People and change. These are the two words that jump to the forefront of my mind when I think of the last two years at 17 Wing/CFB Winnipeg. Emerging from the shadows of the pandemic, the period since 2020 has largely been a process of awakening…. getting back to some semblance of where we were prior to the outbreak of COVID. In this endeavour, and in so many other areas, the Wing has been unquestionably successful.
After more than three decades of service, I am frequently asked why I remain in uniform (frequently the question is phrased more like “My god, why are you STILL here?”). Each time my response is simple, “people”. Being the 17 Wing Commander has been the single greatest honour of my career, and that honour stems completely from the exceptional accomplishments of the entire 17 Wing Defence Team. To quote the great Vince Lombardi, “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” Thanks to the hard work of the members of our military community, 17 Wing/CFB Winnipeg has consistently punched above our weight and has accomplished so much in a very short period of time.
People drive this organization and all that we do. We “got back at it” as a Wing after COVID, quickly returning to the hangars, classrooms, offices, and shop floors after over a year of isolation, distancing, and teleworking. The personnel of our schoolhouses rapidly established themselves at the forefront of RCAF training modernization, culture evolution and language education. The members of Detachment Dundurn and all the personnel of 17 Wing’s support squadrons have worked tirelessly every day to ensure that we can execute our operational and training mandates here, in Saskatchewan and in Thunder Bay. The world-class RCAF Band has proudly and professionally represented the CAF and RCAF locally, nationally, and internationally, sustaining an intensive operational tempo supporting recruiting and attractions initiatives, as well as Government of Canada priorities.
We have received singular support from our CFMWS extended family, be it our CAF-leading PSP staff ensuring our mental and physical well-being, the retail services provided by CANEX or SISIP’s financial services. The devoted staff and volunteers of the MFRC are always there to support our military members and their families. 17 Wing/CFB Winnipeg’s DAG community cemented its reputation as being CAF leading, both in the activism of its members and the quantity and quality of events and initiatives undertaken for the benefit of the entire base population. Finally, the personnel of 23 Health Services and 1 Dental Unit strive to ensure we have the best medical and dental care available, and RP Ops works diligently to maintain the infrastructure critical to our operations and missions.
Individually, the commitment, hard work and professionalism of each integral and lodger unit at 17 Wing/CFB Winnipeg can frequently be taken for granted. However, when you step back and survey all that has been accomplished, and when you consider the combined effort of every individual and every unit that supports these achievements, it is easy to be awestruck.
The last two years have also been a period of significant change for the Wing. Since 2022, 17 Wing has undergone a significant cultural evolution aligned with a new, collective vision of who want to be, and where we want to go, as an institution. We adapted quickly to changes to CAF dress and deportment regulations, set aside distractions and drama, and got back to work. We modernized our mess holiday traditions, shedding the restrictive elements of our gatherings to focus on what is most important – our ability to interact like professionals and teammates without the silos or artificial barriers based on dated conceptions of rank and privilege. As a collective we also chose to amalgamate our three messes to establish Hangar 17 within our military community and to enable this same outcome. In each and every case our personnel have embraced change and chartered a new, modernized approach to how the Wing socializes and operates. This change has been led by an inspiring wave of driven and adaptable junior leaders from both the NCM and officer ranks who eagerly stepped forward to assume roles of greater institutional responsibility. Their initiative and leadership are both energizing and motivating.
Change is hard, and like many large institutions with a long, proud history and many ingrained traditions, there will always be elements who will resist it (case in point: it took me over 33 years to change out of my old, Mark III Combat Boots). While it is important to consider these voices and opinions, and be willing to adjust course as necessary, we should never be dissuaded from seeking positive and common-sense change. Change is inevitable. Although there will always be naysayers, the changes to our 17 Wing institutions and traditions have, and will continue to, benefit all members of our Defence Team now and well into the future.
That is not to say that 17 Wing has not had challenges. We lived with and then overcame COVID. We have lost family, friends, and comrades. As a Wing, we carried out our training and operational mandates while simultaneously planning for, and executing, large, complex events like the United Way Plane Pull, Invictus Games Training Camp, RCAF 100th Anniversary City of Winnipeg Engagement and the Flight Line Centennial Dinner. We battle every day with a lack of personnel and resources, but still find a way to get the job done. Our people get the job done.
Certainly, there will be challenges in the months and years ahead. We will continue to struggle with the current financial environment, a lack of personnel, reduced budgets. aging equipment and infrastructure, and systemic problems such as geo-stability, spousal employment, and childcare. There are no easy answers to any of these problems and it will take time – a lot of time – to address them. However, when I consider the words of Mr. Lombardi that, “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have”, and reflect on all the accomplishments of the Winnipeg Defence Team over the last two years, there is absolutely no doubt that our people will continue to find a way to not only succeed, but to excel.
17 Wing/CFB Winnipeg, it was an honour.
Go Riders!
A.T. Spott. Colonel
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