Wendy Jocko (born 1959/1960)[1] is a former chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, and a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces.[2]

Early life

Jocko was born in Pembroke, Ontario.[3] While living in Petawawa, at age 4, Jocko decided she wanted to be a soldier.[3]

At age 15, Jocko began working for the post office as a sorter for mail and packages.[1]

Career

In 1979, at age 19, Jocko joined the Canadian Armed Forces, where she served for 23 years.[1][2] She trained at Canadian Forces Recruit School Cornwallis before being posted to CFB Edmonton as a supply technician.[3] She served two tours in Bosnia and Croatia in 1993 and 1998,[3] where she worked as a United Nations peacekeeper.[1][2] Her final deployment was in Haiti.[3]

After leaving the military in 2002,[3] Jocko moved to Scotland, where she worked as a funeral director and embalmer. She eventually became a regional director of the British Institute of Funeral Directors.[1]

In 2013, Jocko returned to Canada.[1] She worked in Saskatchewan as a tractor truck driver.[1] In 2015, she reconnected with the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation.[3]

She was elected chief of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation in 2020.[1] She was defeated in the 2023 tribal elections by Greg Sarazin.[4]

Personal life

Jocko is married and has four children.[1] Her son, James McMullin, served with 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (1RCR).[3][5]

In 2023, Jocko was awarded an honorary degree from Algonquin College.[1] That same year, Elaine Goble painted a portrait of her as part of a series on Indigenous military veterans.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Wendy Jocko awarded honorary degree from Algonquin College". June 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  2. 1 2 3 "An Algonquin service-member was a UN peacekeeper in Croatia. Thirty years later, she's being honoured in a portrait by a prominent war artist". The Globe and Mail. 2023-04-19. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sergeant (Ret'd) Wendy Jocko - Veterans Affairs Canada". Veterans Affairs Canada. 2021-01-28. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  4. ↑ Porter, Kate (March 27, 2023). "Greg Sarazin voted new chief of Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation". CBC News.
  5. 1 2 Fleurie, Terry (2023-04-25). "Portrait of Indigenous military veterans includes Wendy Jocko of Pikwakanagan". The Eganville Leader. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
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