1. SERGEANT STEVE KEEPING WILL RETIRE ON THE 3RD OF MAY 2020 AFTER MORE THAN 15 YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES (CAF) AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS (RCCS).

2. HAILING FROM PORT AUX BASQUES NL, STEVE SPENT THE MAJORITY OF HIS CHILDHOOD AS A BASE BRAT IN KINGSTON ON. AFTER WORKING AT THE KINGSTON MILITARY COMMUNITY SPORTS CENTER (KMCS) FOR 4 YEARS, STEVE TOOK THE PLUNGE AND ENROLLED IN 2005 AS A LAND COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN (LCIS 227). UPON COMPLETING HIS INITIAL SIGNALS TRAINING AT THE CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS (CFSCE) HIS FIRST POSTING WAS NOT TOO FAR AWAY AT THE CANADIAN FORCES JOINT SIGNALS REGIMENT (CFJSR). WHILE AT JSR, STEVE WAS EMPLOYED PRIMARILY AS A MOBILE TERMINAL (MT) TECHNICIAN. PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF MCPL IN 2011, STEVE LEFT CFJSR AND WAS POSTED TO CFSCE PERSERVING HIS SELF DRIVEN “NEVER LEAVE KINGSTON” CAREER PLAN. WHILE AT CFSCE, STEVE COMPLETED HIS PLQ AND WAS EMPLOYED IN R TP AS COUNTER RCIED INSTRUCTOR. SADLY AFTER ONLY A YEAR AT CFSCE, STEVE WAS FORCED TO UPROOT AND MOVE TO GAGETOWN FOR HIS NEXT POSTING TO THE 5TH CANADIAN DIVISION SUPPORT GROUP (5 CDSG) SIGNAL SQUADRON WHERE HE ACTED AS THE IC OF PC SERVICES. PROMOTED TO HIS CURRENT RANK IN 2016, STEVE AND HIS FAMILY LEFT GAGETOWN AND MOVED FURTHER AWAY FROM THEIR BELOVED KINGSTON TO THE 3RD CANADIAN DIVISION HEADQUARTERS (3 CAN DIV) IN EDMONTON AB WHERE HE TOOK ON THE ROLE AS THE DIVISIONAL ASSISTANT FOREMAN OF SIGNALS (A-FOS).

3. STEVE HAS DEPLOYED SEVERAL TIMES THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER INCLUDING AN OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT TO THE KANDAHAR AIRFIELD (KAF) AFGHANISTAN, THE THIRD LOCATION DECOMPRESSION (TLD) CENTRE IN CYPRUS AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE VISITS (TAVS) TO JERUSALEM (OP PROTEUS) AND CYPRUS (OP SNOWGOOSE).

4. STEVE WOULD LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO HE HAS HAD THE HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE OF SERVING WITH AND IS DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR THE LONG STANDING FRIENDSHIPS HE HAS DEVELOPED OVER THE LAST 15 PLUS YEARS. STEVE HAS ACCEPTED AN INDETERMINATE CIVILIAN POSITION WITH THE RCMP AND WILL BE RELOCATING TO CORNWALL WITH HIS WIFE FATIMA AND THREE CHILDREN GRIFFIN, CLARA AND ADALYNN. AS MUCH AS HE WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO BELIEVE HE’S “QUITTING THE ARMY” STEVE CAN’T RESIST TO WEAR THE RELISH AND IS GOING TO PARADE AS A PRIMARY RESERVES MEMBER OF THE STORMONT DUNDAS & GLENGARRY REGIMENT.

5. AN INFORMAL DEPART WITH DIGNITY CEREMONY WILL BE HELD IN STEVES’ HONOUR AT THE CANADIAN BREWHOUSE (60 WESTPARK BLVD) IN FORT SASKATCHEWAN AB, ON THE 17TH OF APRIL 2020 COMMENCING AT 1700 HRS. DRESS IS CASUAL. PLEASE RSVP NLT 4TH OF APRIL 20 TO LT JOE EGED AT 780-973-4011 EXT 8258 OR [email protected] WITH FAREWELL MESSAGES AND/OR ANECDOTES.