NOVA.SCOTIA (CBC) - Gen. Rick Hillier is officially retiring as the leader of Canada's military, handing over the reins to Lt.-Gen. Walter Natynczyk in a ceremony now underway in Ottawa.

Hillier, a Newfoundlander who is going on to be chancellor of Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador, has said he wants to be remembered only as a soldier. Many in Canada refer to him as a "soldier's soldier," praising him for putting the welfare of his troops above all else.

Natynczyk said Hillier will be a hard act to follow, but he expects to put his own mark on the military when he takes over.

Natynczyk, a Winnipeg native, is currently the vice-chief of defence staff and has 30 years experience in the military. He has said one of his first steps in his new job will be to visit the troops in Afghanistan.

The handover ceremony began at 10 a.m. ET.

Oversaw growing Afghan mission

Hillier, a married father of two sons, was appointed chief of defence staff in February 2005 by then Prime Minister Paul Martin and his defence minister, Bill Graham. The Liberals were prepared to start boosting the military again after what Hillier later called "the decade of darkness."

The three years Hillier spent at the helm were turbulent, as he presided over Canada's mission in Afghanistan, attended numerous memorial services for fallen soldiers, and fought hard for more money and equipment for his troops.

When Hillier stepped into his job, Canada only had about 600 troops in Afghanistan, serving in the relative safety of the capital, Kabul, with NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

Within three months, Canada was sending just over 1,200 troops to the unsettled province of Kandahar and by this April, when Hillier announced he would be stepping down, Canada had 2,500 troops committed to Afghanistan. By then, the mission had been extended twice.

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