Project Coordinator
Dan McNeil
Rear-Admiral, Ret'd.
Dan McNeil was born in London, Ontario.
He joined the navy in 1970 and graduated from the University of
Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Arts. Later he completed a
Masters degree in military history.
During his career, Dan commanded three
warships: HMCS ASSINIBOINE, HMCS PROTECTEUR and
HMCS HURON. On the administrative side, beginning in
1995 as the Director of Maritime Force Development, Dan and his
staff took on the divestiture of naval harbours from Transport
Canada. Promoted to Commodore in July 2000, he was responsible for
Canadian Forces 'business planning' and 'capital investment' until
he was seconded to the Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat in
the Privy Council Office in 2002. McNeil was promoted Rear Admiral
in 2003 and assumed the position of Senior Defence Policy Advisor
in the Privy Council Office. In 2004, he was appointed Commander
Maritime Forces Atlantic and with the re-organization of National
Defence Headquarters and the Canadian Forces he became the first
"Commander Joint Task Force Atlantic" in 2005.
Dan retired from the Canadian Forces in
September of 2006 after 36 years of service. The Elgin Military
Museum initiated Project Ojibwa in late 2009 and it wasn't long
before Dan was volunteering his expertise and took on the role of
Senior Naval Advisor providing invaluable advice and expertise to
help advance the Project. In October 2010, McNeil, a resident of
Port Stanley, Ontario, was elected councillor for Ward 1 in the
Municipality of Central Elgin. Following the sudden death of
Alan Montgomery in November 2011, the position of Project
Coordinator became vacant and the Elgin Military Museum was pleased
to announce in January 2012, that Dan McNeil would assume this
role.