Jacques Alfred Dextraze (August 15, 1919 – May 9, 1993) was a Canadian military officer who rose through the ranks from private to general in his career and served as Chief of the Defence Staff of Canada from 1972–1977.
Early life
Born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Alfred Dextraze and Amanda (Bond) Dextraze, he joined Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal in 1940 as a private, and was swiftly promoted through the ranks and then commissioned as lieutenant. Dextraze launched a small-scale operation during Pierre Mulele's Kwilu Province uprising of January 1964 in order to save at least some of the threatened aid workers and missionaries under attack from the jeunesse.
He also led missions to rescue a group of non-governmental organization personnel, who were hostages of Katangan rebels in the Congo. He was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his service.