Photo By Sgt. 1st Class David Chapman | Canadian Brig. Gen. Carl Turenne, deputy commanding general for sustainment, I Corps,...... read more read more
CAMP HIGASHI-CHITOSE, Japan – With his distinct accent and the maple leaf on his left shoulder, there's one general among U.S. Army I Corps' leadership who definitely stands out in a crowd.
Brig. Gen. Carl Turenne, I Corps' deputy commander for Sustainment calls the shots when it comes to sustainment, readiness and resiliency issues within the unit. His job is making sure the corps is supported and maintained during operations and while in garrison.
As if he needed something else to make him stand out - he's a Canadian officer.
Turenne is assigned to the U.S. Army through an exchange program between the nations.
“Canada is privileged to have such a close relationship with the U.S., and over the years, we have developed quite a large exchange program with the U.S. Army,” said Turenne. “The deputy commanding general position is one of those positions that has been established with the U.S. Army. I can tell you, those are highly coveted positions back home.”
Turenne joined I Corps as it was rebalancing to the Pacific. The U.S. Army is now focusing on regionally aligning forces around Pacific in order to further enhance interoperability between countries in the region.
“During my time on the National Security Program, which is a year-long strategic level course in Toronto, equivalent to the War College, we focused on Asia,” Turenne said. “To find out later that I’m being posted to I Corps, which has a focus on the Pacific, to me was a real pleasant surprise.”
He is learning lessons quickly in Yama Sakura 65, a joint-bilateral command post exercise with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Northern Army. Both countries are simulating a battlefield including the use of cyber attacks to sharpen their command skills.
“It’s a tremendous experience. Yama Sakura 65 is a very, very large [command post]-type of exercise,” Turenne said. “It is an experience I certainly have never had before. A bilateral exercise is very difficult in nature to achieve unity of effort on the battlefield because you do not have a combined command structure. Therefore, it generates all kinds of challenges. But, it is a fantastic and a tremendous experience. As you know, to win on the battlefield, you need to fight as one team.”
Turenne has served in multiple capacities throughout his career in the Canadian Army. His career began in 1984 when he enrolled in the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Quebec. He graduated in 1989 and was commissioned as an armor officer and assigned to the 12th Armored Regiment of Canada.
“In Canada, particularly in the maneuver arms, we are very much regimental, you join that regiment, and you are essentially a part of that regiment for life,” said Turenne.
Turenne’s career has taken him overseas numerous times. He served in Haiti, Cyprus, the former Yugoslavia, and most recently as commanding officer of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team.
“It was the most challenging job ever, but also a highlight” said Turenne, about his position on the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team.
Turenne’s father served in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was called a “base brat” and moved from Canadian province-to-province. In total, he has lived in seven of Canada’s 10 provinces.
He did not initially intend to join the Canadian Army when he was growing up. Turenne intended to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“My eyes were too weak to join the Air Force, so I was given a few choices,” said Turenne. “I remember there was infantry and armor, and I said ‘the tanks look cooler to me.’”
Being an armor officer did not happen by accident, however. Turenne always had an interest in the mechanized vehicles.
“Funny enough, although I wanted to join the Air Force, when I look back at my toys when I was a kid, I had tanks,” Turenne said. “So, I ended up in the armored corps and haven’t regretted a single day.”
Turenne spoke with pride about his time as an armor officer. He said it is a job he is glad he chose and would not trade for anything.
“As an armored officer, you can’t beat any of the assignments that are linked to being on tanks,” Turenne said. “You live to be a troop leader, you live to command squadrons and you live to command armored formations.”
Just as in the U.S. military, however, once an officer moves up in rank, there are fewer choices in job assignments. One no longer leads a specific troop, squadron or regiment. General officer positions lead entire Army components. When Turenne was promoted from colonel to brigadier general, he was given two options.
“I was commanding in Western Canada when I got a phone call from the Army commander, telling me that I was going to get promoted and then offered me some choices, which included our equivalent of the Pentagon or going on exchange with the U.S. Army as a deputy commanding general for I Corps,” Turenne said. “It was a pretty obvious choice to me.”
Turenne has been in his position with I Corps long enough now that he notices how the U.S. and Canadian armies differ. He also said he brings a new and different viewpoint, which can be beneficial.
“There’s the smaller army [Canada] versus big army [U.S.]. So, I have a different perspective on things,” Turenne explained. “Because I haven’t been brought up in the U.S. system, and I come from a professional army, I bring a fresh set of professional eyes and ask questions, not because I want to challenge the U.S. system, but to understand the rationale of things. So, I have a tendency to go to first principles to understand ‘why do you guys do this?’ It would be the same thing with a U.S. officer going to Canada.”
Not only are there differences militarily, but Turenne thinks there are also cultural differences between the U.S. and Canada.
“He believes that everyone carries a gun in the United States,” 1st Lt. Fred A. Christopherson, III, his U.S. Army aide-de-camp, said jokingly
“That’s not true. He thinks that I believe everybody carries a gun,” Turenne retorted in laughter. “But, we joke about it in terms of differences in culture.”
Turenne’s other passion besides his family and the military is woodworking. He has been doing the craft since high school, but really picked it up in 2000 by way of a necessity.
He needed to rebuild his fireplace mantel. Mantel kits ran $2,500, and he did not want to pay that much. The person who provided him with firewood said he had nice lumber he could use.
“The good news was that he had some really good lumber and I could build it. The bad news was that I needed to buy a jointer, a planer, a band saw, etcetera. My wife said OK. I went out and bought the tools and started, and I repaired the mantel.”
From there, he kept-on with his newfound hobby.
“I am building a cabinet right now that’s been on the go for close to six years,” said Turenne, with a slight inflection of sadness in his voice. “I just can’t get to it because I keep moving.”
When Turenne is not woodworking or leading troops, he and his family have enjoyed the outdoors during their time at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., and are savoring their time in the U.S.
“Just going camping with the family in Olympic park and going hiking around Mount Rainier, are family experience we’re not going to forget,” Turenne said. “I am enjoying every minute of it. I am living the dream.”
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2013 20:35 |
| Story ID: | 117961 |
| Location: | CAMP HIGASHI-CHITOSE, HOKKAIDO, JP |
| Web Views: | 1,312 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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