1957 -
Walter Natynczk was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba to parents who had immigrated to Canada from war-ravaged Europe. His father was a veteran of WWII, serving in the Free Polish Army.
Natynczyk spent five years as a Royal Canadian Air Cadet before starting his military career at RRMC in 1975 transferring to CMR Saint-Jean in 1977. While at RRMC he was a feared member of the rugby team. At CMR Saint-Jean he garnered MVP honours playing for their football team, and as Deputy Cadet Wing Commander graduated in 1979 with a degree in Business Administration. He rounded-out his exposure to all three Canadian Military Colleges by serving as a Squadron Commander at RMC from 1983 to 1986.
Natynczyk was an armour officer with the Royal Canadian Dragoons (RCD). His initial posting was in West Germany 1979-83 serving as a Troop Leader and in various staff appointments. Posted back to his regiment in Petawawa in 1986, Natynczyk was assigned to several positions including Squadron Commander. A decade later, he was Commanding Officer of the RCD for an eventful two years of domestic operations, covering the Winnipeg floods of 1997 and the Ottawa region ice storm in 1998. Through all this, Natynczyk became known for his distinctive leadership style, one of compassion and concern for subordinates and steadiness under pressure, always covered with his trademark broad warm grin. This garnered him the endearing nickname of “Uncle Walt” from those under his command.
In the meanwhile, Natynczyk had extensive experience with peacekeeping operations. He served a six-month tour in Cyprus in 1989. Later, in the former Yugoslavia (1994-95), he served first as Sector South-West Chief of Operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina with Headquarters of 7 (UK) Armoured Brigade and then as the Chief of Land Operations at UNPROFOR Headquarters in Zagreb, Croatia. Natynczyk returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1998 as the Canadian Contingent Commander. Back in Canada in 1999 he was appointed J3 Plans and Operations overseeing Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) deployments to Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, East Timor, and Eritrea.
After attending the United States Army War College, Natynczyk was appointed Deputy Commanding General of the III (US) Corps at Fort Hood, Texas. In January 2004, he deployed with Ill Corps to Baghdad, Iraq, serving first as the Deputy Director of Strategy, Policy and Plans, and subsequently as the Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Corps–Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was responsible for overseeing the 10 separate brigades with 35,000 soldiers stationed throughout the Iraq Theatre of Operations. In recognition of his outstanding leadership and professionalism in-theatre, Natynczyk was awarded the Meritorious Service Cross in 2006.
Upon his return to Canada, after a short tour of commanding the Land Force Doctrine and Training System, he was appointed to the new position of Chief of Transformation, responsible for implementation of the force restructuring plan and associated enabling processes and policies. In 2006, Natynczyk was appointed Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, and in 2008 was promoted to General and named Chief of the Defence Staff, the first graduate of CMR Saint-Jean to be so named. Natynczyk remained CDS until his retirement from military service in 2012. Recognized widely as “a gentleman general”, his extended term witnessed the continued restructuring of the CAF against the backdrop of the heavy fighting in Afghanistan.
After his military service, Natynczyk continued to serve Canada as a senior Public Servant, first as President of the Canadian Space Agency (2013-14), and then as Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) for seven years from 2014 until his final retirement in 2021. As Deputy Minister, Natynczyk was instrumental in reorienting the culture of VAC to one of Care, Compassion and Respect to re-establish trust with the veterans who served in peacekeeping operations and fought in the Afghanistan War.
After retirement, Natynczyk accepted the appointment of Colonel Commandant of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, a position that he held for three years until 2024. Volunteer service has included membership on the Board of the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans, Patron for the Homes for Heroes Foundation and the Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association, and Honorary President of the Last Post Fund.
Walter Natynczyk was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2024, recognized as a pillar in Canadian society for his inspirational leadership in both the CAF and the Public Service of Canada.
Plaque inscription:
Soldier, Chief of the Defence Staff, Distinguished Public Servant, Advocate