Former RCAF pilot Dee Brasseur, in front of a CF-18 on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, on March 28 in Ottawa. She flew this particular plane #901 during her career.Dave Chan/The Globe and Mail
When Dee Brasseur joined the Canadian military in 1972 at the age of 19, career options for women were limited. She was given three choices: finance, administration or supply.
Since she already knew how to type, she picked administration. After two weeks of working at a dental clinic on a Winnipeg base, she recalled in a recent interview, she knew there were other things she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
Things were changing. In 1971, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women recommended lifting the limit of 1,500 women in the forces and opening up more military fields to them. Ms. Brasseur applied to an officer training program and was accepted as an air weapons controller, “which was really exciting,” she said.
Dee Brasseur joined the Canadian military in 1972 at age 19. She received her wings in 1981, and served as a flight instructor.Photos courtesy of Dee Brasseur
In 1979, as part of a trial program intended to employ women in roles that had traditionally belonged to men, she was accepted into a pilot training course. She received her wings in 1981, and served as a flight instructor. Then she joined another trial program, in which she trained for a year on Canadair CF-5 and McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet jet fighter aircraft.
In June, 1989, Ms. Brasseur and her colleague, Jane Foster, became the first female fighter jet pilots in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Canada was the first country to allow women to fly in combat roles after the Soviet Union in the Second World War.
“I waved my volunteer hand and was accepted and the rest was history,” Ms. Brasseur said. She is now 70 years old and a retired major.
Her story and those of thousands of other veterans are among the pieces of history the RCAF is highlighting as it prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its founding, on April 1. To mark the centennial, the RCAF is holding events all year, across the country and around the world.
Ms. Brasseur participated in a panel in February during Ottawa’s Winterlude festival, and will appear at another event at the Canadian Aviation Museum on April 4. Other planned celebrations include air shows, festivals and a gala in June. The government has spent about $4.4-million on organizing and promoting it all so far.
Ms. Brasseur said her goal was never to make history, but rather to do something she cared about deeply.
“It wasn’t to be first. It was just doing it as you wanted to do it, because you loved doing it,” she said. “I loved it. I totally loved it.”
In June, 1989, Ms. Brasseur (left) and her colleague, Jane Foster, became the first female fighter jet pilots in the Royal Canadian Air Force.Photos courtesy of Dee Brasseur
Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said the celebrations, while focused on the RCAF’s past, also have a forward-looking role to play. “It’s important to remember our history and also to celebrate the work that the current serving members are doing, and also for the future members that will be serving,” she said.
Canada’s air force was formed on April 1, 1924. It initially had only 62 permanent members.
The number of RCAF personnel who served in the Second World War was about 250,000, according to the air force. That included some 17,000 women. The RCAF now has about 16,500 members, in regular and reserve forces. In addition to flying missions around the world, the RCAF aids in the response to disasters at home, including floods and wildfires.
The planning and development of the 100th anniversary began about three years ago, according to Colonel Maggie Jacula, an aerospace engineer and the campaign manager for the centennial. The British and Australian air forces, which both recently celebrated their own 100th birthdays, pitched in with recommendations.
The year of Canadian celebrations officially kicked off on Dec. 4, when the Winnipeg Jets wore RCAF-themed jerseys. They were honouring Canada’s 1948 gold-medal-wining Olympic hockey team, which was made up of RCAF personnel.
“We just really want people to know about the proud history of the RCAF, and then all the different ways that they can get involved in air and space in Canada,” Col. Jacula said.
“A lot of times when you think of the air force, you think of planes and pilots. And without a doubt, planes and pilots are very important to the air force,” she said. “But in order to achieve our missions, there are so many other trades that are involved.”
Cathy Priestman joined the RCAF in 1988, straight out of high school, and became a logistics officer.
“The call to adventure, I think, is what appealed to me,” she said. “Two things: the adventure and the desire to serve.”
Dee Brasseur (right) and Jane Foster after they graduated from CF18 training. Canada was the first country to allow women to fly in combat roles after the Soviet Union in the Second World War.Photos courtesy of Dee Brasseur
Over her 12 years of service, she spent 14 months in Egypt on a peacekeeping mission, managed transportation for the Manitoba floods of the mid-1990s, helped with the response to the 1998 ice storm in Ottawa and Quebec, toured Africa with the governor-general and participated in a NATO mission in Norway. She left the forces when she married a fellow officer and started a family.
Now she runs the Pepper Pod, a women’s retreat centre for veterans and military spouses in the Ottawa area.
Ms. Priestman will be master of ceremonies at the RCAF gala in June to mark the 100th anniversary. “It is a significant moment, and I hope that people take a pause and think about all the things that the air force has done along the way,” she said.
“As much as there have been challenging times, I would serve again in a heartbeat,” she added. “I really enjoyed serving the country. I loved what I did. I was passionate about what I did.”
in 1979, as part of a trial program intended to employ women in roles that had traditionally belonged to men, Dee Brasseur was accepted into a pilot training course.Photos courtesy of Dee Brasseur
Although the RCAF has long accepted women in its ranks, its treatment of them has not always been admirable. For her part, Ms. Brasseur has spoken openly about the issue of harassment and sexual assault in the forces. She has said she was raped, assaulted and harassed during her career.
She broke her silence in an interview with Maclean’s magazine in 1998. She told The Globe and Mail she was contacted by the military’s national investigative service afterwards, but chose not to pursue any criminal action because she felt there was nothing to be gained at the time.
She said she believes the military has undergone a significant culture change since she last served. And she has no regrets about her time in the air force.
“I’m a proud Canadian, a very proud Canadian, and so to me there could be no higher, loftier, more rewarding goal than to serve the country,” she said.
“Even if it costs you your life, that’s your commitment.”