1. MAJOR VAUGHAN CURNEW WILL RETIRE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES ON 1 DECEMBER 2020, AFTER 34 PLUS YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE.

2. MAJ CURNEW JOINED THE CANADIAN FORCES IN APRIL 1986 AS A RADAR TECH, RISING THROUGH THE RANKS FROM PRIVATE TO MASTER WARRANT OFFICER.

3. IN 1987, PTE CURNEW SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED THE HIGHLY PRESTIGIOUS 231 RADAR TECH LEVEL 3 TRAINING AND WAS POSTED TO CFB GOOSE BAY. UP THE HILL AT THE MELVILLE LONG RADAR RANGE SITE, HE LEARNED ON DAY ONE THAT THE SITE WAS CLOSING NEXT APS. PTE CURNEW WAS ASSIGNED TO THE SELECTIVE IDENTIFICATION FRIEND OR FOE (SIFF), WHERE HE ENDURED 16 HOUR NIGHT SHIFTS FOR A YEAR, LEARNED NOT TO WANDER AROUND WITH HIS HANDS IN HIS POCKETS AND NOT TO TELL HIS SERGEANT HE WAS BORED.

4. IN JULY 1988, PTE CURNEW RETURNED TO CFSCE KINGSTON AND WAS ASSIGNED TO TRAINING SUPPORT, D SQUADRON RADAR MAINTENANCE. IN 1990, HE WAS PROMOTED TO CORPORAL. THREE YEARS LATER, HE FINALLY ESCAPED CFSCE AND WAS POSTED TO CFB GANDER AT 226 RADAR SQUADRON, FIGHTER GROUP NORAD REGION HEADQUARTERS WORKING SHIFTS AT THE SIFF, UNTIL THE SQUADRON CLOSED IN 1995.

5. AFTER HAVING CLOSED HIS SECOND POSITION, CPL CURNEW WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE BASE TECHNICAL SERVICES IN THE TELECOM SERVICES SECTION, PROGRAMMING TELEPHONE SWITCHES AND PROCESSING SERVICE REQUESTS. PROMOTED TO MASTER CORPORAL IN 1995, MCPL CURNEW TOOK OVER THE SUPERVISOR ROLE FOR THE ATLANTIC REGION CALIBRATION CENTRE, WORKING WITH PATTY AND WAYNE. MCPL CURNEW WAS AFFORDED THE OPPORTUNITY TO TEACH AS A CANADIAN COASTAL RADAR INSTRUCTOR (SERIAL FPS-117) AND UPON INSTRUCTING HIS FIRST COURSE, WAS PROMPTLY RETURNED TO BASE TECHNICAL SERVICES IN ADP MAINTENANCE.

6. IN 1997, MCPL CURNEW WAS POSTED TO 22 WING, NORTH BAY. RETURNING BACK TO HIS PLACE OF ENROLMENT, MCPL CURNEW WAS SENT DOWN THE HOLE, AND ASSIGNED TO SYSTEM MAINTENANCE ‘C’ CREW, THE CADS SYSTEM MAINTENANCE TRAINING SUPPORT. AFTER A YEAR ON CREW, HE MOVED ON TO NET ADMIN AND EVENTUALLY ADP MAINTENANCE.

7. UPON PROMOTION TO SERGEANT IN 2002, HE FINISHED HIS TIME DOWN IN THE HOLE AS A SYSTEM MAINTENANCE CREW CHIEF AND WAS POSTED TO CFSTG BORDEN AT THE BASE TIS PROJECTS CELL. AFTER 6 MONTHS, SGT CURNEW WAS REASSIGNED TO THE CFSTG CE AS 2IC OF THE CE ENGINEERING TEAM.

8. PROMOTED TO WARRANT OFFICER IN 2006, WO CURNEW WAS POSTED TO THE DISNEY ON THE RIDEAU, THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION, AND WAS ASSIGNED TO ADM(IM) AS THE DIHRS PROJECT ISSO AND ADM(HR CIV) GROUP ISSO RESPECTIVELY.

9. IN 2008, WO CURNEW WAS POSTED TO ADM(MAT) AS THE R&CS 5-3 PMO RSAOC AND WAS PROMOTED TO MASTER WARRANT OFFICER IN JULY 2009. MWO CURNEW BECAME THE R&CS 3-2 AND THE ACTING DIRECTORATE CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER FOR 18 MONTHS.

10. IN 2011, MWO CURNEW COMMISSIONED-FROM-THE-RANKS TO A CELE (AIR) CAPTAIN AND WAS SENT BACK TO CFSCE TO INSTRUCT A BASIC CELE (AIR) COURSE. HISTORY REPEATED ITSELF WHEN UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, HE IMMEDIATELY RETURNED AS R&CS 5-4 TO MANAGE THE AFCCIS LCM AND FMS CASE MANAGER PORTFOLIOS FOR 5 YEARS.

11. IN 2016, CAPT CURNEW WAS POSTED TO CJOC HQ AS THE J6 SMALL MISSIONS EXPEDITIONARY. HIS PORTFOLIO INCLUDED OP CALUMET, CROCODILE, HAMLET, KOBOLD, SNOWGOOSE AND SOPRANO. UPON HIS PROMOTION TO MAJOR, HE BECAME THE J6 AFRICA AND ADDED OP PRESENCE AND TASK FORCE BAMAKO TO HIS PORTFOLIO.

12. AFTER 34 PLUS DEDICATED YEARS IN THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, MAJOR CURNEW IS RETIRING EFFECTIVE 1 DECEMBER 2020. HE CONTINUES TO LIVE BY THE MOTTO, ‘TO LEARN, TO SERVE, TO ADVANCE.’ ALTHOUGH AT HIS AGE, HE IS NOT STRIVING TO LEARN, SERVE, OR ADVANCE, SO TIME TO RETIRE.

13. MAJ CURNEW WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE CANADA AS A PUBLIC SERVANT IN DIMCD. ON HIS FREE TIME, CATCH HIM HUNTING ALL SORTS OF WILDLIFE AND CONDUCTING RENOVATIONS TO HIS DREAM HOME; OR DREAM OF HUNTING AND LETTING THE GOOD IDEA FAIRY GET THE BETTER OF HIM. ALL THE BEST ON YOUR RETIREMENT, MAJOR CURNEW.

14. DUE TO COVID 19, THE DWD CEREMONY WILL BE DEFERRED TO A LATER DATE.

15. THOSE WISHING TO CONTRIBUTE TO A RETIREMENT GIFT OR OFFER ANECDOTES AND/OR PERSONAL MESSAGES CAN SEND TO THE OPI, CAPTAIN MATTHEW KAN AT [email protected].