1. AFTER MORE THAN 33 YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO CANADA AND THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, MASTER CORPORAL FRANÇOIS CUNNINGHAM WILL RETIRE ON JULY 31, 2024.
2. MASTER CORPORAL CUNNINGHAM ENLISTED AS AN ARMORED CREWMAN IN FEBRUARY 1990 WITH THE 12E RÉGIMENT BLINDÉ DU CANADA (TROIS-RIVIÈRES) AND BEGAN HIS TRAINING AT HIS UNIT, AND AT CFB VALCARTIER. PROMOTED TO CORPORAL IN 1992, HE VOLUNTEERED FOR A 6-MONTH DEPLOYMENT TO KISELJAK IN BOSNIA AS A RECONNAISSANCE VEHICLE DRIVER WITH THE D SQUADRON, 12 RBC. RETURNING TO THE REGIMENT, HE DIVIDED HIS TIME BETWEEN HIS STUDIES AND THE RESERVES FROM 1993 TO 2004. DURING THIS TIME, HE WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF SERGEANT AND HELD THE POSITIONS OF CREW COMMANDER, PATROL COMMANDER AND TROOP WARRANT.
3. IN 2004, HE STARTED A FULL-TIME CLASS-B AT CANADIAN FORCES RECRUITING CENTER – TROIS-RIVIÈRES AS A RECRUITING SERGEANT, ALSO OBTAINING HIS QUALIFICATION AS A MILITARY CAREER COUNSELLOR IN 2009.
4. WITH THE CLOSURE THE CFRC – TROIS-RIVIÈRES IN 2012, HE FINALLY SAW THE LIGHT AND COMPLETED AN OCCUPATIONAL TRANSFER TO THE REGULAR FORCE AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE AS AN ATIS TECH. FOLLOWING HIS SUBSIDIZED STUDIES AT THE CEGEP IN TROIS-RIVIÈRES, HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO 2 WING IN 2016 FOR HIS QL4 TRAINING. FOLLOWING HIS QL4, HE WAS POSTED AGAIN, THIS TIME TO THE IFRCC AT 3 WING TELECOMMUNICATIONS SQUADRON.
5. AFTER TWO YEARS IN BAGOTVILLE, HE WAS POSTED TO 14 WING GREENWOOD, WHERE HE OCCUPIED THE POSITION OF DESKTOP SUPPORT TECHNICIAN. IT WAS DURING HIS TIME AT 14WING THAT HE DEPLOYED ON HIS SECOND PEACEKEEPING MISSION, ON OP PRESENCE IN MALI, A MISSION WHICH WOULD LAST ALMOST 9 MONTHS.
6. PROMOTED TO MASTER CORPORAL IN JULY 2021, HE WAS POSTED AGAIN, THIS TIME AS AN UNCLASSIFIED DEPLOYABLE SYSTEMS SUPERVISOR AT B FLIGHT, 8ACCS, AT 2 WING BAGOTVILLE. IN JULY 2023, HE RETURNED TO 3 WING AS A COORDINATOR AT THE PROJECTS SECTION.
7. MASTER CORPORAL CUNNINGHAM IS EXTREMELY PROUD OF HIS SERVICE TO THE CAF, AND GRATEFUL FOR THE FRIENDSHIPS HE FORGED OVER THE DECADES, AS AN ARMORED CREWMAN, AS A RECRUITER AND AS AN ATIS TECH. HE IS PARTICULARLY HAPPY TO HAVE MET HIS WIFE AT CAMP VIMY AT CFB VALCARTIER, ON A BEAUTIFUL SUMMER DAY IN 1999. HE IS EXCEPTIONALLY GRATEFUL TO HIS WIFE MÉLANIE, HIS SON SEAN AND HIS DAUGHTER CARLIE. WITHOUT THEIR SACRIFICES AND SUPPORT, HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL AND LONG CAREER IN THE FAC.
8. MASTER CORPORAL CUNNINGHAM WILL USE HIS TIME IN THE VETERANS AFFAIRS CANADA REHABILITATION PROGRAM TO RELAX AND THINK ABOUT HIS FUTURE PLANS.