Retirements
1. CAPTAIN ALEXANDER KISIELIUS WILL BE RETIRING FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES ON 17 AUGUST 2020 AFTER 12 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO CANADA. 2. ALEX ENROLLED IN THE FORCES UNDER THE REGULAR OFFICER TRAINING PLAN IN 2008 AND, FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF AN AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING DEGREE AT THE ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE OF CANADA, SPENT HIS CAREER AS A COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING OFFICER. HIS CAREER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE PLAYING RUGBY WITH THE RMC PALADINS, HIS EMPLOYMENT WITH THE CANADIAN FORCES CRYPTO MAINTENANCE UNIT, CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS, CANADIAN FORCES JOINT SIGNALS REGIMENT, AND HIS FINAL POSTING TO 19 WING COMOX. OVER HIS CAREER, HE DEPLOYED IN SUPPORT OF OPERATION NANOOK, OPERATION IMPACT AND OPERATION NEON, CROSSED HOLLAND IN THE 95TH EDITION OF THE NIJMEGEN MARCH, CLIMBED MOUNT KILIMANJARO IN SUPPORT OF ROMEO DALLAIRE’S CHILD SOLDIER INITIATIVE, AND HAD THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO LEAD A CEREMONIAL GUARD AT THE TOWER OF LONDON IN ENGLAND. 3. ALEX WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WITH WHOM HE SERVED AND HAD THE PLEASURE TO LEAD. HE IS THANKFUL FOR THE GREAT FRIENDSHIPS DEVELOPED OVER HIS CAREER AND THE SUPPORT OF MANY EXCELLENT MENTORS AND COLLEAGUES. HE IS GRATEFUL TO ALL THAT HAVE […]
1. AFTER 33 YEARS AND 4 MONTHS OF DISTINGUISHED SERVICE WITH THE ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS, MASTER WARRANT OFFICER RODNEY NOBLE WILL BE RETIRING FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES ON 28 SEPTEMBER 2020. 2. MWO NOBLE BEGAN HIS CAREER WITH THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES WHEN HE ENROLLED ON 27 MAY 1987 IN VICTORIA BC. AFTER BASIC RECRUIT TRAINING AT CFB CORNWALLIS, HE WAS SENT TO CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS (CFSCE) KINGSTON TO ATTEND HIS QL3 TRAINING AS A RADIO OPERATOR. THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER HE WOULD RETURN TO CFSCE ON MANY OCCASIONS TO ATTEND TRADES TRAINING AS HIS CAREER PROGRESSED. UPON COMPLETION OF HIS QL3, HE WAS POSTED TO 1 CANADIAN MECHANIZED BRIGADE GROUP HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL SQUADRON, CALGARY IN NOVEMBER 1988. WHILE IN CALGARY HE DEPLOYED ON HIS FIRST OVERSEAS TOUR TO CYPRUS (OPERATION SNOWGOOSE) NOVEMBER 1988 TO FEBRUARY 1991, AND UPON HIS RETURN WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF CORPORAL. IN JULY 1992 HE WAS POSTED TO CFS MILL COVE WHERE HE MET AND LATER ON 19 FEBRUARY 2000 MARRIED HIS WIFE SHEILAGH. IN AUGUST 1994, HE WAS POSTED BACK TO 1 CANADIAN MECHANIZED BRIGADE GROUP HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL SQUADRON CALGARY. AFTER A TWO MONTH […]
1. CORPORAL RYAN KENDALL WILL RETIRE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES WITH 19 PLUS YEARS OF SERVICE IN BOTH THE CANADIAN ARMY AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE ON 29 JUNE 2020. 2. INITIALLY POSTED TO GAGETOWN IN 2001, FOLLOWING HIS GRADUATION FROM BASIC TRAINING AT ST JEAN SUR RICHELIEU, HE MADE HIS MARK AS AN EXCELLENT AIR DEFENSE GUNNER IN THE ARMY. TOPPING HIS PLQ IN 2007 AND COMPLETING TRAINING ON SUAV IN 2010, HE BECAME A UAV OPERATOR AND DET COMMANDER SHORTLY AFTER. DURING THAT SERVICE HE RECEIVED THE COMMANDING OFFICER’S COIN FOR HIS PART IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM. HE ENJOYED VOLUNTEERING WITH A LOCAL CADET CORPS AND BEING ACTIVELY INVOLVED WITH THE BASE SCUBA DIVING CLUB. 3. IN 2014, AFTER SPENDING 13 PLUS YEARS IN THE COMBAT ARMS, MBDR KENDALL COMPLETED AN OCCUPATIONAL TRANSFER TO THE AIR FORCE, WHERE HE BECAME AN ATIS TECHNICIAN. POSTED TO THE BUNKER IN GREAT VILLAGE, NS, HE MAINTAINED EQUIPMENT FOR TRENTON AIRBASE, HALIFAX SUBMARINE COMMUNICATION TOWERS, AND THE NORAD MICROWAVE COMMUNICATION TOWER. CPL KENDALL ALSO BECAME ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN POWERLIFTING, COMPETING IN MULTIPLE COMPETITIONS AND TAKING 1ST PLACE IN BENCH AT THE VICTORY OF VALHALLA IN 2016 AND QUALIFYING FOR WORLDS […]
