Brigadier-General Dyrald Cross assumed command of CAF Transition Group

Above Image: The ceremony was presided over by the Commander Military Personnel Command, Vice-Admiral Haydn C. Edmundson, CMM, MSM, CD, accompanied by Military Personnel Command CWO, CWO Dominique Geoffroy, MMM, CD. Foreground (left to right): MGen Misener, VAdm Edmundson, BGen Cross; Background (left to right): CWO Lapointe, CWO Geoffroy, CWO Rondeau. Image courtesy of CAF. 

At the end of June, Brigadier-General (BGen) Dyrald Cross assumed command of the CAF Transition Group from Major-General (MGen) Mark Misener during a small ceremony held on June 30, 2002, at the National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.

Vice-Admiral (VAdm) Haydn C. Edmundson, Commander, Military Personnel Command, presided over the ceremony, which can be viewed on the CAF Transition Group Facebook page.

He thanked MGen Misener for the amount of work he’s done over the past three years in guiding the stand-up of the CAF Transition Group.

“I have every confidence that BGen Cross will carry on the formation’s vital work in caring for our ill and injured, as well as ensuring that transitioning members and their families are set up for future success,” continued VAdm Edmundson.

BGen Cross is the CAF Transition Group’s second Commander since it stood up in December 2018. He will lead the formation as it continues to grow its capabilities and deliver on the mission to provide personalized, professional, and standardized casualty support and transition services to CAF members and their families, including providing care for ill and injured personnel, their families, and the families of the deceased.

The CAF Transition Group’s mandate is to help ill and injured members recover, rehabilitate, and reintegrate whenever possible, utilizing programs and services such as Soldier On, Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS), and Helping Our Peers by Providing Empathy (HOPE).

He noted he was honoured he was chosen as the new Commander of the CAF Transition Group.

“It is an exciting time to be part of this formation and its ongoing evolution. Together with the entire CAF Transition Group team, I look forward to continuing to transform the transition experience and empowering our CAF personnel and their families for the next step in their journeys,” he continued.

MGen Mark Misener has served as Commander of the CAF Transition Group for the past three years and will be appointed as Commander First Canadian Division Headquarters, in Kingston, Ontario, replacing MGen Dany Fortin. MGen Misener’s leadership was instrumental in guiding the stand-up of the CAF Transition Group, implementing its initial operating capability, and planning for its future.

The CAF Transition Group’s mandate is to help ill and injured members recover, rehabilitate, and reintegrate whenever possible, utilizing programs and services such as Soldier On, Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS), and Helping Our Peers by Providing Empathy (HOPE).

The group’s headquarters is located in Ottawa, with nine regional Transition Units and 32 Transition Centres located across the country.

Transition Centres are integrated, one-stop centres where ill and injured CAF members, veterans, and their families are offered casualty support.

Once fully operational, the Transition Centres will be staffed by members from the CAF, the Department of National Defence, Veterans Affairs Canada, and numerous other partners, and will offer professional, personalized, and standardized transition services.