Derek Prohar grew up on a farm outside of Avonlea, Saskatchewan. He attended high school at Notre Dame College in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, where he played hockey, football and rugby. Those sports and academic interests took him to McGill University in Montreal, where he received a Bachelor of Arts and played varsity hockey with the McGill Men’s Hockey Team. Derek joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1999, and was commissioned into the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry as an Infantry Officer in 2001. He had four operational deployments to Afghanistan, and is the recipient of the Medal of Military Valour for actions performed while attached to the American Special Forces (Green Berets), and the Meritorious Service Medal for his work with the Afghanistan National Army. His first deployment came in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and Derek remembers the austere conditions faced in those early days. Later tours brought improved conditions, but the missions remained complicated affairs bringing together various elements of the NATO alliance. During his time in Afghanistan, Derek confronted the Taliban and IEDs and even “friendly fire”, and he learned to deal with loss and trauma – and the intricacies of the NATO alliance. Derek enjoyed a number of command and staff positions, including commanding the Parachute Company in the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3PPCLI) and serving as the Commanding Officer of 3PPCLI from 2016 to 2018. He retired in 2020 as the Chief of Staff for 3rd Canadian Division in Edmonton, Alberta and as the Regimental Colonel of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. He is currently the City Manager for the City of Leduc, Alberta, and lives in the Edmonton area with his wife and children. Crestwood students were fortunate to zoom with him in April 2024.
