Aviator Liliane Durocher: Embracing new challenges in the Canadian Armed Forces

September 23, 2024 - Defence Stories

Originally from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Aviator Liliane Durocher joined the Canadian Armed Forces to achieve personal fulfillment.

"I needed a new challenge, and I found that my previous job wasn’t moving fast enough," Aviator Liliane Durocher told us.

After completing her secondary studies at Joséphine-Dandurand, Durocher continued her education at Collège Édouard Montpetit and worked in dentistry through her dental prosthesis technician training. In this job, she hoped to face adversity, a desire that never materialized. It was then in February 2024 that she decided to enlist as a materiel management technician.

This was not a decision she took lightly, as the fear of the unknown and the difficulties associated with a career change concerned her.

"It was a big step for me to change my career, at the dawn of my thirties, and to move far from my family to an English-speaking province," Durocher comments on her arrival in British Columbia.

However, the support from her spouse and the strong sense of camaraderie in the CAF helped her make her decision.

"Having a spouse in the Army too definitely encouraged me to enlist. I saw that he seemed fulfilled in his job and was experiencing great things," she says.

Durocher was familiar with the military environment as she had been part of the Army Cadets and some of her childhood friends had military parents. She admits that this period was, for her, the best years of her youth.

In her new role within the Canadian Submarine Force, she is part of the supply system. From equipment parts to ingredients needed for a good soup, her job leaves her almost no rest. Through all that, her biggest challenge is learning English. She welcomes this challenge with open arms because it brings her out of her comfort zone. Durocher is now eager to see what her new job has in store for her.

"I would like to deploy outside Canada, rise as high as I can, develop personally, and overcome my fears," says Durocher.

In her free time, the aviator is passionate about sports, the outdoors, and fitness. She likes to go hiking with her family as often as possible.