Updated with photo credits, June 24, 2017, 11:22 AM
Toronto, Ontario
Filipino Canadian takes command of Canada’s oldest regiment
By Ted Alcuitas
“It is a dream fulfilled for many people, ” says the new commanding general of the Royal Regiment of Canada as he took the reins last Sunday, June 4 .
Lt. Colonel Joseph Nonato is the first Filipino Canadian to lead one of Canada’s oldest and largest regiments.
For the next three years Nonato, the reservist who teaches religion at Toronto’s De La Salle College will command the 250 men and woman of the Royal Regiment of Canada.
For the 44-year old father of two, it has become a dream come true.
While studying at the Cardinal Leger high school, he joined the cadet program and finally made it to the highly competitive Royal Military College in Kingston.
“As a young child, Joe took an early interest in the military, ” father Rod told the Toronto Star. Rod, who studied nautical science in the Philippines and aspired to become a marine officer before moving to Canada in 1971, where he met his registered nurse wife, Nancy.
After graduating from the program, Nonato worked for Scotia Bank and went on to become a private school teacher while serving as a primary reservist.
In 2008 he volunteered to serve in Afghanistan serving in Kandahar so he can have front line experience, a decision his mother did not receive well. He also served in South Sudan in 2012.
Joseph married his wife Sheila Dabu, a former journalist, in 2010. (Our Kids, PHOTO BY: TORY ZIMMERMAN)
Volunteering to serve overseas is also challenging for a soldier’s family. Nonato is married with two daughters.
“It can be easy to forget the home front, but it’s also a very challenging role to take care of … and to be a strong support for my husband,” said Sheila Nonato. “It can be long days and nights of taking care of the kids (alone). It’s not always easy but it’s an important job, Sheila confided to The Register.
Growing up in Brampton, Ont., the son of Filipino immigrants, Nonato, 44, often heard stories of military life from relatives who served as conscripts in the Philippines armed forces. He joined the cadets while still a freshman at Cardinal Leger Catholic High School and began contacting military academies, fully committed to becoming a soldier. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces fresh out of high school in 1991.
The top picture with the embedded caption of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Nonato was obviously lifted from my Filipino Web Channel (see video at the 0:32 mark) but was not given credit while the two other photos were credited to their photographers. Why? I took that picture and used it in my video, so why no credit at all?
Sorry for the oversight. Updated
.
In my earlier comment, I mean this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oh8JENeA5g) at the 0:32 mark.