Remembrance Day Feature

At 85 years old, Jim Speiser still carries himself with the quiet confidence of a man who has spent much of his life above the clouds. A veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Jim now spends his days a little closer to the ground—attending the Friday Men’s Group at Carefor’s Adult Day Program for people living with dementia which he’s better part of for over a year. But his stories, and his legacy, continue to soar.

As someone who enlisted in the military at 23, you can see the comfort that comes from being part of a community gives Jim as he laughs with the other men in the group. That sense of people part of a group—of belonging—has been a constant throughout Jim’s life. “You feel like you’re part of something important with the military,” says Jim. “Defending our county.”

Leaving the Farm for the Skies

Jim didn’t grow up planning to join the military. Raised in the small farming town of Laird, Saskatchewan, his early life was spent tending fields, not flying planes. “I was working on the farm, five, nine, ten hours a day,” he recalls. “One day I thought, there’s got to be a better way.”

So he decided he’d had enough of working on the farm and seeking a better life with better pay, he made a decision that would change the course of his life. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force, packed his bags, and left the prairies behind.

He laughs at the memory. “I didn’t know where I’d end up. Just thought it would be a better life.”

After basic training, Jim’s aptitude for coordination and quick thinking earned him a place in pilot training. “They’d line up 40 or 50 of us, make us run, lift, march, and see who could handle it,” he says. “Then one day they called out some names and said, ‘Congratulations—you’re pilots.’”

For Jim, flying came naturally. “Once you’re up there, you fall in love with every airplane,” he says. “They were fast, manoeuvrable—beautiful machines.”

He trained on a range of aircraft, from British Chipmunks and Harvards to sleek T-birds, CF101 VooDoo and CF-104 Starfighters. Though his time in service didn’t see direct combat, he played a key role in readiness operations—dogfighting simulations, air-to-ground training, and after retiring from his military career Jim flew strategic reconnaissance missions in Canada’s far north.

“We were always ready,” he says. “You train, you prepare, and you do your job. That’s what being in the military is—doing your part.”

A Family That Flies Together

Jim met his wife during training in Penhold, Alberta. Together, they raised three children while moving between postings including Winnipeg, Bagotville, Quebec, Germany and Ottawa. “The kids learned early that home isn’t a place—it’s the people you’re with,” he says.

Two of those children went on to serve in the Canadian military themselves. His eldest son joined in his twenties, while his youngest daughter attended the Royal Military College straight out of high school.

“My daughter joined the Air Force right out of the RMC (Royal Military College of Canada)” Jim, who retired as a Captain, says proudly. “She’s a few ranks above where I was.” Not only is Jim’s daughter in the RCAF, she is Lieutenant-General Jamie Speiser-Blanchet, the 22nd Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force and the first ever woman to hold this role, something Jim is incredibly proud of jokingly referring to her as “The General”.

Jim’s son Mike joined the military after university serving 31 years, however in the Navy. Mike is now retired and works for the government.

“They both did what they were meant to do,” Jim says. “They saw what the military gave me—discipline, purpose, a life full of adventure—and they wanted that too.”

For Jim, watching his children carry on his legacy has been one of his greatest honours. “It’s not about medals,” he says softly. “It’s about knowing they’ve taken the same path. That they’ve learned the same lessons—work hard, do your job, take care of your team.”

The Bonds That Last

When Jim talks about his years of service, he doesn’t dwell on danger or hardship. Instead, he talks about camaraderie—the shared sense of purpose that comes from serving alongside others.

“The Air Force was like a big family,” he says. “Wherever you went you were surrounded by people who understood what it meant to serve.”

You can see Jim enjoys the Men’s Group at the day program. It offers him that sense of camaraderie that he’s known through his time in the military, which can often be lost in one’s later years.

Remembering the Why

As Remembrance Day approaches, Jim reflects on what the day means to him and his family.

“It’s about remembering the people who gave everything,” he says quietly. “We were lucky, some of us. But a lot weren’t. You think of them.”

He’ll be attending the Remembrance Day Services at his local Legion in Osgoode this year, spending the day with those who served. For Jim, the day is not about grand gestures, but about gratitude—for the opportunities, the friendships, and the life that service gave him.

“I didn’t join for glory,” he says. “I joined to work, to fly, to do something that mattered. That’s all any of us wanted—to do our part.”

And now, decades later, surrounded by friends at Carefor and with two of his children carrying on the mission, Jim’s legacy continues to take flight.

Thank you so much to Jim and to all those who have served in the Canadian Military. We will remember.