On 21 July 22, in front of a small group of family, friends, and colleagues, Major Rick Dunning was presented his CD3 by Major- General Horgan.
Major Dunning first joined the CAF in 1979 as a Reservist with the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment. He transitioned to the Regular Force in 1981 as a Combat Engineer, and in 1986 became a Firefighter. He commissioned in 1999, and in 2016 transferred back to the Primary Reserves. He’s served in almost all RCAF locations, and has done numerous deployments such as Haiti, UAE, Sudan, Alert, and numerous Naval deployments with HMCS Iroquois.
With the numerous anecdotes shared during the medal presentation, a common thread ran throughout; Major Dunning’s absolute dedication, passion, and willingness to take advantage of all opportunities during his career.
Major Dunning himself commented that he can’t believe it’s been 42 years already, and if he could, he’d do it all again. He finished his speech noting that he remains eternally grateful to his wife, Colleen, who while never formally joining the Canadian Armed Forces served and supported Canada in countless ways.
The ceremony ended with Major General Horgan presenting a Canadian Military Engineers coin to Colleen, in recognition, and as a thank you, for her support over the years.
Rick, congratulations on this remarkable achievement.
