Major (ret'd) Craig Mills died peacefully in hospice at Lillington, North Carolina, on 18 June in the company of his daughters Stefanie and Stacey (Dawson), having been predeceased by Helen, his wife of 43 years, in 2009.
Craig's military career began with the 3rd Battalion (Militia) of the Royal Canadian Regiment in London ON from which he retired as a Sergeant upon joining the Regular Army under the Officer Candidate Programme in 1962. He was commissioned as a Second-lieutenant in The Canadian Guards in 1963 and served a variety of roles on regimental duty, including Pioneer Platoon Commander in Cyprus 1965/1966 as a Lieutenant. In 1970 Captain Mills was tasked with VIP security during the FLQ Crisis, after which he became the Information Officer at CFB Petawawa and then transferred to the Public Affairs Branch, seeing service primarily in Western Canada. As a Major he was the Contingent Information Officer with Canada's contribution to the United Nations Emergency Force - Middle East in 1976/1977 in Ismailia, Egypt. Upon repatriation he became the editor of the Canadian Forces magazine, Sentinel, for three years. In 1984 he took early retirement from the Canadian Forces and moved to the United States to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities, first in Florida and then in North Carolina. He was proud of his membership in the RCR Association and although he was plagued by medical problems he vowed to, and did, attend the Regimental 125th Anniversary in Kingston. He will be interred next to his beloved Helen in London ON at a later date and asked that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the RCR Museum Fund. Condolences may be sent to Maj. (ret'd) Al Ditter by e-mail to
AD1bc@aol.com. Pro Patria. aldi
