1. CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER DEBORAH MARTENS WILL RETIRE ON 28 AUGUST 2024 AFTER 35 AND A HALF YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE AND THE COMMUNICATIONS & ELECTRONICS BRANCH.

2. CWO MARTENS JOINED THE CAF AS A POET (PERFORMANCE ORIENTATED ELECTRONICS TRAINING), AND SUBSEQUENTLY COMPLETED RADIO TECHNICIAN TRAINING AT THE CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS IN KINGSTON.

3. IN SEPTEMBER 1990 CWO MARTENS WAS POSTED TO CFB NORTH BAY WHERE SHE WORKED “IN THE HOLE” ON THE FYQ-93 MAINFRAME COMPUTER SYSTEM. IN 1996 SHE RECEIVED A POSTING MESSAGE TO ATESS TRENTON WHERE SHE WAS EMPLOYED AS AN AIRFIELD EQUIPMENT TECHNICIAN, COMPLETING INSTALLATIONS IN GOOSE BAY, BORDEN, DEBERT, ALERT AND EUREKA. HER NEXT POSTING IN 2002 WAS TO CFSTG BORDEN WHERE SHE SERVED AS A NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR. PROMOTED TO SERGEANT IN 2005, CWO MARTENS WAS ON THE MOVE TO WTIS AT CFB COLD LAKE WHERE SHE WAS EMPLOYED AS THE INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SUPERVISOR AND THE COMMUNICATION MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR. FROM DECEMBER 2007 TO JUNE 2008, SHE DEPLOYED WITH JOINT TASK FORCE AFGHANISTAN AS THE THEATRE SUPPORT ELEMENT WIDE AREA NETWORK AND HELPDESK SUPERVISOR. PROMOTED TO WARRANT OFFICER IN 2009, CWO MARTENS WAS POSTED TO CFIOG HQ AT CFS LEITRIM WHERE SHE WORKED AS AN LCMM FOR SIGINT EQUIPMENT. A PROMOTION TO MASTER WARRANT OFFICER IN 2012 HAD HER MOVING ACROSS THE ROAD TO CFNOC AS THE TECHNICAL SECURITY INSPECTION TEAM MANAGER. PROMOTED TO HER CURRENT RANK IN 2016, SHE WAS ON THE MOVE BACK TO COLD LAKE TO SERVE AS THE 4 WING OPERATIONS BRANCH CWO. IN 2017 CWO MARTENS WAS SELECTED TO DEPLOY AS THE AIR TASK FORCE CWO FOR OP REASSURANCE – ROMANIA. IN 2019, CWO MARTENS WAS APPOINTED AS THE WING CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER OF 22 WING NORTH BAY, AND AFTER THREE YEARS, SHE MOVED BACK TO OTTAWA TO SERVE AS THE FIRST CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED 3 CANADIAN SPACE DIVISION.

4. THROUGHOUT HER TIME IN THE CAF, CWO MARTENS WAS A MEMBER OF MANY SPORTS TEAMS, PLAYING BROOMBALL, FASTBALL, AND HOCKEY AT BOTH REGIONAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS.

5. CWO MARTENS EXPRESSES HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO HER FAMILY FOR THEIR UNWAVERING SUPPORT THROUGHOUT HER CAREER. SHE IS PARTICULARLY PROUD OF HER SON BRANDON WHO WILL CONTINUE THE FAMILY’S MILITARY TRADITION. ADDITIONALLY, SHE EXTENDS HER THANKS TO ALL THE REMARKABLE INDIVIDUALS SHE HAS HAD THE HONOUR OF MEETING THROUGH WORK OR SPORTS, CHERISHING THE FRIENDSHIPS SHE HAS FORMED ALONG THE WAY.

6. AS PER CWO MARTENS WISHES, THERE WILL NOT BE A DEPART WITH DIGNITY, HOWEVER FAREWELL MESSAGES AND WELL WISHES CAN BE SENT TO CWO GAIL ROBERTS AT [email protected].