MAJOR GENERAL (RET’D) DAVID FRASER, CMM, MSC, MSM, CD
David Fraser is a major general of the Canadian Armed Forces. He was the commander of the multinational brigade for Regional Command South in Afghanistan’s southern provinces in 2006. One of the most decorated generals in CAF history, Fraser was the commander of Operation Medusa in Afghanistan, the largest combat engagement of Canadian armed forces in over fifty years. Upon leaving the CAF, David joined the private sector and, with his partners, created Blue Goose Pure Foods. Since then, he has taken his leadership and business skills to other companies, including INKAS Armored Vehicle Manufacturing where he served as chief operations officer. Today, David works with BMO Financial Group on its Canadian Defence Community Banking program. His honours and awards include Commander of Military Merit, Canadian Meritorious Service Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, United States Legion of Honor and Bronze Star (for service in Afghanistan), and awards from the Netherlands, Poland and NATO. He is the recipient of the Vimy Award for outstanding contributions towards the security and defence of Canada and the preservation of our democratic values, and the Atlantic Council Award for International Leadership. David Fraser lives in Toronto, Canada.
BRIAN HANINGTON
Son of a Canadian admiral and a CBC television talk-show host, Brian Hanington fell comfortably into a life related to military journalism. Following a decade as a naval rating and then officer in both seagoing and public information roles, he focused on writing. He became publisher and editor of the Maritime Command Trident, a biweekly newspaper for the military community; wrote and published Every Popish Person, a bestselling history of Nova Scotia extensively profiling the military presence in Halifax, and served as a speechwriter to the Minister of National Defence. He has since written or edited more than a dozen books, lectured in over twenty countries, and crafted speeches and correspondence for prime ministers, cabinet ministers, bishops, admirals, generals, film stars, knights, and His Holiness John Paul II. He is currently chairman of Stiff, the Ottawa-based communications agency he founded in 1988.