General Rick Hillier

Former Canadian Armed Forces, Chief of Defense Staff Rick Hillier, serving until 2008

Born in 1955 to Jack and Myrtle Hillier in Campbellton, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, he was the fourth of six children, with him being the only boy. He attended Greenwood High School and graduated in June 1972. Hillier chose to attend Memorial University, studying biology. While at Memorial University, his application to become an officer cadet was accepted.

Military Career Highlights

Hillier rose quickly through the ranks to become one of the most storied and respected soldiers in Canadian history.

In January 1998, as commander of 2 CMBG, he led Operation Recuperation, the Canadian Forces’ intervention in the paralyzing ice storm in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

He went on to command the Multi-National Division (South-West) in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

He was named chief of the land staff, commanding Land Force Command, on May 30, 2003.

He commanded the NATO ISAF in Afghanistan from February 9 to August 12, 2004.

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General Wesley K. Clark 

General Clark spent 34 years in the U.S. Army, receiving dozens of military decorations, several honorary knighthoods, including and the Presidential Medal of Freedom and remains one of the longest-serving, decorated and honoured members of the U.S. Armed Forces as a four-star general. 

Clark’s career includes serving as Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000, commanding Operation Allied Force during the Kosovo War, and was a major author of the Dayton Peace Accords that prevented ethnic cleansing.  

Clark earned his second Legion of Merit for his work in the offices of the Chief and Deputy Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Army from 1983 to 1984.  

A decorated war veteran who served in Vietnam, despite being severely injured, went on to command several more battalions.  

Graduating first class as valedictorian in 1966 at West Point, Clark was also a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford and graduated from the Command and General Staff College with a master’s in military science.  

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General David H. Petraeus

General David Petraeus’ military career included some of the most critical positions of combat leadership in modern U.S. history, including command of all forces in Iraq during the Surge and all forces in Afghanistan at the height of that war, after which he served as the Director of the CIA, following confirmation by the Senate by a vote of 94-0. 

His four-star assignments included serving as the 10th commander, U.S. Central Command from October 2008 through June 2010, Commander of the Multi-National Force–Iraq from February 2007, to September 2008, and Commander of the International Security Assistance Force In Afghanistan from July 2010 through July 2011. 

Among his many other command and staff appointments, Petraeus served as the first Commander of the Multi-National Security Transition Command in Iraq from June 2004 through September 2005, Commander of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) from July 2002 to June 2004, including the invasion of Iraq and first year there, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (2001–02) for the NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia, Assistant Division Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division (199-2000),  Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1997-1999), Commander of the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (1995-1997), and the first Chief of Operations (1995) for the United Nations Force in Haiti. 

Among his military accolades are four awards of the Defence Distinguished Service Medal, the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Medal, three awards of the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal for Valour, two awards of the NATO Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action Badge, Ranger tab, and Master Parachutist wings.  He has also been decorated by 13 foreign countries and was, in 2007, runner up for Time Person of the Year (the year that Vladimir Putin earned that recognition).  Among his numerous other awards, has twice been a Time 100 selectee, three times a Foreign Policy magazine top public Intellectual, Princeton University’s Madison Medallist, and the Daily Telegraph Many of the Year. 

General Petraeus graduated with distinction from the US Military Academy and later earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University.  He has held academic appointments at USMA, CUNY’s Honours College, USC, Harvard’s Belfer Center, and Yale’s Jackson School.   

General Petraeus is currently a Partner with the global investment firm KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute.  He also serves on the boards of One Stream and Optiv, is a personal venture investor, and is a Senior Fellow and Lecturer at Yale University. 

General Petraeus’ military career has included some of the most critical positions of leadership in modern U.S. history, including overseeing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

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General (Ret.) Dick Lodewijk Berlijn 

A retired Royal Netherlands Air Force four-star general, Berlijn served as Chief of Defence of the Netherlands (Chief of the Netherlands Defence Staff) from 2004, until 2008. 

A distinguished officer and fighter pilot whose military career began in 1969, General Berlijn has been one of the leading figures in The Netherlands military.    

In the 1980s, Berlijhn monitored his force’s conversion to more advanced fighter jets, was supervisor to a specialist weapons training course for pilots and became Head of the Fighter Weapons Branch.  

In the 1990s, his leadership grew to Chief of Flying Operations at Twenthe Air Base, tasked with the base’s operational preparations for Operation Deny Flight, which monitored and enforced the UN’s approved no-fly zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina.  

He would eventually be appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and later on, Chief of Defence Staff.  

Among his military honours for his service, Berlijn is the recipient of both the NATO Medal, as well as the Multinational Peace Operations Commemorative Medal for Operation Deny Flight.  

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