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Former Chief Of Army Recognised For Four Decades Of Service

Major General (Rtd) John Boswell DSD has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the New Year Honours List / Supplied: NZDF

The former head of the New Zealand Army has been recognised for his services to the country’s military over four decades.

Major General (Rtd) John Boswell DSD has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the New Year Honours List.

He was instrumental in shaping the strategic direction, enhancing operational readiness and ensuring the Army is equipped to meet evolving future challenges, according to his citation.

Under his leadership, the NZ Army responded to numerous domestic and international crises and he championed initiatives to modernise equipment and infrastructure, among many other achievements.

Major General Boswell credited his success to those around him.

“No one who serves achieves what they do without the support of others. I will always be indebted to the soldiers with whom I served but, more than anything, I owe a debt of thanks I can never repay to my wife Vicky and children Joe and Kate.”

“Without their love and support I would not have achieved half the things I have.”

Originally from Christchurch, Major General Boswell describes himself as a proudly one-eyed Cantabrian.

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He enlisted in 1984 as an infantry officer and served in Singapore, Angola, Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, the Middle East and the United Kingdom, as well as several senior roles in the New Zealand Defence Force.

He was Chief of Army from 2018 until his retirement in June 2024.

I have always considered it an absolute honour to be afforded the opportunity, be it as a young platoon commander in Singapore back in the mid-1980s or latterly as the Chief, to lead some quite outstanding New Zealanders.”

“The officers and soldiers who make up the NZ Army are quite remarkable individuals who achieve great outcomes on behalf of the government and people of New Zealand.”

“In many ways, their service has often not received the recognition it deserves – they are fine ambassadors of our nation and we should acknowledge that.”

Major General Boswell is also evidence that the military will give you an education, even if you don’t think you need it.

“One of the reasons I joined the Army straight from school all those years ago was that I had no desire to go to university.

“Unbelievably, the first thing the Army did when I joined was send me to university.”

Since then, he gained three masters degrees, an undergraduate degree and a post-graduate Diploma.

“Clearly the Army saw something in me that, as an 18-year-old, I refused to acknowledge.”

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