Major Ian Miedema was born in Kingston, Ontario but raised in the small town of Cloyne, Ontario.  After graduating high-school, he left home to pursue an engineering degree from Queen’s University.  Graduating in 1999, he soon started working for Atomic Energy Canada Limited as a research assistant.  Shortly thereafter he realized he enjoyed school so much that he went back and completed a Master of Engineering degree from Royal Military College in 2002. 

His military career began in January 1994 when he joined an infantry reserve unit, the Princess of Wales Own Regiment, in Kingston, Ontario.  He stayed with this unit throughout his high school and university days. In 2002, he decided to transfer to the regular force and take his commission as an RCEME officer.  After spending time in Kingston on OJT, language training in St-Jean, and Corps training in Borden, he was posted to Petawawa to 2 General Support Battalion (2 GS Bn).  While there, he was employed in a variety of positions, including administration officer, platoon commander, and company 2IC.  During this last position, he was involved in the merging of 2 GS Bn and 2 Service Battalion into the 2 (FG) Service Battalion. 

 

Major Miedema deployed with Rotation 1-07 to Afghanistan as the Senior Duty Officer of the National Support Element (NSE) from January to August 2007.  Immediately following this deployment, he was posted to the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM).  First he was posted to the Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) as the Maintenance Officer, then to the Command J4 Cell, and finally to the Command Equipment Management Team.  While at CANSOFCOM, he was promoted to his present rank in 2010.  He deployed to Afghanistan once again in 2011 as a member of a Special Operations Task Force.  In 2012 he was posted to 1 Service Battalion as the Officer Commanding Maintenance Company, and subsequently deployed to Southern Alberta as part of Op LENTUS, providing support and assistance to the floods in 2013.  In the summer of 2014, he was posted to Ottawa as the Executive Assistant to Director General Land Equipment Program Management, and after a year posted to Toronto to attend the Joint Command Staff Program at the Canadian Forces College.

 

He is married to Major Rebecca Miedema, a Logistics Officer, and they have two very active young boys, William and Patrick.  In his spare time, when he can find some, he enjoys traveling, biking, running, volleyball, and skiing. 

 

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