Former CFB Shilo base commander dies at age 76

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This article was published 06/11/2023 (805 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Known for his green thumb when he worked at Brandon’s The Green Spot Garden Centre, a former Canadian Forces Base Shilo commander has died.

Lt.-Col. (Ret’d) Rick Wilson was 76. A perennial enthusiast, he worked at the garden centre for a few years following his retirement in August 2001 before moving to Kingston, Ont., to be closer to his grandkids.

With his retirement, Wilson ended his Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) career full circle. After a year in the reserves, the native of Kimberley, British Columbia, began his regular forces career at CFB Shilo in 1964.

His son-in-law Royal Canadian Artillery Regimental Col. Daid Grebstad announced his father-in-law’s Nov. 3 death on X — formerly Twitter.

“Very sad to share the passing of my father-in-law LCol (Ret’d) Richard Wilson,” he wrote. “A man I greatly admired. RIP Gunner.”

Retirement did not keep Wilson away from CFB Shilo — every three years he would return to Manitoba for the Royal Canadian Artillery (RCA) Reunion.

In 2012 he told the base’s news site, Shilo Stag, why he participated in an event that has the feel of a high school reunion among the aging gunners.

“It allows us to relive the old days, rekindle friendship and recharge,” he said. “I have lots of good memories of my days here on the base. Anything bad, well that is long forgotten by me.”

Often part of the organizing committee for the RCA Reunion, Wilson recalled in 2012 he reflected on his attachment to CFB Shilo. He did his basic training on the base in the early 1960s, when he was one month shy of turning 18, then retired here after his stint as base commander from 1997 to 2001.

He chose a career in the Canadian Army for a simple reason when asked about his chosen career path.

“I looked at it as a challenge,” he said. “The military had just started peacekeeping in ‘63 in Cyprus. Looking back, for me, there’s a sense of satisfaction with being part of the Afghan operation, seeing the military take steps to keep up with changing times, by adding a weapon like the M777.

“When I look back to what we were storing in Europe, that was dumb ammo … it was not sophisticated when you fired it. Your shot just came down somewhere.”

With changing technology, and today’s artillery weapons, like the M777 Howitzer — which uses guided munitions — Wilson said today’s gunners using this weapon reduce collateral damage with more pinpoint accuracy.

Looking back on his stint as base commander, Wilson acknowledged running a base had its challenges because of what was happening in Canada at that time.

“It was different times for sure … the military was downsizing. With our budgets there were tough times. The government was not interested in finding funding for us. That was our military of the day,” he offered.

Wilson drew on his own creativity, and ingenuity, to come up with solutions for operating CFB Shilo under his watch.

“Our operations were tailored to what you could afford to do,” he recalled. “The system was unforgiving when it came to overspending.”

Wilson recalled having four stops on the prairie training base, including the last as its commander. It was like a second home for him.

His military career took him to Camp Gagetown, New Brunswick, West Germany during the Cold War, plus stops in the United States.

Wilson was part of NATO, spending three years in the United States Army as a liaison officer from Canada. He worked at a major NATO command headquarters in Oslo, Norway, and then spent six months in Rome, Italy.

His fourth trip back to CFB Shilo came in 1996, when he was partnered with then-base commander Col. Jim Selby. The war in the Balkans saw Selby leave for Bosnia, which meant he was in line for the base commander’s position after the CAF down-ranked the level of the position at CFB Shilo from a full colonel, which Selby was, to a lieutenant-colonel. He accepted the position in 1997.

It was during Wilson’s time as base commander that the Germans returned to Europe, and 2PPCLI was making the move west to CFB Shilo from Winnipeg to establish an infantry unit alongside an artillery unit at 1RCHA.

Funeral arrangements for the former Base Commander have yet to be finalized.

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