Parachuting led Major Ben Lee to become a Rifleman and brought him to Operation UNIFIER

September 14, 2023 - Defence Stories

By: Major Christopher Daniel, Senior Public Affairs Officer, Joint Task Force-Ukraine

“It’s a great honour to represent my regiment while deployed on Operation UNIFIER; especially during a period where our efforts make a difference for Ukrainians and a positive impact for humanity,” said Major Ben Lee, an infantry officer from The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada (QOR of C) who served on Operation UNIFIER for twelve months.

Operation UNIFIER is the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) military training and capacity building mission in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was launched in 2015 at the request of the Ukrainian government. Aspects of the mission were temporarily paused following the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but has resumed since August 2023, and Major Lee was part of that Rotation.

“I’m truly grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve during Rotations 14 and 15, and part of Rotation 16. I started as an operations officer and eventually was appointed as the Joint Task Force-Ukraine J3, since December 2022, providing support to the various training elements and enabling them to fulfill their training mission for the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” said Major Lee.

The J3 branch is the heart of a military organization that is in-charge of planning, executing, and monitoring military operations and coordinates the activities with the other branches of the organization.

Major Lee joined the CAF in January 2001 as a non-commissioned member and eventually was commissioned in 2004. More than a decade ago, he served in Kandahar, Afghanistan as a Psychological Operations platoon commander.

“There are several reasons why I joined the CAF,” he said. “I wanted to serve Canada, embark on a challenging journey, do something that makes a positive difference, and follow the footsteps of my grandfather who was a paratrooper.”

Major Lee is a Canadian of Korean heritage. He comes from a family with a proud history of military service. His uncle served during the Vietnam War and his grandfather served in the Korean War, both as South Korean soldiers.

“Before I joined the CAF, I was not really sure what I wanted to do, so I sought advice from my brother who was already a CAF soldier at that time. He suggested that I join the QOR of C because they do what our grandfather did and I’ve always been fascinated by jumping from a plane,” he said smirking.

The QOR of C is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve infantry regiment in Toronto and the oldest continuously serving infantry regiment in Canada since 1860. They are assigned the task of maintaining a Parachute Company that specializes in airborne operations.

“Oddly enough, it was the physical challenges and the idea of constantly overcoming environmental difficulties that made me choose the infantry. Parachuting led me to become a Rifleman, which brought me to Afghanistan, and then onto Operation UNIFIER, enabling CAF members in providing military training to Ukrainian soldiers who are defending their country’s sovereignty and freedoms,” said Major Lee. “I know I made the right career choice.”