- AFTER MORE THAN 37 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE AND COMMITMENT, CWO W. JOHN HALL WILL RETIRE FROM THE REGULAR FORCE ON THE 31 AUGUST 2024.
- RAISED IN PORT ELGIN, ON, CWO HALL ENROLLED IN THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES ON 6 FEB 1987. UPON COMPLETION OF BASIC TRAINING AT CFB CORNWALLIS, HE ATTENDED POET (BASIC ELECTRONICS TRAINING) AND RADIO TECHNICIAN QL3 TRAINING AT CFSCE, KINGSTON WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A POSTING TO CFS ALDERGROVE, BC AS A TRANSMITTER SITE TECHNICIAN. AFTER COMPLETING A TOUR AT CFS ALERT IN 1994 AS THE TRANSMIT SITE TECHNICIAN, CWO HALL WAS POSTED TO 708 COMMUNICATIONS SQUADRON, 8 WING TRENTON WHERE HE WAS QUICKLY DEPLOYED BACK TO CFS ALERT FOR ANOTHER 6 MONTH TOUR IN 1995, THIS TIME AS THE ANTENNA AND TELEPHONE TECHNICIAN.
- WHEN THE 200 SERIES TRADES WERE REORGANIZED IN 1995, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE ATIS TRADE, WHICH INCLUDED A SWITCH FROM THE TAN DEU OF THE ARMY TO RCAF BLUE. THE YEAR 1999 SAW CWO HALL DEPLOYED TO OP PALLADIUM, SFOR HQ IN SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA, AS AN INTEGRATED DIGITAL NETWORK EXCHANGE (IDNX) TECHNICIAN. PROMOTION TO MCPL IN 2001 INCLUDED A POSTING TO WING TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SERVICES (WTIS) AT 19 WING COMOX WHERE HE SERVED AS A NETWORK TECHNICIAN UNTIL 2004, WHEN HE WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF SGT AND MOVED TO THE ROLE OF THE NETWORK SERVICES SUPERVISOR. 8 WING TRENTON WELCOMED CWO HALL BACK IN 2005, THIS TIME TO ATESS WHERE, AS THE DEPLOYABLE NETWORK SUPERVISOR, HE LED THE TEAM WHICH DESIGNED AND BUILT DEPLOYABLE DWAN AND CLASSIFIED COMPUTER NETWORKS FOR THE RCAF. PROMOTED TO WO IN 2008, HE ASSUMED THE ROLE OF STANDARDS WO AT ATESS CCISF. JULY 2009, HE RECEIVED A POSTING TO DAEPM (R&CS) IN OTTAWA AS THE AFCCIS LCMM, A JOB HE HELD UNTIL 2011 WHEN HE WAS PROMOTED TO MWO AND POSTED AS PROJECT MANAGER TO THE CF NETWORK OPERATION CENTER AT CFS LEITRIM. 4 WING COLD LAKE BECAME HOME IN 2012 AS THE SWO OF 4 WTIS AND THEN, IN 2014, HE RETURNED TO THE NCR TO ATTEND SECOND LANGUAGE TRAINING IN GATINEAU, QC
- IN 2015, CWO HALL WAS INVESTED INTO THE ORDER OF MILITARY MERIT, PROMOTED TO CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER AND POSTED TO 19 WING COMOX AS THE WING OPERATIONS BRANCH CWO. IN 2016, HE WAS CHOSEN TO BE RCAF AIR TASK FORCE CWO AT EXERCISE RIM OF THE PACIFIC (RIMPAC) AT HICKAM AFB, HAWAII. HE WAS THEN APPOINTED WCWO AT 15 WING MOOSE JAW IN 2017, A ROLE HE HELD UNTIL APRIL 2019, WHEN HE WAS SELECTED AS DIVISION CWO AT 2 CANADIAN AIR DIVISION IN WINNIPEG.
- ON JUNE 10, 2021, CWO HALL HAD THE HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE TO BE APPOINTED AS THE 6TH COMMAND CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE. AFTER 3 YEARS OF UNWAVERING DEVOTION TO THE WELL-BEING OF ALL RCAF MEMBERS, CWO HALL WILL PASS THE TORCH TO HIS SUCCESSOR DURING THE RCAF COMMAND CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER CHANGE OF APPOINTMENT ON 21 AUG 2024.
- DURING HIS CAREER, CWO HALL DEDICATED COUNTLESS HOURS AT THE ARENA AS A REFEREE FOR BOTH CIVILIAN AND MILITARY CHAMPIONSHIPS. HE INSTRUCTED AT THE CAF HOCKEY OFFICIALS’ SCHOOL, SERVED AS REFEREE IN CHIEF FOR CAF OLD TIMER’S HOCKEY FOR 12 YEARS, AND VOLUNTEERED IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS FOR MINOR HOCKEY OFFICIATING PROGRAMS IN BOTH ONTARIO AND BRITISH COLUMBIA.
- HIS MOST CHERISHED MEMORIES ARE THE EXTRAORDINARY CONNECTIONS HE FORGED WITH COLLEAGUES AND DEAR FRIENDS. HE EXTENDS A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO HIS WIFE, THERESE, AND HIS CHILDREN, BRANDON, ELORA, AND EMILY, FOR THEIR UNWAVERING SUPPORT AND LOVE.
- UPON RETIRING FROM THE REGULAR FORCE, CWO HALL WILL ASSUME THE ROLE OF RCAF SENIOR NCM SUCCESSION PLANNER. HE ALSO PLANS TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH TEE, HIS CHILDREN, AND GRANDCHILDREN. A DEPART WITH DIGNITY CEREMONY WILL BE HELD AT 1300H ON 20 AUGUST 2024, AT THE SGT & WO MESS IN OTTAWA. PLEASE FORWARD YOUR STORIES, ANECDOTES AND RSVP TO THE DWD COORDINATOR, CWO SONIA DARVEAU AT [email protected].
Chief Hall – Way to do our trade justice – showing how keen ATIS Techs are and becoming the RCAF Chief. Proud to have worked with you – all the best in this next chapter. Hopefully you’ll be able to slow down a bit from your Command position to this next one.