Retirees honored with Command Commendation

Chief Petty Officer First Class Gilles Grégoire, Canadian Armed Forces Chief Warrant Officer, and General Wayne Eyre, Chief of Defence Staff, present a Command Commendation Award to Chief Petty Officer First Class (ret’d) Mark Anthony Chambers at MARPAC Headquarters, March 15.

Chief Petty Officer First Class Gilles Grégoire, Canadian Armed Forces Chief Warrant Officer, and General Wayne Eyre, Chief of Defence Staff, present a Command Commendation Award to Lieutenant-Commander (ret’d) Chris Maier at MARPAC Headquarters, March 15. Photos: Peter Mallett/Lookout

Peter Mallett
Staff Writer

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Two recently-retired Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) members are the latest recipients of a Command Commendation by General (Gen) Wayne Eyre, Chief of Defence Staff.

Gen.Eyre was on-hand at Maritime Forces Pacific (MARPAC) HQ on March 15 to personally recognize and thank Lieutenant-Commander (ret’d) Chris Maier, formerly of Naval Fleet School Pacific, and Chief Petty Officer First Class (CPO1) (ret’d) Mark Anthony Chambers, a former Coxswain of HMCS Calgary.

“You are both being recognized today for the importance of what you have accomplished here and your time-consuming work,” Gen. Eyre said after presenting the awards.

The Chief of Defence Staff Commendation recognizes activities and accomplishments beyond the demands of regular duty. It includes a signed certificate or scroll and a gold bar insignia bearing three maple leaves to be worn by serving members in their uniform.

Mark Anthony Chambers

Chambers retired in May 2022 after serving 33 years in the RCN.

Gen. Eyre credits Chambers for his ‘strategic outlook and exemplary efforts’ that directly contributed to Calgary’s record-breaking drug seizures during their counter-terrorism, maritime security and global security operations.

“A remarkable leader, CPO1 Chambers enhanced the cohesion of the crew during the unique challenges presented throughout the deployment and fostered a culture that furthered Calgary’s global strategic impact,” Gen. Eyre said.

Chambers was Calgary’s Coxswain from February to August 2021, while the Halifax-class frigate was deployed to the Indo-Pacific region. During the drug-seizing efforts in Operation Artemis, the ship halted the flow of more than thirty three thousand kilograms of illicit narcotics worth approximately CAD$130 million. In a bust on Apr. 23, 2021, Calgary seized 1,286 kilograms of heroin, ranked as the largest heroin bust in combined maritime forces history. 

Chambers noted the length of the deployment at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of shore leave weighed heavily on his crew, and the successful seizures boosted the crew’s morale.

“It’s nice to be recognized, but the crew did a lot of the hard work, so this award is really a reflection of their efforts,” said Chambers.

Chamber’s may have retired from the RCN but hasn’t stopped working. These days, he is working as a manager with Mechanical Insulation.

Christopher Maier

Maier bid farewell to students and staff at the Fleet School in September 2022 after 25 years of service.

He volunteered as Commodore of the Canadian Forces Sailing Association (CFSA) Esquimalt from 2017 to 2022. Gen. Eyre said Maier enabled the club to overcome ‘severe challenges’.

“LCdr Maier’s leadership saved a sailing club benefiting the morale and welfare of the Canadian Armed Forces, Defence Team Members and the surrounding community,” Gen. Eyre said.

Maier is credited with leading the successful relocation of the CFSA floats from Monroe Head to its new location at Lang Cove in Esquimalt Harbour, helping the club preserve its 75-year legacy as a fundamental sail-training resource.

In accepting the award, Maier told the Lookout being honoured with such an award was incredible.

“On the one hand, I feel humbled people thought I deserved this, but I also realize it was an entire team of dedicated volunteers who pulled this off, and they deserve as much credit as I do,” Maier said. “It was no easy task for our volunteers and steering committee, who put in a ton of hours working to make this happen.”

The club completed their 11^th-hour move to Lang Cove near the Naden main gates in March 2022. The club got confirmation of their new location in late December 2021, which allowed approximately 90 days to organize the move.

Since his retirement, Maier has continued his volunteerism with the CFSA and remains Project Manager as the club works to finalize its move to Lang Cove. While not volunteering, he is kept busy studying for a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Victoria.