1. AFTER 25 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE AND COMMITMENT, MWO MARIA TOONE WILL RETIRE FROM THE REGULAR FORCE ON THE 27 FEBRUARY 2025.
2. RAISED IN TORONTO AND MIDLAND, ON, MWO TOONE ENROLLED IN THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES ARMY RESERVES ON 21 JUNE 1999. UPON COMPLETION OF BASIC TRAINING AT LFCA TC MEAFORD SHE WAS EMPLOYED WITH 700 COMMUNICATION SQUADRON AT CFB BORDEN. IN 2000 MWO TOONE COMPLETED HER LINEMAN QL3 AT THE CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS. IN THE FALL OF 2000 MWO TOONE WAS TASKED AS A LINEMAN WITH 2 AREA SUPPORT GROUP SIGNAL SQUADRON AT CFB PETAWAWA. IN 2003 MWO TOONE SUBMITTED A COMPONENT TRANSFER TO THE REGULAR FORCE. MWO TOONE WAS THE FIRST NON-COMMISIONED MEMBER TO USE THE NCM-SEP RPOGRAM AS AN AEROSPACE TELECOMMUNICATION INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN, SHE ATTENDED HER ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN COURSE AT ST LAWERENCE COLLEGE. WHILE IN COLLEGE MWO WAS SELECTED AS THE STARTING KEEPER FOR THE ST LAWRENCE COLLEGE WOMENS SOCCER TEAM. AFTER TWO YEARS OF COLLEGE, MWO TOONE GRADUATED FROM ST LAWRENCE COLLEGE AND WAS POSTED TO 17 WING WINNIPEG.
3. MWO TOONE WAS EMPLOYED IN THE TELEPHONY SHOP AND IN FEBRUARY 2006 STARTED TRAINING WITH THE FIRST MISSION SUPPORT SQUADRON (MSS). IN MAY 2006, THE 17 WING MSS WAS PART OF EXERCISE MAPLE FLAG IN COLD LAKE AND THEN IMMEDIATELY DEPLOYED TO CAMP MIRAGE ON OP ARCHER/OP ATHENA UNTIL DECEMBER 2006. DURING HER TIME ON OPERATION, SHE WORKED IN BOTH CAMP COMMS AND THEN BECOMING A COURIER FOR THE REMAINDER OF HER DEPLOYMENT. UPON HER RETURN MWO WAS RE-INSTATED IN THE TELEPHANY SHOP AND SHORTLY AFTERWARDS MOVED TO THE PROJECTS CELL. IN 2008 MWO WAS PART OF EXERCISE MAPLE GUARDIAN FOR 10 WEEKS. IN JUNE 2009 ONCE AGAIN DEPLOYED TO CAMP MIRAGE AND WAS WORKING IN THE NETWORKS SECTION. DURING HER DEPLOYMENT MWO TOONE WAS AWARDED A COIN BY THE COMMANDER OF THE AIR FORCE FOR HER ORGANIZATION OF A 24 HOUR SPIN-A-THON THAT GENERATED FUNDS FOR SOLDIER ON. IN APRIL 2010 MWO TOONE WAS PROMOTED TO MCPL AND A NEW SECTION WAS CREATED WHERE SHE WAS THE TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR FOR ALL INTERIOR CABLE MANAGEMENT AT 17 WING WINNIPEG. IN OCT 2010 MWO ATTENDED HER PLQ IN BORDEN ONTARIO.
4. SPRING OF 2011 MWO TOONE WAS A INTEGREAL MEMBER OF THE SUPPORT UNIT DURING THE FLOODING OF THE ASSINABOINE RIVER RESULTING IN HER RECEIVED A COIN FROM THE THEN WESTERN ARMY COMMANDER. IN JULY 2011 MWO TOONE WAS POSTED TO 8 WING TRENTON WHERE SHE WAS EMPLOYED IN THE RADIO SHOP. IN 2011 MWO TOONE WAS PART OF AN INSTALLATION CREW THAT WENT TO CFS ALERT TO INSTALL AND MAINTAIN CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS. IN 2012 MWO TOONE WAS TASKED TO ACCOMPANY THE THEN PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER ON A DIPLOMATIC TRIP TO INDIA, MANILLA AND HONG KONG PROVIDING TECHNICAL SUPPORT WITH THE DEPLOYABLE X-RAY MACHINE. JANUARY 2013 MWO TOONE TOOK THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE BASIC FITNESS TRAINING ASSISTANTS COURSE AT CFB BORDEN. IN THE FALL OF 2013 MWO TOONE WELCOMED HER DAUGHTER BETHANY ON 11 OCT 13. AN AVID SOCCER PLAYER MWO TOONE DEDICATED HER TIME WHILE PREGNANT AND WHILE ON MATERNITY LEAVE TO COACH THE 8 WING WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM. HER DEDICATION TO HER SPORT WAS EVIDENT WHEN SHE WAS AWARDED THE 2013 8 WING COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD, THE 2013 AIR FORCE COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD AND WAS NOMINATED FOR THE CAF COACH OF THE YEAR. ALTHOUGH SHE DIDN’T WIN THE CAF AWARD, SHE WAS HONOURED TO BE COMPETING AGAINST FELLOW SOCCER PLAYER AND COACH LCOL ERIN SMITH.
