Edmund Dillon

Edmund Ernest Dillon (born 7 November 1955)

Career

Military career Dillon enlisted with the Coast Guard on 20 September 1974. He applied for an officer cadetship with the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment four years later in August 1978. The following year, he was granted a commission and trained as a cadet at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. Dillon was appointed Chief of Defence Staff on 14 August 2006. He retired from this position on 6 November 2010, during a ceremony at Teteron Barracks, Chaguaramas where he was replaced by Roland Maundy.

Political career

Dillon was first elected as a Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives in the 2015 general election. He contested the constituency of Point Fortin for the People's National Movement (PNM). In November 2018, a street in Point Fortin – Big Snake Alley – was renamed Edmund Dillon Avenue in his honour. While in office, he oversaw the construction of a new Point Fortin Hospital, a new fire station, and upgrades to the Mahaica Oval.

He was screened by the PNM in May 2020 to re-contest his seat in the 2020 general election, alongside a number of other candidates. The party ultimately chose Kennedy Richards, the mayor of Point Fortin, and Dillon assisted with his campaign. He served as a CARICOM elections observer for the 2020 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines general election.

Diplomatic career Dillon was appointed as the Trinidad and Tobago Ambassador to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on 17 August 2021, receiving his instrument of appointment from the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, Amery Browne. He was received by Venezuela on 4 February 2022.

Honours and awards Dillon received a number of awards for his military service, including the Medal of Merit Gold National Award, the Long Service Medal, the Efficiency Decoration, the Naval Order of Merit Medal for Distinguished Service in the First Category from the Dominican Republic, the United States Army Commendation Military Medal of Merit, the Fifth Summit of the Americas Medal, the Delaware Distinguished Service Medal, and the 1990 COUP Medal. He was honoured with the UWI Distinguished Alumni Award on 2 April 2011.

Personal life Dillon is married to Ava Dillon and has three children: Cleavon Dillon ( an Olympic Athlete for Trinidad and Tobago), Adeisha Dillon and Toni Dillon.