Honorary Colonel Delbert E. Lippert

427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron

Biography



Honourary Colonel Del Lippert



Mr Delbert Lippert was appointed as Honorary Colonel of 427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron, located at Petawawa ON in May 2015 and served in that capacity until July of 2018.

Born in Kitchener ON, Honorary Colonel Lippert enrolled in the Canadian Army under the Apprentice Training Program Artillery in Shilo MB in 1958. Upon completing training he transferred to 4 Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in Petawawa as a technical assistant. After his service in the Army ended in 1963, he joined Pan American Airways Guided Missile Range Division as a Radar technician and operator. Continuing the five year cycle, he moved to Digital Equipment Corp as a computer technician and quickly progressed to become District Manager in Anaheim California. Of note, while at Digital Equipment, he received his private pilot’s license and joined the Massachusetts Civil Air Patrol , an auxiliary of the USAF, as a search and rescue pilot. Moving to the East Coast, he was promoted to Corporate Manager for Educational Services at the office in Maynard Massachusetts, soon becoming VP for the Division and remaining with DEC for 18 years.

Looking for new challenges, Honorary Colonel Lippert became President and COO of a fledgling cellular phone company and remained in that post for five years. He then was recruited by Computervision to become the president of Asia Pacific where he remained for three years of constant travel before becoming a private investor. Following a five year break, Honorary Colonel Lippert was recruited by Raytheon Marine in New Hampshire eventually becoming President of the Commercial Group of companies before returning to Canada upon retirement. Honorary Colonel Lippert’s retirement was short-lived upon being approached to consult with BTI in Chalk River and then Med-Eng working on Electronic Countermeasures equipment to serve the soldiers in Afghanistan to defeat roadside explosive devices. It was a highly successful development that led to a significant growth for the company. Med-Eng also developed and produces Explosive Ordinance Disposal suits now worn by forces and organizations around the world. In his most recent state of semi-retirement he served as a board member with International Datacasting Corporation, a satellite equipment producer and operator of the Canadian Forces Radio Television Network before fully retiring in January 2014.

Honorary Colonel Lippert completed his tour as Honorary Colonel in an exemplary manner. While serving in this capacity, he single-handedly took the concept of a 427 Squadron Cenotaph to commemorate all who have lost their lives while operating 427 Squadron aircraft, from an initial concept to full implementation status. That very impressive cenotaph located in Cobden, Ontario serves as a lasting legacy for his dedication to 427 Squadron for which he will always be remembered.

Del passed away peacefully after a very short illness on 11 December 2018. He was buried on 18 December with a honour guard from the squadron giving him a final send-off. He is survived by his wife Mildred, and 4 generations of Lipperts. A Lion once and a Lion always.

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