OTTAWA – The Chief of the Air Staff, Lieutenant-General André Deschamps, issued the following statement today:

I am aware of the charges brought today against Colonel Russell Williams, 8 Wing Commander, Trenton.

As Chief of the Air Staff, I take very seriously all allegations of service or criminal offences against one of our members.

Although one is considered innocent until proven guilty, in light of the seriousness of the charges, and in consideration of the high level of responsibilities attached to the position of Wing Commander, an interim Wing Commander for 8 Wing Trenton will soon be appointed.

Also, in the coming days, a review will be initiated by 1 Canadian Air Division, in Winnipeg, to determine the most appropriate action to take regarding Colonel Williams pending the outcome of the trial.

The Canadian Forces hold their members to a very high standard of conduct and performance, in Canada or abroad, on or off military duty. I confirm that the Air Force is fully supporting civilian authorities in the conduct of the current matter.

I am certain that Air Force personnel at 8 Wing will carry on with their duties, displaying the usual level of professionalism and sense of duty that they have always shown in the past. We will ensure that the Wing leadership and personnel are supported throughout this difficult period.

This situation affects us all and I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to the families of those affected by these tragic events. Add a comment

Dr. Gordon Hutchinson is no stranger to trauma.  As an emergency room physician in 100 Mile House, B.C. he is used to dealing with critically injured patients.  His other work with cancer patients also requires him to be kind and compassionate, yet focused on the care at hand.

Those same skills are coming in very handy these days as Dr. Hutchinson has temporarily left his practice in 100 Mile House and Williams Lake, B.C. to work as a flight surgeon helping to bring injured Canadians back home from Haiti on board Canadian Forces aircraft out of 8 Wing Trenton, Ont.

Dr. Hutchinson, also known as Captain Hutchinson, joined up as a reservist three years ago and now works as a flight surgeon specializing in air medical evacuations.  So far, he has been to Haiti and back more than four times and intends to stay in Trenton until at least March.

“I’m part of the medical evacuation team so there are three of us on each mission – myself, a critical care nurse and a medic.  Hopefully we don’t have to do much in the way of actual treatment but rather help to stabilize and monitor people.  In aviation it’s a different environment so you have to know something about how the body reacts to altitude among other things.  So that’s why having some training in aviation medicine is useful.”

As a pilot himself and civil aviation medical examiner for the past 15 years, Capt Hutchinson is a real asset to the medical teams that are flying back and forth between Canada and Haiti.  He joined the Reserve Force after seeing a recruiting booth at a conference he attended in Quebec City, Que.

“It’s kind of interesting that at 53 I can make a contribution to a lot of things that are really interesting and exciting.  I’ve been to Afghanistan and now being able to do this is a great experience.

“On the one hand you get to serve and on another it’s really interesting work and you feel you’re helping somehow.  But I must give credit to my colleagues on the ground in Haiti.  I’m going back and forth so I get to enjoy civilization back here whereas they’re sleeping on the ground under canvas. So I have a lot of respect for what they’re doing.”

Capt Hutchinson is continuing a family tradition as his father was a pharmacist in the Canadian Forces and served in the Second World War as an Air Force bomb aimer. Add a comment