5. UPON HER RETURN FROM MATERNITY LEAVE, MWO TOONE WAS PROMOTED TO SGT THE SUMMER OF 2015 AND WAS POSTED TO AEROSPACE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING SUPPORT SQUADRON. AT FIRST, SHE WAS BROUGHT INTO THE PROJECT SECTION BUT SHORTLY AFTER WAS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN THE STANDARDS SECTIONS. IN 2015 MWO TOONE ATTENDED HER QL6 TRAINING AT CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS. AFTER A YEAR OF WORKING STANDARDS MWO TOONE ASKED TO BE POSTED TO CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS AND SHE WAS POSTED IN JULY 2016. MWO TOONE WAS ONE OF FOUR POET COURSE DIRECTORS FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR, THEN SHE MOVED TO THE COURSE DIRECTOR ROLE FOR THE ATIS QL3 COURSE AND THEN IN HER THIRD YEAR AT CFSCE WAS FORWARDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK AS THE OPS SGT FOR THE SCHOOL. DURING HER POSTING MWO TOONE WAS THE WOMENS SOCCER TEAM MANAGER AND IN 2019 WAS AWARDED THE TEAM MANAGER OF THE YEAR.
6. ON 15 JUL 2019 MWO TOONE WAS PROMOTED TO WO AND POSTED BACK TO WINNIPEG HOWEVER THIS TIME TO 1 CANADIAN AIR DIVISION AND INTO THE A6 SECTION. MWO TOONE LOVED HER POSITION WITH RCS 2-3 AND HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL TO ALL THE WINGS/UNITS THAT HOUSED OUR AIRFIELD EQUIPMENT. HER FAVOURITE PART WAS MEETING NEW ATIS TECHS AND SEEING OLD FRIENDS. IN 2021 MWO TOONE WAS DEPLOYED TO OP IMPACT AS THE TP WO FOR THE SIGNAL SECTION. DURING THIS DEPLOYMENT HER SECTION WORKED HARD SUPPORT A VERY LARGE JOA, WITH THE FALLING OF AFGHANISTAN AND HAVING TO ADJUST TO DEPLOYEMENTS DURING COVID. ON 1 JUN 2022 MWO TOONE WAS PROMOTED TO HER CURRENT RANK.
7. BEING AN ATIS TECH HASN’T BEEN MWO TOONE’S ONLY FOCUS DURING HER 25 YEAR CAREER. SHE ACTIVELY PARTICIAPATED IN SOCCER, VOLLEYBALL, AND SOFTBALL AT VARIOUS LEVELS INCLUDING INTRA-MURAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS. SHE HAS DEDICATED HER TIME TO COACHING AND MANAGING IN BOTH SOCCER AND VOLLEYBALL, AS WELL COACHING IN GYMNASTICS AND TUMBLING. SHE HAS ATTENDED NUMEROUS REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS AND A FEW NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS. WHILE DEPLOYED IN 2009 SHE BROUGHT HER SOCCER PASSION WITH HER AND ORGANIZED A MULTI-NATION SOCCER TOURNAMENT. THE SUMMER OF 2022 SHE WAS PICKED TO BE THE HEAD COACH FOR THE WESTERN REGION WOMENS SOCCER TEAM, MWO TOONE COORDINATED A DEVELOPMENT CAMP FOR THE WESTERN REGION HELD AT CFB EDMONTON AND THEN ACCOMPANIED THE TEAM TO SOCCER NATIONALS AT CFB KINGSTON. IN 2023 SHE PICKED UP A NEW SPORT WHILE TRAININIG AND COMPETED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN POWER LIFTING AND WAS THE MANITOBA PROVICIAL CHAMPION FOR M1 84K+G. SHE WAS SUCCESSFUL IN ALL OF HER LIFTS AND GAINED A QUALIFICATION TO WESTERNS. AS WELL IN 2023 MWO TOONE WAS THE LEAD COORDINATOR FOR THE FIRST EVER WOMEN IN SPORT DAY AT 17 WING WINNIPEG. MWO TOONE LEAD A GROUP OF WOMEN WHO INTRODUCED 8 SPORTS TO CAF WOMEN FROM BOTH 17 WING AND CFB SHILO. MWO TOONE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN IN SPORT AND PLANS ON CONTUINING THIS UPON HER RELEASE FROM THE CAF.
8. UPON RETIRING FROM THE REGULAR FORCE, MWO TOONE WILL BE ATTENDING THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG FOR A BACHELOR IN PHYSICAL HEALTH EDUCATION. MWO TOONE IS PLANNING ON BECOMING A HIGH SCHOOL GYM TEACHER WHERE SHE CAN ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN IN SPORT THROUGH YOUNG WOMEN AND BRING STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING INTO HIGH SCHOOL FOR YOUNG WOMEN.
9. A DEPART WITH DIGNITY CEREMONY WILL BE HELD AT 1300H ON 04 APRIL 2025, AT THE THIRSTY LION TAVERN IN CHARLESWOOD. PLEASE FORWARD YOUR STORIES, ANECDOTES AND RSVP TO THE DWD COORDINATOR, MWO KEVIN MAY AT [email protected].
Maria, Amy and I wish you all the best on your retirement. We enjoyed working with you in Borden and were glad to see you again in Winnipeg.
Thanks Doug and Amy! It was awesome seeing you both as well. Best of luck to you both!
Having only met Maria for the first time in Winnipeg I always knew her to be a very driven and passionate person so I am not at all shocked to see Maria moving on to do great things. Good luck, although I am sure you will not need it, and enjoy your passion of promoting excellence in our younger generation.
Rob, I really appreciate your kind words! Working with you in Winnipeg was such a pleasure, and I genuinely wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Happy Retirement. Good Luck at your studies.
Love, Dad.