A Private’s journey to command: 405 LRP Squadron’s Commanding Officer reflects on career, leadership

There is no one career path in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Just ask Lieutenant-Colonel Tom Goldie, the commanding officer of 14 Wing Greenwood’s 405 Long-Range Patrol Squadron, who started his CAF career as an Air Reserve airframe technician (now aviation technician) in May 1989.

“Originally I applied to become an officer through the Regular Officer Training Plan (ROTP),” admits Lt.-Col. Goldie who is currently acting as the 14 Wing Commander while Colonel Brendan Cook is deployed. “Even then, applications to the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston (Ontario) were competitive and my application was not accepted that year.”

Not to be deterred from joining the CAF, Lt.-Col. Goldie joined the ranks of 14 Air Reserve Augmentation Flight (ARAF) and was sent to the now decommissioned Air Reserve National Training School in Penhold (Alberta) for training. After completing his general military training and common mechanical training courses, Lt.-Col. Goldie returned to Greenwood to apply his newfound skills and knowledge at Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) units including 14 Air Maintenance Squadron where he performed first and second line maintenance on the CP-140 Aurora.

It was while at 14 AMS that Lt.-Col. Goldie overcame his desire to be a ‘grey man’, someone who does everything to not stand out. “After my basic, and while I was still gaining experience as a technician, I initially thought that there was value in just getting the job done without standing out,” he confesses. “I soon learned, however, that it was important to step forward, accept some risk, and seek out opportunities that help us grow both as a professional and as a person.”

A hockey player since he was five years old, Lt.-Col. Goldie’s participation in base and community sports presented him with opportunities to develop his communication and organizational skills, both of which are essential to leaders in any organization. “Volunteering for unit-level activities and secondary duties are other ways in which serving CAF members can develop and demonstrate their ability to be leaders while learning more about the organization.”

As an example, Lt.-Col. Goldie recalls the time when he helped organize a parliamentary visit to 14 Wing. “The purpose of the visit was to showcase the operations and people at the Wing. Between organizing the visit and going around the Wing with the visitors, I had an opportunity to get outside of my own unit. I also learned more about what the other units at the Wing did and how their work impacted on others.”

There are many ways in which “every member within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) can be a leader, even if they don’t believe they are,” suggests Colonel Goldie. “Simple acts, like welcoming a new member to a unit, reveal your abilities and potential. These speak volumes about the person you are and what values you hold.”

And although there are many effective and positive leaders within the non-commissioned member (NCM) corps, Lt.-Col. Goldie always had a desire to become an officer and do more within the RCAF. “I always wanted to be a pilot.”

It was not until he was part of a CP-140 Aurora crew that his wish to become a commissioned officer with the RCAF came closer to being realized. “My conversation with the aircraft commander started with my providing him an estimate as to how long it was going to take to fix the aircraft while it was away from the base on a mission,” reveals Lt.-Col. Goldie. “As our conversation evolved into what he did as a pilot I started to say to myself: ‘I can do this too’.”

With the support of his family, co-workers and chain of command, as well as the encouragement of the same pilot who fanned the spark within a young aviation technician, Lt.-Col. Goldie applied for and was accepted into the University Plan for Non-Commissioned Members (UTPNCM) in 1999, nearly ten years into his CAF career.

After completing his university degree, his basic officer training, and his pilot training, Lt.-Col. Goldie received his pilot’s wings on 17 December 2004 and returned to 14 Wing Greenwood as a lieutenant.

“I was posted to 415 Maritime Patrol Squadron as the Deputy Operations Officer,” recalls Lt.-Col. Goldie. “First, and foremost, this position taught me how an Air Force squadron ticks, how interdependent each of us are, and how mission efficiencies could be achieved when members of a team trust each other.”

“My time at the squadron also reinforced just how much experience is held by our senior non-commissioned members (NCMs) and the excellent advice they can provide,” continues Lt.-Col. Goldie.

Over the course of his career Lt.-Col. Goldie has completed training and operational missions in the CP-140 Aurora aircraft and as a mission commander on Canada’s first Tier 2 unmanned aerial vehicle (now referred to as a remotely piloted aerospace system, or RPAS) deployment in Afghanistan. As a CP-140 pilot, he has served as a first officer, an aircraft captain, a long-range patrol crew commander, and as a flight standards and training officer. “The Aurora is a large and complex aircraft that tests your abilities to apply a vast body of knowledge and training.”

When Lt.-Col. Goldie was asked to be 405 Squadron’s commanding officer (CO) in June of 2020, he describes it as “coming back full circle to the place where I started my career over thirty-two years ago. Being counted among the Squadron’s fifty-two COs is amazing.”

Now, in 2021, he has been asked to take up the duties of the 14 Wing Commander while Colonel Brendan Cook is deployed.

“Although I am still technically the CO of 405 Squadron, I cannot possibly do both jobs,” admits Lt.-Col. Goldie. “Thankfully, my DCO (deputy commanding officer) is both prepared and capable of taking control of the Squadron. It is a great opportunity for him to demonstrate his capabilities as a leader and as a member of the team.”

As for his being the acting Wing Commander at 14 Wing, Lt.-Col Goldie (appointed to the rank of Colonel while so employed in the position) believes that “each time you step out of your comfort zone, you have the opportunity to grow.”

Looking forward to more years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces, Lt.-Col. offers some final insights to people seeking growth and leadership opportunities.

“Life (and leadership) is a journey,” reinforces Lt.-Col Goldie. “Each of us takes ‘bits and pieces’ from the people we meet along the way. For example, I learned the value of kindness and empathy from a master corporal who helped me through some things when I was a technician.”

Not only do the people we meet throughout our lives help form who we become, the experiences we gain are never wasted.

“At one point I ended taking a radio operator course,” remembers Lt.-Col. Goldie. “Later, when I was monitoring radio signals onboard our aircraft, I was able to identify the Morse code being sent over the air.”

“You never know when the people you meet or the experiences you have will be the key to unlocking a solution to a problem,” points out Lt.-Col Goldie. “No matter what the situation, try to learn something new and have fun.”