Major-General J. A. J. Parent. OMM, CD
Commander, 1 Canadian Air Division

Major-General Alain Parent was an Air Cadet with 830 Squadron in Pierrefonds, Quebec for five years prior to enrolling in the Canadian Forces in 1979. He studied at Collège Militaire Royal in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and completed pilot training in Moose Jaw and Portage La Prairie.

He flew the CH-135 Twin Huey, the CH-136 Kiowa and the CH-146 Griffon helicopters. He served with 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron in Gagetown and with 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Valcartier. He commanded 403 Squadron from 2002 to 2004. In 2007 he was appointed commander of 1 Wing, in Kingston, responsible for providing the army with integral tactical aviation support.

All of his staff appointments were in operations and plans at the tactical, operational and strategic levels: as SO Ops at 10 Tactical Air Group Headquarters in Saint-Hubert; as Missile Warning Crew Commander and International Military-Political Affairs Officer in the J5 (Plans) staff at North American Aerospace Defence (NORAD) Command Headquarters in Colorado Springs; as A3 Plans and Air Operations Centre Director at 1 Canadian Air Division/Canadian NORAD Region Headquarters in Winnipeg; and as Director Air Strategic Plans at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa. He was promoted MGen in 2010 and appointed Deputy Commander Canadian Expeditionary Force Command. He assumed command of 1 Canadian Air Division in July 2011.

He has a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in strategic studies. He is also a graduate of the Canadian Land Force Command and Staff College, the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, and the USAF Combined Force Air Component Commander (CFACC) course, also at Maxwell-Gunter AFB.

Ms. Lynn Hawkeye, MGen Alain Parent, Cadet CPO2 Evan Maydaniuk and HCol Bob Vandewater	MGen Alain Parent, Cadet CWO Clarissa Harder and LCol (Retd) Ivan Poitras
MGen Alain Parent, Cadet WO1 Gurkamal Dhillion and HCol Barry Rempel	MGen Alain Parent and Cadet CPO2 Evan Maydaniuk
MGen Alain Parent and Cadet CWO Clarissa Harder	MGen Alain Parent and Cadet WO1 Gurkamal Dhillion

MGen Alain Parent, Cadet CWO Clarissa Harder, Cadet CPO2 Evan Maydaniuk and Cadet WO1 Gurkamal Dhillion