1. MASTER WARRANT OFFICER CHRIS CHRISTENSON RETIRED FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES ON 29 APRIL 2020 AFTER 30 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO CANADA. 2. CHRIS ENROLLED WITH THE ARMY IN MARCH 1989 AND SPENT 10 YEARS AS AN INFANTEER, WHERE HE ENJOYED HIS POSTINGS TO 1 RCR, 3 CDO, 2 RCR AND 2 VP. THROUGH THE LAND OCCUPATION TRANSFER PROGRAM IN 2000, HE BECAME AN LCIS TECH, WHERE HE WAS POSTED OUT WEST WITH 1 CMBG, 1 VP, 742 COMM SQN. HE THEN MOVED ON TO CFS LEITRIM, SHAPE (EUROPE), BACK TO OTTAWA TO CFCSU, AND THEN TO HIS FINAL POSTING WITH THE DEFENSE CRYPTO MODERIZATION PROJECT. OVER HIS CAREER, HE COMPLETED TOURS IN THE PERSIAN GULF, SOMALIA, BOSNIA AND AFGHANISTAN. 3. CHRIS WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHOM HE SERVED WITH, AND IS THANKFUL FOR THE LONG AND GREAT FRIENDSHIPS DEVELOPED OVER HIS 30 YEARS IN UNIFORM. CHRIS HAS ENJOYED THE SUPPORT AND ADVICE OF MANY MENTORS, FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES OVER HIS CAREER, HE IS GRATEFUL TO ALL OF THOSE WHO HAVE HELPED HIM OVER THE YEARS. 4. UPON RETIREMENT, CHRIS WILL REMAIN IN THE NCR WITH HIS WIFE MICHELLE AND DAUGHTER MALLORY, WHERE HE HAS ACCEPTED […]
1. LIEUTENANT-COLONEL MICHAEL (MIKE) HILLIKER WILL RETIRE ON 31 MAY 2020, AFTER 29 PLUS YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO CANADIAN ARMED FORCES. 2. LCOL MIKE HILLIKER JOINED THE CAF ON THE 23 AUG 90 AS A SIGNAL OFFICER, PREDOMINATELY SERVING IN FIELD AND OPERATIONAL UNITS SPANNING THE TACTICAL, OPERATIONAL, AND STRATEGIC LEVELS ACROSS CANADA, THE ARCTIC, EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA. A PROUD MEMBER OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS, HIS SERVICE INCLUDED GARRISON POSTINGS TO KINGSTON, GERMANY, CO ALERT (2005-06), AND OTTAWA, AS WELL AS OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENTS TO BOSNIA (1999/2000) AS OC NCCIS / CCSFOR J6; AFGHANISTAN (2009/2010) AS HQ RC(S) DEPUTY J6 AND CHIEF OPS; CYPRUS (2013) AS CO THIRD LOCATION DECOMPRESSION (TLD); AND SOUTH SUDAN (2017/18) AS MIL LIAISON OFFR, AND POSTINGS WITHIN THE FOL UNITS: 4 CMBG HQ AND SIG SQN GERMANY (1991); ADM(IM) DIMR (2004-05) AS D/PD SATCOM, ADM(IM) ITSDA TEAM LEADER (2005), ADM(IM)/DGCEEM (1992-94) AS PROJ OFFR; 2 CMBG HQ AND SIG SQN (1994-95) AS OC SHQ AND OC C TP, AND (1997) AS DCO, (1997-98) AS BDE IS OFFR, AND (1998-99) AS OPS O / TRG O; 2 COMBAT ENGR REGT (1995-97) AS 1ST REGT SIG O; 79 COMM REGT […]
1. ON 3 JULY 2020, AFTER 38 PLUS YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED COMBINED SERVICE TO CANADA, MASTER WARRANT OFFICER JOHN SPENCER WILL RETIRE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, THE COMMUNICATIONS & ELECTRONICS BRANCH AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS. 2. JOHN JOINED THE CAF IN JUN 1982 WITH THE GREY & SIMCOE FORESTERS. AFTER COMPLETING HIGH SCHOOL IN JUN 84, HE WOULD TRANSFER TO THE REGULAR FORCE. POST COMPLETION OF BASIC TRAINING IN CORNWALLIS, DRIVER TRAINING IN BORDEN AND QL3 IN KINGSTON, HE COMPLETED 4 YEARS WITH THE SSF HQ & SIGS SQN PETAWAWA (85-89) AND TWO YEARS WITH 2 FIELD AMBULANCE (90-91) BEFORE BEING TRANSFERRED TO 708 COMM SQN TRENTON (MACS) (91-95). THE FOLLOWING TRANSFER WOULD SEE JOHN SPEND THE NEXT 11 YEARS IN KINGSTON WITH 1 CDHSR AND CFJSR, PRIMARILY EMPLOYED IN 1 SQN, RHQ AND 3 SQN OPS (95-05). IN 2006, ANOTHER TRANSFER WAS IMPOSED ON JOHN, THIS TIME AS RSS TO 700 COMM SQN BORDEN (06-11). AFTER FIVE VERY LONG YEARS (HIS WORDS), A POSTING BACK TO KINGSTON AT CFSCE 3 SQN (11-12). THIS POST WOULD ONLY LAST ONE YEAR AS A PROMOTION TO THE RANK OF MWO WOULD COME IN AND WITH IT […]