Col Charles S Oliviero

I was born in Naples, Italy in April 1954 at the base of Mt Vesuvius to Italian parents. They immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 1956 where I grew up and attended school. For most of my callow youth my studies stressed maths and sciences. My life changed when I was accepted to the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC). I graduated in 1976 with an Honours BA in Military History and joined the Armoured Cavalry. I served in the Army in a variety of positions including command of my regiment in Germany in the early 1990s. In 1998, as a Lieutenant Colonel, I left the Army to join the firm of Calian Technology (now Calian Group Ltd). I completed an MA in War Studies in 1998 on the subject of Auftragstaktik and a PhD in War Studies in 2006. The PhD thesis was an intellectual history and new interpretation of Military Theory from Sun Tzu to the present day. I am married to my high school sweetheart Jane. We are the proud parents of two sons, both of whom graduated from my alma mater and both of whom served with honour in the Afghan War. I was lucky to have been raised before doctors diagnosed ADHD because I suspect I would otherwise have been stuffed with medication. I am happiest when I am busiest. My “hobbies” include rough carpentry (built my own home), landscaping (love to dig dirt), stone masonry and writing.