1. MASTER CORPORAL DAVE HANNAN WILL BE RELEASED FROM THE REGULAR FORCE ON 1 APR, 2025, AFTER 21+ YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO CANADA, THE ARMED FORCES, AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS.

2. BEFORE JOINING THE MILITARY, DAVE WAS EMPLOYED WITHIN THE AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING SECTOR, MAINLY FULFILLING VARIOUS MANAGEMENT POSITIONS OVER THE SPAN OF 10 YEARS. AFTER MENTALLY AND FINANCIALLY SURVIVING THE VOLATILITY OF THIS INDUSTRY, HE FELT IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE IN HIS CAREER PATH AND DECIDED TO JOIN THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES IN JULY OF 2003.

3. DAVE’S MILITARY CAREER STARTED OFF BY ATTENDING BASIC MILITARY QUALIFICATION TRAINING (BMQ) IN ST. JEAN, QC. UPON COMPELETION OF THIS COURSE, HE WAS RECOGNIZED BY HIS PEERS AND FELLOW SOLDIERS AS THE RECIPIENT OF THE COMRADESHIP AWARD. AFTER COMPLETING BMQ TRAINING, DAVE WAS IMMEDIATELY LOADED ONTO HIS SOLDIER QUALIFICATION (SQ) COURSE IN MEAFORD, ON. HE MENTIONED THAT HE FOUND THIS COURSE EXTREMELY CHALLENGING, MAINLY BECAUSE AN ADDED ELEMENT OF WINTER WARFARE WAS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE COURSE CURRICULUM. THIS MADE TRAINING OUTSIDE BARELY BEARABLE BECAUSE OF THE AVG TEMPERATURES USUALLY BEING IN THE -20 TO -40 RANGE. EVEN THOUGH HE FOUND HIMSELF BEING ONE OF THE MORE “OLDER” SOLDIERS IN AGE, HE WAS VERY SURPRISED TO BE AWARDED TOP CANDIDATE FOR THIS COURSE.

4. IN 2004, DAVE’S JOURNEY FOR BECOMING A QUALIFIED SIGNAL OPERATOR (SIG OP) HAD COMMENCED, WITH HIS 1ST OFFICIAL POSTING AS A STUDENT TO THE CANADIAN SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND ELECTRONICS (CFSCE) IN KINGSTON, ON. AFTER COMPLETING HIS QL3 COURSE, HE WAS THEN POSTED TO THE JOINT SIGNALS REGIMENT (JSR) LOCATED AT CFB KINGSTON. SHORTLY THEREAFTER IN 2005, PTE HANNAN WAS DEPLOYED AS A HELPDESK OPERATOR FOR 6 MONTHS AT CAMP MIRAGE LOCATED IN THE DESERT OF DUBAI, U.A.E.

5. IN 2007, DAVE WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF CORPORAL. IN THAT SAME YEAR HE WAS SENT TO KANDAHAR AIRFIELD BASE IN AFGHANISTAN FOR 7 MONTHS AS AN IT HELP DESK ADMINISTRATOR. UPON HIS RETURN FROM THIS DEPLOYMENT, CPL HANNAN FOUND HIMSELF BEING PART OF THE DISASTER ASSISTANCE RESPONSE TEAM (DART) FOR 6 MONTHS, WHICH HE WAS BRIEFLY DEPLOYED DOMESTICALLY FOR OPERATION PONTOON IN BRITISH COLUMBIA.

6. IN 2009, DAVE WAS RE-DEPLOYED BACK TO AFGHANISTAN, ONLY THIS TIME TO CAMP NATHAN SMITH WHICH WAS ALSO RECOGNIZED AS THE PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION THEATRE (PRT). THIS WAS A SMALLER BASE LOCATED DIRECTLY IN THE HEART OF KANDAHAR CITY. DURING HIS 7 MONTHS AT THE PRT, HE WAS EMPLOYED AS AN IT ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE DWAN/TITAN SYSTEMS. DAVE ALSO TOOK ON THE RESPONSIBILITY IN FINDING TIME TO SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE 2 RMC UNIVERSITY COURSES WHILE SERVING OVERSEAS ON THIS TOUR.

