1. ON 14 AUGUST 2022, CORPORAL GARRY REYNOLDS WILL RETIRE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES AFTER 21+ YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE.

2. CPL REYNOLDS ENROLLED IN THE CAF RESERVES IN 1982, FROM WINNIPEG, MB AS A PTE WITH 735 COMMUNICATION REGIMENT AS A RADIO TELETYPE OPERATOR. HE LEFT THE RESERVES IN JANUARY 1986. FOUR YEARS LATER, IN JULY OF 1990, HE DECIDED TO GIVE THE REGULAR FORCE A GO AND REJOINED AT WINNIPEG, MB WHERE HE THEN WENT TO CORNWALLIS, NS FOR BASIC TRAINING. HE WAS POSTED TO KINSTON, ON FOR POET AND THEN TELETYPE AND CYPHER TECH TRAINING. AFTER COMPLETING TRAINING HE WAS POSTED TO 733 COMM SQN IN WINNIPEG, AND ONCE AGAIN LEFT THE MILITARY AS THE GOVERNMENT WAS REDUCING THE SIZE OF THE MILITARY AND TOOK AN FRP PACKAGE IN JULY OF 1995. IN AUGUST OF 2010 AFTER 15 YEARS OF DRIVING TRACTOR TRAILERS FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR HE AGAIN JOINED THE MILITARY THIS TIME AS A NAVAL ACOUSTIC TECHNICIAN SINCE THE NAVY WAS LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD MEN AND TOOK HIM ANYWAY (DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES!). HE WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE NCMSEP PROGRAM WHER HE WENT TO RED RIVER COLLEGE IN WINNIPEG AND GRADUATED FROM AN ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIST PROGRAM IN FEB OF 2013. HE WAS THEN POSTED TO CFB HALIFAX TO ATTEND NCMSEP BRIDGING PROGRAM, AND THEN POSTED TO CFB ESQUIMALT FOR THE REST OF THE WEAPONS ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN QL3 TRADE TRAINING. AFTER COMPLETION OF TRAINING IN AUGUST OF 2013 HE WAS POSTED TO THE HMCS REGINA IN ESQUIMALT, BC. HE WAS ATTACHED POSTED TO THE HMCS PROTECTEUR FOR OPERATION PACIFIC OILER WHICH WOULD TURN OUT TO BE THE SHIPS FINAL SAIL AS IT WAS RUINED BY AN EXTENDED 11 HOUR ENGINE FIRE DISABLING THE SHIP 300 NAUTICAL MILES FROM HAWAII (CPL REYNOLDS REFERS TO THE OPERATION AS “OPERATION HAWAIIN BBQ CRUISE!”). LEADING SEAMAN REYNOLDS ALSO SAILED ON THE HMCS CALGARY, VANCOUVER, ALGONQUIN AND THE PCT57 CARIBOU. LS REYNOLDS WAS BECOMING TIRED OF BREAKING NAVY EQUIPMENT SO HE DECIDED TO TRANSFER TO THE AIRFORCE AS AN ATIS TECH SO HE COULD BREAK AIR FORCE STUFF INSTEAD NOT REALIZING IT WAS ALREADY BROKEN! HIS AVOT WAS ACCEPTED AND WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE AIR FORCE IN JULY OF 2018 AND SUBSEQUENTLY POSTED TO 17 WING WINNIPEG IN DESKTOP SUPPORT. AFTER WORKING AND BEING TRAINED IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND SPENDING OVER 2 YEARS AT THE SERVICE DESK CPL REYNOLDS HAS DECIDED TO RETIRE FROM THE AIR FORCE.

3. CPL REYNOLDS, HE CAME, HE SAW, HE BROKE EQUIPMENT AND CONTRIBUTED TO UNIT MORAL. HE ALSO HELPED AT THE SERVICE DESK TRAINING OTHERS ON PROCEEDURES AND TO BECOME A COHESIVE PART OF THE SERVICE DESK WITH HIS MOTTO OF “IF YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW SHOW EVERYONE ELSE!” HE ALSO KEPT THE SERVICE DESK AWAKE BY PROVIDING 2 KUERIG COFFEE MAKERS AND PLENTY OF PODS KEEPING EVERYONE CAFFINATED.

4. GARRY WOULD LIKE TO THANK HIS FAMILY, TEAMMATES AND SUPERVISORS FOR PUTTING UP WITH HIM OVER THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER AND FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT HIM THROUGHOUT HIS JOURNEY.

5. GARRY’S LIFE WAS CHANGED FOREVER WHEN HIS WIFE NICCOLA SADLY PASSED AWAY ON 18 APRIL 2022. GARRY AND HIS DAUGHTER SHARAYAH HAVE DECIDED TO MOVE BACK TO VICTORIA BC AREA, WHERE HE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK FOR THE GOVERNMENT AT SHARED SERVICES CANADA (WHERE BREAKING THINGS IS THE NORM) AND ENJOY THE OUTDOOR LIFE GOING ON WALKS WITH HIS DAUGHTER AVOIDING THE BEAUTIFUL WINNIPEG WINTERS. PLEASE FORWARD ANY ANECDOTES/CONGRATULATORY NOTES TO [email protected].