1. CAPTAIN PIERRE FRENETTE WILL BE RETIRING FROM THE REGULAR FORCE ON 14 SEPTEMBER 2020, AFTER 41 YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS.

2. PIERRE ENROLLED IN THE CAF ON 23 AUGUST 1979. AFTER BASIC TRAINING, HE RETURNED TO KINGSTON FOR HIS TRADE COURSE, OP RAD. AFTER FINISHING TQ3, ALL FRANCOPHONESWERE TRANSFERRED TO VALCARTIER IN MAY 1980. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST OF PIERRE’S 5X ASSIGNMENTS TO HQ & SIGS SQN. IN AUGUST 1981, HE IS OFFERED TO JOIN 2ND BATTALION, ROYAL 22E RÉGIMENT (2R22ER), AND HE FLIES WITH THEM TO CYPRUS, HIS FIRST MISSION WITH THE UNITED NATIONS. IN 1984, PIERRE RETURNS TO HQ& SIGS SQN, WHERE HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE QM OF RADIO TP. IT WAS PROMOTED TO MCPL IN 1985, AND TRANSFERRED TO THE 12E RÉGIMENT BLINDÉ DU CANADA (12 RBC) IN 1986.

IN 1990 HE RETURNS TO KINGSTON, AT 1 CDHSR, WHICH IS TODAY CFJSR. HE IS ASSIGNED TO THE IS TROOP, THE BEGINNING OF HIS COMPUTER CAREER. AT THE TIME, “MAIN FRAME” WAS USED WITH TERMINALS WITH BLACK AND GREEN MONOCHROME SCREENS, THAT DIDN’T EVEN HAVE HARD DRIVES OR FLASH DRIVES. HE CONTRIBUTED TO INSTALLATION OF THE FIRST COMPUTER NETWORKS, BOTH IN GARRISON AND ON DEPLOYMENT.

IN 1992, BEING PROMOTED TO SGT, HE RETURNS TO VALCARTIER, HQ & SIGS SQN, WHERE HE TAKES CHARGE OF THE INFQ SECTION, THE ANCESTOR OF THE CURRENT C TP.

IN 1994, PIERRE IS BACK TO 12 RBC, THIS TIME WITH BDE’S RECCE SQN, D SQN. THOSE WHO SERVED AT 12 RBC WILL UNDERSTAND THE NUANCE. DURING THIS ASSIGNMENT, PIERRE GOES TO VISOKO, IN BOSNIA-HERZÉGOVINA. HE IS OFFERED TO TAKE THE GUNNER’S COURSE FOR COUGAR VEHICLE AND IF HE PASSES THE COURSE, HE MAY JOIN SQN AS A GUNNER OF THE SQN CMDT. SUCH A TRIFLE WASN’T GOING TO STOP HIM; HE PASSED THE COURSE, FIRED 85 SHOTS AT THE TERMOLI SHOOTING RANGE, AND ACTED AS SQN OPERATIONS WO AND CMDT GUNNER THROUGHOUT THE TOUR. HE IS PROBABLY THE ONLY COMMUNICATOR IN THE CAF WITH 002 ARMORED CREWMAN QUALIFICATION. DURING THIS MISSION HE EARNED A CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE STAFF COMMENDATION FOR HIS ACHIEVEMENTS IN REFUGEE CAMPS UNDER THE SQN DIRECTION.

IN 1997, WO FRENETTE IS TRANSFERRED TO HQ & SIGS SQN (4TH TIME), WHERE HE BECOMES TP WO OF BRAVO TP (MESSAGE CENTER, RADIO RELAYS, AND LINEMEN).

IN 2001, PIERRE, HIS WIFE NICOLE AND CHILDREN ACCEPTED THE TRANSFER TO 76 COMMUNICATIONS GROUP DET SELFKANT, GERMANY. PIERRE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR COMMUNICATIONS FOR ALL CANADIANS SERVING IN EUROPE. DET HAD SERVERS WHERE SYSTEMS WERE DEPLOYED, IN GERMANY, FRANCE, ITALY, BELGIUM, NETHERLANDS, DENMARK, NORWAY, UNITED KINGDOM AND TURKEY, INCLUDING CANADIAN LIAISON OFFICERS IN MANY OTHER COUNTRIES. IT WAS A VERY DEMANDING POSITION, REQUIRING A LOT OF HOURS OF WORK, BUT EXTREMELY REWARDING AND EXCITING.

RETURNING TO CANADA IN 2004, HE BECOMES SIGNALS WO AT 5E RÉGIMENT D’ARTILLERIE LÉGÈRE DU CANADA (5 RALC). INTERESTING FACT, FOR 4 MONTHS, HE WAS A SGT MAJOR OF THE BATTERY COMMAND AND SERVICES IN REPLACEMENT OF GUNNER SGT MAJOR, FIRST TIME AT THE REGT.

PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF MWO IN 2006, HE BECOMES A SGT MAJOR OF IT SVC VALCARTIER, AT THE SAME TIME AS PMC OF WO’S / SGT’S MESS. IT IS DURING THIS POSTING THAT HE JOINS HIS 3RD MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN FOR 10.5 MONTHS (5 JULY 2007 – 4 MAY 2008), AS A CHIEF OPERATOR OF ROTO 3-07 AND NCE SGT MAJOR. HIS ROTO HAD AS MAIN MANDATE TO INSTALL DIGITIZATION THROUGHOUT THE COMPLICATED THEATER OF CANADIAN OPERATIONS AROUND KANDAHAR.

TO AVOID A TRANSFER TO OTTAWA UPON HIS RETURN FROM THE MISSION, PIERRE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE REG FORCE FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND TO JOIN THE PRIMARY RESERVE AS G6 OF 35 BDE.

3. PIERRE WOULD LIKE TO THANK HIS COLLEAGUES AT CAF FOR THEIR UNWAVERING SUPPORT AND INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO HIS MILITARY CAREER.

4. PIERRE IS RETIRING FROM THE REG FORCE FOR THE SECOND TIME, AND TO ENSURE HIS RELAXATION, HE LAUNCHED HIS OWN BUSINESS, SHANNON COMMUNICATIONS INC, CONSULTANT IN COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS. AT THE SAME TIME HE WILL JOIN THE BASECAMPCONNECT AND THERRIEN COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, AND WILL RETURN TO THE P RES WITH THE 35 SIG REGT. IF EVER THERE IS TIME LEFT, HE LIKES TO RIDE A BIKE WITH HIS WIFE NICOLE, GO FLY FISHING AND TOUR NORTH AMERICA IN RV.

5. A DINNER TO CELEBRATE THE EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE QUÉBEC GARRISON CLUB (CERCLE DE LA GARNISON) IN OLD QUÉBEC ON 11 SEPT 2020, 1100 – 1600 HRS. PLEASE SEND ANECDOTES AND RSVPS TO MWO GAGNÉ, [email protected].