We regret to advise of the death of Chief Warrant Officer Jocelyn "Josh" Lachapelle, CD (Ret’d), peacefully during his sleep on 15 January 2018 in Ottawa, ON at age 53.
Josh was born in Longueil, QC and joined the Canadian Forces (CF) in 1984 as a Naval Electronic Sensor Operator. After his first tour on HMCS Iroquois he took his release from the CF in order to pursue a career as a cabinetmaker. Re-joining the CF in 1988 as a Water Fuel and Environment Technician, he started his climb up the ranks to eventually achieve the rank of Chief Warrant Officer in the Construction Engineering Superintendent Occupation and to hold many senior appointments.
Josh was posted to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Comox, BC for his first posting with the Canadian Military Engineers. In 1991 he was transferred to 5e Régiment du génie de combat (RGC) in Valcartier, QC and deployed to Cambodia the next year. Promoted to Master Corporal in 1993, he was transferred to the Base Construction Engineering Section wastewater treatment plant.
With the formation of the Construction Troops in 1996 Josh returned to 5 RGC and soon deployed to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Returning to Canada, a promotion to Sergeant in 1997 saw him posted to 2 Combat Engineer Regiment Construction Troop in Petawawa, ON. During that time he deployed twice with the Disaster Assistance Relief Team (DART); to Honduras in 1998 and to Turkey in 1999. In 2000 Josh was promoted to Warrant Officer and was transferred to Base Petawawa Construction Engineering Section where he worked in the Contract Section.
Josh was next posted to 1 Engineer Support Unit (1 ESU) Moncton early in 2001 and later that year he deployed to the Persian Gulf for the construction of Camp Mirage. In 2003 he was promoted to Master Warrant Officer (MWO) and became the 3 Specialized Engineering Team (SET) MWO. During that time the SET performed numerous projects in Cuba, Canadian Force Station Alert, NU and many other locations. In 2005 he was transferred to National Defence Headquarters with the Associate Deputy Minister of Material as Life Cycle Material Manager for Water Distribution, Wastewater, Laundry and Fuel Equipment for the Relocatable Temporary Camp equipment.
Josh was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) in 2006 and held several senior appointments at this rank. He was employed at NDHQ within the Associate Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment, was Regimental Sergeant Major of 1 Engineer Support Unit, was the Career Manager for the Construction Engineer Occupation and was the Operational Support Engineer Group Chief Warrant Officer in the Canadian Operational Support Command Headquarters in Ottawa.
As a member of the ADM(Mat), CJOC Operational Energy Project Team Josh received the Deputy Minister/Chief of the Defence Staff Innovation Award in June 2014 in recognition of their leadership and significant contribution to the development and implementation of an energy monitoring and reduction strategy for Operation NANOOK 12 and the Integrated Camp Energy Technologies projects.
CWO Lachapelle retired in 2011 after 26 years of service as a Canadian Military Engineer and pursued a second career of Public Service within the Operational Support Engineer Group as the Engineer Equipment Manager. He was serving in this position with J Engr/Canadian Joint Operations Command in Ottawa at his time of death.
A private family Service will be held and a Graveside Service with Military Honours will take place in the National Military Cemetery of the Canadian Forces located at National Military Cemetery - Beechwood in Ottawa on 18 May 2018 at 1430 hrs. Attendees are asked to meet at the main reception building about 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time. For those who wish to make a donation in Jocelyn’s memory, you may do so to a charity of your choice. Online condolences can be sent to the Beechwood Cemetery {khJan2018}
