Former RCN officer, Air Force Commander honoured at Hometown Heroes event 

Former RCN officer, Air Force Commander honoured at Hometown Heroes event 

By Trident Staff 

The first and only Royal Canadian Navy RCN) officer to command Canada’s Air Force has been honoured for his lifetime of service to Canada. 

Lieutenant-General (LGen) (ret’d) Larry Ashley was recognized during a ceremony at the Shearwater Aviation Museum on August 9, where friends and family gathered alongside senior leaders to recognize his distinguished career. Among those on hand were Defence Minister Bill McGuinty, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander RCN, Lieutenant-General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor the Honourable Mike Savage. 

The recognition came through Parks Canada’s Hometown Heroes program, which highlights Canadians whose military or civilian contributions have left a lasting mark. Since its launch in 2015, the program has grown to honour more than 140 individuals across the country. 

LGen Ashley’s career spanned more than three decades and included significant contributions to Canada’s maritime aviation community. A naval cadet turned helicopter pilot, LGen (ret’d) Ashley was credited for helping to pioneer the use of shipborne helicopters, laying the foundation for a maritime air capability that remains central to naval operations today. He served as a pilot aboard numerous RCN ships, and even helped develop the Beartrap system used to safely land helicopters on destroyer-sized ships at sea. 

He later commanded two naval air squadrons before an appointment as Base Commander at what was then named Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Shearwater. He served in senior posts with Air Command in Winnipeg and contributed to NATO efforts in Europe, working as a program manager to bring the new Airborne Warning and Control System into service. His rise to Commander of the Air Force in 1986 remains the only time a former naval officer has held the position. 

Present-day Canadian Armed Forces leaders described his accomplishments as both innovative and enduring. VAdm Topshee said Ashley’s service “broke new ground and built enduring bridges between our naval and air forces,” while LGen Speiser-Blanchet highlighted his “lasting impact on the maritime helicopter community and naval aviation.” 

Outside of uniform, Ashley gave decades of his time to public service. He has been a longtime supporter of the Shearwater Aviation Museum, a founding director of the Canada Science and Technology Museum Foundation, and a board member with Bytown Brigantine, which provides sail training opportunities for underprivileged youth. He was also recognized nationally with several honours, including his appointment as a Commander of the Order of Military Merit, and receiving the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals. 

LGen (ret’d) Ashley said he was deeply moved to be recognized in this way. 

“Never in my wildest thoughts did I think that in my 88th year, after a lifetime of service to the country that I love deeply, I would be standing here before Canada’s Minister of Defence, and the Commanders of both the Navy and the Air Force, trying to say thank you for this honour.”