for the good of the institution or cause to which they are clearly devoted.

The inaugural award of the General Paul David Manson, OC, CMM, CD Memorial sword is presented to Lieutenant-General (Retired) André Deschamps, CMM, CD. Lieutenant-General (Ret) Deschamps commanded the Air Command/Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) at a time pivotal to the entity, to the larger air force family, and in many respects to Canada itself, bringing enormous credit to all, owing in good measure to his steadfast guidance and leadership.

Many of the contributions, which he was personally responsible for, required his continuing attention years after he retired from the RCAF. The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) project was a substantive case-in-point. As Commander of the RCAF he provided important advice and counsel to Canada’s top rung leadership, resulting in the support of the government of Canada to procure the F-35 Lightning II. Political machinations and technical issues eroded those decisions, and yet the government of Canada again came to the conclusion the aircraft was the right one for Canada, and would be for at least the next 40 years. Few leaders can claim to be at the helm when important decisions like this one need to be made. Fewer still can claim to having to continue the effort well after retiring, because of unfinished business and a country that struggles following through such an important decision. It needs to be said; we are talking about national grand strategy here. But we acknowledge General Deschamps for yet even more.

In terms of the larger air force family, Lieutenant-General André Deschamps was in place when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II agreed to play one of the most significant roles of her more than seven decades of service: the unveiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park, London. This decision put an end to a lifetime of shame and abandonment which had followed strategic bombing campaign veterans of the Second World War. While there is little doubt the success of the campaign contributed immensely to victory for the Allied effort, too many Canadians remained largely untouched by Total War, cared much less than most about such things, and all too often readily sided with those who chose to belittle or discredit veterans involved in that conflict, especially veterans of the strategic bombing campaign, leading a not insignificant number of those veterans to work hard their entire lives trying to forget their contribution to the war effort had ever taken place. Lieutenant-General Deschamps was there to accompany 43 Canadian veterans of the strategic bombing campaign and stand alongside every one of them as a modern era representative assuring all of them their contributions were important and meaningful, and that many Canadians were aware of these things, and remained grateful to the day.

As a lead with CFN Consultants, and later as Managing Partner, Lieutenant-General (Ret) André Deschamps provided sterling support and services to important clients including the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces/RCAF. This is especially true with respect to air force projects not limited to the F-35 Lightning II, but also to others of significance involving many other aerospace industry partners and stakeholders to Canada. The extent of his work, and the work of CFN Consultants is important, but germane to what we do here and now what matters is the fact a steady, guiding hand belonging to a well-informed transformative leader in Lieutenant-General Deschamps was in place doing significant work at the very time Canada needed such expertise. Thank you General Deschamps, and please accept this gesture of our admiration, our respect and our gratitude.

Pictured (top): from left to right, Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret) Dean C. Black, CD, CAE, SMP, CVA, CVRM, CSP; Lieutenant-General (Ret) André Deschamps, CMM, CD; and, Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret) Brook Bangsboll, OMM, CD. The RCAF Association was pleased to present Peter Robichaud‘s original painting of an F-35, an element of which constituted a cover of the RCAF Association’s Revue Airforce Magazine. Pictured (bottom): in this image Lieutenant-General (Ret) Deschamps holds the General Paul David Manson Memorial Sword, presented to him as per the aforementioned citation (Photographs courtesy of Peter Studer Senior Managing Partner at CFN Consultants, Ottawa).

On accepting the award, Lieutenant-General (Ret) Deschamps, responded by saying, “I was quite surprised and honored yesterday when Dean [Black] and Brook [Bangsboll] presented me with this award as the first recipient – it is a impressive-looking sword with an equally impressive case…Paul Manson was an outstanding leader and a person for whom I have great respect and have tried to emulate whenever I could. I truly appreciate your support in selecting me for this award, and I will try and live up to the very high standards set by this great Canadian.”

Sincerely, Andre Deschamps, LGen (Ret’d), Honorary National President, Air Force Association of Canada

The Royal Canadian Air Force centenary (1924-2024) was the impetus for Pooley Sword company to craft a special edition, for the benefit of the RCAF Association. This commemorative sword was a gift from Pooley Sword, which the RCAF Association board of directors re-purposed into the memorial award described here. It is to be noted that Pooley Sword made a very special presentation of another RCAF centenary sword to the Commander RCAF Lieutenant-General Eric Kenny in London, UK on or about 17 July 2024. To learn more about the centenary sword please check out the inside front cover advertisement in Vol 48 No 2 and Vol 48 No 3 of Revue Airforce Magazine