Asian Heritage Month: Captain Derek Ho, CD.
May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, a time to reflect on and celebrate the contributions that Canadians of Asian descent have made and continue to make, to the growth and prosperity of Canada. Asian Heritage Month has been celebrated across Canada since the 1990’s. It is also a good time to pause, reflect and learn more about the distinguished service of Canadians of Asian Heritage who have served or continue to serve in The Royal Montreal Regiment (RMR). In honour of Asian Heritage Month, the RMR Foundation is publishing profiles of service of some of our members of Asian descent who have served (and continue to serve) in our ranks.
Westmount, Quebec – 01 May 2022: Captain Derek Ho joined the RMR in January 1988 (one of the “88” boys of RMR legend and lore). He spent most of his 22-years with the Regiment serving in “B” Company, the RMR’s operational rifle company, where he was highly respected for his skills-at-arms, his leadership, his organizational abilities, and his high standards as a Senior NCO. He transferred to the Canadian Grenadier Guards (CGG) in 2010 where he was promoted and served as the Captain Adjutant, and he currently serves as the Operations Officer for the CGG.
Born in China, he immigrated to Canada at the age of 13 and settled with his family in Ville Saint-Laurent. He currently resides in Notre-Dame-de-L’Ile-Perrot, and Captain Ho works full-time as the Training Officer for the 34 Canadian Brigade’s Territorial Battle Group in Longue-Pointe. When asked what he liked the most about being a member of the RMR, Captain Ho responded by saying “Very proud to be part of a great group of RMR Senior NCO’s for 16 years.”
Captain Ho has experienced a lot of different things during his more than three decades of service in the Army Reserves, so it is hard to pin down what the coolest thing is that he’s done. But when pressed for some examples he told us that “Being deployed on OP PODIUM 2010 in Vancouver for the Olympic Games as part of 26 members of RMR.”
When reflecting upon his extensive service, he told us that his favourite memory of serving with the RMR was serving full-time as the Operations Warrant Officer for the Regiment.
Over the years, Captain Ho has deployed on numerous operations, ranging from overseas United Nations peacekeeping duties in Bosnia-Hercegovina in 1993 with the 2nd battalion of Le Royal 22ieme Regiment as part of UNPROFOR, to serving in pretty much every domestic operation in recent memory. Ice Storms, Floods, Olympics, and now Global Pandemics – Captain Ho has been active in the Canadian Armed Forces’ response to all of them.
Keep on setting the standard, Captain Ho!