7. CPL HANNAN RETURNED TO JSR FROM DEPLOYMENT IN 2010, WHICH HE THEN STARTED WORKING IN THE PROS CELL. DAVE MENTIONED THAT DURING HIS TIME AT JSR, HE HAD DEVELOPED A LOVE FOR PLAYING ICE HOCKEY AGAIN, WHICH HE HAD PLAYED FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE BEFORE JOINING THE MILITARY. HE HAD ENJOYED PLAYING IN A NUMBER OF LOCAL TOURNAMENTS (IE. COMM PLAYER, LEVIELLE CUP) AND ALSO REPRESENTED CFB KINGSTON AT THE BASE LEVEL. IN 2011 HE SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY TO TRANSFER INTO THE NEW TRADE OF ARMY COMMUNICATION INFORMATION SYSTEMS SPECIALIST (ACISS) – WHICH HE BECAME QUALIFIED TO BECOME AN INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECH (IST).

8. IN AUGUST OF 2012, CPL HANNAN AND HIS FAMILY WERE OFFERED THE POSTING OUT EAST TO ST. JOHN’S, NL. DURING HIS TENURE AT CFS ST. JOHN’S, DAVE WAS EMPLOYED WITHIN DESKTOP SUPPORT BUT MAINLY FOCUSSED AS BEING THE BLACKBERRY ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE WHOLE ISLAND OF NEWFOUNDLAND. DURING HIS TIME AT CFS ST. JOHN’S, HE FILLED THE TERM POSITION OF PRESIDENT FOR THE CFS ST. JOHN’S ALL RANKS EXECUTIVE MESS COMMITTEE AND WAS ALSO APPOINTED AS THE CANADIAN VETERANS MOTORCYCLE CLUB’S VICE PRESIDENT FOR THE CHAPTER OF NEWFOUNDLAND. THROUGHOUT HIS TIME AT CFS ST. JOHN’S, HE RECALLS A NUMBER OF LUNCH TIME BALL HOCKEY GAMES BEING PLAYED. THIS RESULTED IN A LOT OF BANTERING BACK AND FORTH OF WHO’S NHL TEAM WAS BETTER….HE ALWAYS MADE A POINT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT “PITTSBURGH PENGUINS WERE THE BEST!”

9. IN DECEMEBER OF 2016, CPL HANNAN WAS PROMOTED TO THE APPOINTED RANK OF MASTER CORPRAL (MCPL). DAVE ALONG WITH HIS FAMILY, HAD BECOME ACCUSTOMED TO THE EAST COAST LIFESTYLE AND WAS HOPEFUL IN STAYING WITHIN THE EASTERN PART OF CANADA FOR HIS NEXT POSTING. THE CAREER MANAGER RELUCTENTLY GRANTED HIS WISH AND IN 2017 POSTED HIM TO THE UNIT OF 5 CDSG, SIGS SQ AT CFB GAGETOWN IN NEW BRUNSWICK. DAVE’S PRIMARY ROLE WAS BEING EMPLOYED WITHIN DESKTOP SUPPORT AS THE IC FOR THE CONTROL OFFICE. HE WORKED IN THAT POSITION RIGHT UP UNTIL HIS DEPARTURE DATE OF JAN 20, 2025. DAVE HAS DECIDED TO EXPAND HIS IT KNOWLEDGE BY ENROLLING IN THE ADVANCED SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT AND CYBERSECURITY COURSE AT EASTERN COLLEGE. WE WISH HIM NOTHING BUT SUCCESS WITHIN HIS FUTURE ENDEVOURS. DAVE WILL BE OFFICALLY RETIRING ON APR 1, 2025.

10. AT THE END OF HIS REGULAR FORCE CAREER, DAVE AND HIS LOVELY WIFE LYNDSAY, WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE IN NEW BRUNSWICK SETTLING DOWN IN THE QUAINT LITTLE FRIENDLY VILLAGE OF GAGETOWN.

11. ON BEHALF OF 5 CDSG, THE RCCS AND THE CAF, I WOULD LIKE TO WISH DAVE AND LYNDSAY ALL THE BEST AS THEY ENTER THIS NEW PART OF THEIR LIVES. THERE WILL BE A DWD HELD AT GRIFFIN’S PUB LOCATED ON CFB GAGETOWN FOR THE DATE OF FRIDAY, APRIL 4TH, 2025 at 1330. FOR EVENT DETAILS, ANY ANECDOTES, WELL WISHES AND OTHER MESSAGES, PLEASE EMAIL [email protected].