As a child, Gilles was a troublemaker. He got in trouble, as all kids do. But, he went a little bit further than he should have and eventually found himself in front of a judge who gave him a choice: “You can go to reform school, or you can join the military.”
Gilles, not being completely stupid, chose the military, where he thrived.
Over 33 years, Gilles made his way up to Chief Warrant Officer. For those who are unfamiliar with the military, that is the highest rank you can obtain without being an officer. You only become a Chief Warrant Officer when the military sees in you a number of things.
Over those same 33 years, Gilles developed a deep and unshakable love for the Canadian military. Gilles loved the military because he was able to help Canadians and the rest of the world.
This was never more evident than every Remembrance Day. Gilles could have worn a suit. He could have worn his military uniform. Gilles chose instead to wear the light blue representing the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces that he was so very proud to be a part of.
From Cyprus to Bosnia to Egypt and Afghanistan (to name a few), Gilles was undeniably proud to put himself in front of those that needed it.
The love for the military also showed after he retired from the military, and then went back to work doing basically the same thing as a civilian contractor.
Everything he designed or supervised had one basic goal that influenced all the decisions. “Will this make things safer for the soldier?” If the answer was no, then it went back to the drawing board.
You also saw this in his working with others. He often got new civilian employees who had never worked with the military before assigned to him. “Gilles’ Kindergarden” is how it was referred to more than once. He laughed, but more than one person has said how useful it was to have spent time with Gilles.