McGlennon, Mike

Mike McGlennon was born December 15, 1957 in Ottawa. His father served in the Canadian Forces (CAF)  in the postwar era, first in intelligence and later in the military police, so Mike and his siblings grew up in military bases attending the base schools. He recalls a childhood based on change and movement; his parents also experienced instability in their childhoods as both grew up in wartime Ireland and Scotland.  They independently made the decision to emigrate to Canada and they independently ended up in the Canadian military, where they met. Mike joined the Canadian Forces in his own right when he was 22, and he reported to CFB Cornwallis for basic training.  Mike initially hoped to go into air traffic control, but the fact that he wore glasses obviated that, so his second choice was to become a finance clerk. Mike ended up doing several deployments during his time in the CAF; the first major one took place during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.  Mike served in the Canadian headquarters company in Bahrain: he was not on the front line of the combat, but he did deal with the SCUD missile threats and fallout from the oil well fires in Kuwait, as well as the possibility of biochemical exposure – and the inconvenience of the protective suits. Given the nature of his duties in the Gulf, Mike was one of the last Canadians to leave, flying home on a civilian aircraft this time. He returned to Camp Petawawa and readjusted to life at home – and at that time that was something the soldiers very much did on their own.  Other deployments awaited Mike over the next decade, as he served with UN forces in the Golan Heights on one occasion and in Bosnia on three occasions. All of that took a toll on Mike’s body, and he ended up being medically released in 2005.  He went into the Public Service after that, working for National Defence in a civilian capacity for another 20 years. With retirement Mike began to get involved in veterans’ organization and advocacy, working to help fellow veterans with claims and recognition.  In 2026 that involves the fight to have the Gulf War veterans fully recognized as war veterans, and Bill S-246 has taken up that fight in Parliament. Mike remains committed to this, and he continues to work hard to realize this vision.  Mike McGlennon was initially interviewed by Zach Dunn and Scott Masters in the autumn of 2025, and Scott Masters paid him a follow up visit at his home in Ottawa in July 2026.