The Royal Montreal Regiment has a new commanding officer

Returning to the reserves is like coming home to family for Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-François Denis. After a one-year military hiatus, the career military-man is the new commanding officer for the recruits of the 34th Canadian Brigade.

“I joined the force mainly because I just truly missed the military and the family. It’s something I’ve been doing since the age of 17, and now, it’s essentially my life.”

He signed on to the post with all the pomp and circumstance of a military parade that was held at the regiment in Westmount on Sunday, Oct. 25.

The commanding officer is responsible for anything and everything in the regiment, and Denis plans to continue from where the former commanding officer left off. LCol Paul Langlais served in the position for the last four-and-a-half years, and brought the regiment’s numbers to a healthy 30 recruits.

“Quite honestly, he told me that the next step is to increase the level of experience of the members. That will be my main focus,” Denis confided after the ceremony.

He first plans to understand the ins and outs of the unit, before eventually expressing an operational vision for the regiment. Though, for Denis, the bond of the military unit is the most important directive.