1. CPL LANCE MARSHALL WILL BE RETIRING FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES (CAF) ON OCT 2ND 2022, AFTER OVER 35 YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO CANADA.

2. LANCE JOINED THE CF ON THURSDAY THE 12TH OF FEB 1987 IN CALGARY. THE NEXT DAY HE TOOK A WHITE KNUCKLE AIRLINE TO HIS BASIC TRAINING. (THAT’S 7, CARRY THE 2…) WHEN ALL THE MATH IS DONE AND CHECKED, IT WORKS OUT TO A FRIDAY THE 13TH WHEN HE FLEW TO CORNWALLIS!

UPON COMPLETION OF BASIC, HE HEADED TO CFSCE FOR POET AND HIS TRADES TRAINING AS A RADAR TECH 231. FROM THERE HE WOULD PROCEED A LITTLE FURTHER UP THE ROAD TO WORK IN THE GLASSHOUSE IN TRENTON BACK WHEN ATESS WAS CALLED AMDU. AFTER HELPING TO INSTALL A FEW BRAND NEW TACAN SYSTEMS, IT WAS TIME FOR A CHANGE AND HE WAS OFF TO SHILO. (“WE GO THERE?”)

TWO YEARS LATER, AFTER GETTING HIS FEET UNDER HIM AND TRAINING HIS REPLACEMENT, HE WOULD ‘HIT THE ROAD’ AGAIN.

ARRIVING IN COMOX WOULD SEE SEVERAL DIFFERENT TASKINGS: INITIALLY, THERE WAS STRUCTURED WIRING OF THE REMAINDER OF THE WING. UPON WORKING HIMSELF OUT OF A JOB, IT WAS A TOUR TO THE GOLAN HEIGHTS IN ISRAEL ON OPERATION DANACA. WHILE THERE, HE WOULD COMPETE IN HIS FIRST HALF-MARATHON AT THE DEAD SEA HALF MARATHON. THIS WOULD BE FOLLOWED BY TRYING OUT FOR THE NIJMEGEN TEAM. HE WOULD SPEND THE LAST TWO YEARS IN THE FM SECTION OF TELECOMM GROUND FULLY ENJOYING THE FACT THAT ONCE YOU ARRIVED AT WORK, ONE COULD WALK ANYWHERE ON BASE IN JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES.

AFTER HAVING BLUE AND GREEN POSTINGS, IT WAS TIME TO GO TO A PURPLE UNIT. CFJSR CAME CALLING AND LANCE HEADED EAST. A TOUR OF BOSNIA WOULD BE OFFERED AND ACCEPTED. ALTHOUGH THE POSITION HE OCCUPIED WHILE THERE WOULD BE DELETED AFTER ONLY SERVING SIX WEEKS, THE FRIENDSHIPS MADE WOULD LAST MUCH MUCH LONGER. UNBEKNOWNST TO HIM AT THE TIME, HE SERVED WITH AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WOULD LATER SIGN HIS WELCOME LETTER TO ATESS AS THE COMMANDING OFFICER UPON HIS ARRIVAL. AFTER FIVE YEARS, THE CAREER MANAGER SURPRISED HIM WITH A POSTING ACROSS THE STREET TO CFCMU WHERE HE COMPLETED HIS SECOND HALF MARATHON PERFORMING IN THE ARMY RUN.

UPON WARPING THE REQUIRED AMOUNT OF CONDUIT, AND PERFORMING RED DISTRIBUTIONS SYSTEM INSTALLATIONS, IT WAS BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH ANOTHER POSTING TO THE GLASSHOUSE. NOW, INSTEAD OF INSTALLING TACANS, HE WOULD HELP REMOVE THEM FROM A NUMBER OF NAV. CANADA SITES. WORKING HIMSELF OUT OF A JOB ONCE MORE, IT WAS ONTO MAINTAINING THE REMAINING ONES. PERSEVERANCE OVERCAME FRUSTRATION AND A FEW THINGS WERE LEARNED ABOUT HOW THE SYSTEM WORKED AND THESE BITS OF KNOWLEDGE WERE GLADLY PASSED ONTO A NUMBER OF PERSONNEL COMPLETING THEIR OJT PACKAGE AS JUNIOR ATIS TECHNICIANS. EVENTUALLY, FATHER TIME OVERCAME PERSEVERANCE AND IT IS NOW TIME FOR HIM TO CALL IT A DAY AND STEP ASIDE.

LANCE WILL RETIRE TO POINTS A BIT EAST OF HERE TO AWAIT THE BUILDING OF HIS NEW HOME. WITH HIS CEASELESS DEDICATION AND ENDLESS POSITIVITY, LANCE WILL BE MISSED BY ALL.

3. AS PER CPL MARSHALL’S WISHES, THERE WILL BE NO FORMAL DWD EVENT. AWARDS AND CERTIFICATES WILL BE PRESENTED TO CPL MARSHALL AT AN EVENT (TBD) NLT 19 AUG 2022.

4. CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES, ANECDOTES, AND/OR PHOTOS ARE ENCOURAGED AND CAN BE FORWARDED TO CPL BLAIR CHARBONNEAU BY EMAIL AT [email protected]