Guest Speaker: Lieutenant - Colonel James J. Stocker 
Friday November 6, 2020 Remembrance Day 
Rotary Special Virtual Meeting via Google Meet
Topic:  The Canadian Armed Forces and
Modern Conceptions of  Service
Host:  Alex Brown
Bugler: Paul Taylor 
Time: 12:00 Noon to 1:30 PM
Rotarian and Guests: RSVP to office@rotarytoronto.com
When using Google Meet to be admitted to the meeting.
 
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Biography
 
Lieutenant-Colonel James J. Stocker, CD AdeC
 
Lieutenant-Colonel James Stocker began his military career in The Queen’s York Rangers, enlisting while in high school in 2000.  Commissioning in 2002, he completed his training in Gagetown, NB, and has since held every Regimental officer appointment.  Concurrently maintaining an active full-time military career, he held both command and staff appointments at a variety of units and headquarters, including the Regiment itself, 32 Canadian Brigade Group Battle School, 32 Canadian Brigade Group Headquarters, 4 Canadian Division Support Group Headquarters, 4 Canadian Division Headquarters, the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, and National Defence Headquarters.
 
His operational experience includes a deployment with the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, in 2008-09, where he served in current operations.  More recently, he deployed as Canada’s Senior Liaison Officer to the Coalition Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (the global community’s response to the threat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq) Headquarters in 2017-18.  Domestically, he served as the Task Force Adjutant for the Canadian Armed Forces support the G8/G20 Summits in 2010.  More recently, he was privileged to command Territorial Battle Group 1, the high readiness composite unit formed to respond to Ontario’s COVID pandemic and tasked to provide emergency assistance to select long-term care facilities.
 
A Toronto native, he is a graduate of York University, receiving an Honours BA in History, the Command and Staff College, the Canadian Forces College, and the British Territorial Army Command and Staff College.  He is employed as the Regional Departmental Security Officer, Central Region, as part of the Directorate-General, Defence Security.
Lieutenant-Colonel Stocker’s interests include history, politics, psychology, philosophy, after-dinner raconteurship, running, cross-training, and film.  He enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, Ashley, and torturing his large dog, Lily, with off-key singing.