1. AFTER MORE THAN 21 YEARS OF SERVICE WITH THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES (CAF), MASTER WARRANT OFFICER JC COUTURE, CD, WILL RETIRE ON 05 FEBRUARY 2018.
2. BORN IN QUEBEC CITY, MWO COUTURE ENROLLED IN THE CAF AS AN INFANTRYMAN IN 1996. HE SERVED WITH THE 2R22R WHERE HE DEPLOYED IN HAITI UNDER THE OPERATION CONSTABLE. AS HE WAS COMPANY SIGNALLER, HE RE-DISCOVERED A CHILDHOOD FASCINATION FOR COMMUNICATION AND ELECTRONICS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TO (TRY TO) REPAIR THE BROKEN SYSTEMS.
3. TO FULFILL THIS PASSION, HE REMUSTERED AS A 227, LAND COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEM (LCIS) TECHNICIAN, IN AUGUST 2000. AFTER COMPLETING HIS ELECTRONIC TRAINING IN CFSCE KINGSTON, HE WAS POSTED TO 5 RALC IN JANUARY 2002. DURING HIS TIME AT THE ARTILLERY, HE DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN, OPERATION ATHENA ROTO 1 AS THE ART.HU.R. RADAR MAINTENANCE SECTION IC.
4. UPON HIS RETURN FROM TOUR, HE WAS PROMOTED TO MASTER CORPORAL AND POSTED TO 764 COMMUNICATION SQUADRON IN OTTAWA, TECHNICAL MAINTENANCE TROOP, WHERE HE ASSUMED THE DUTIES OF AUDIOVISUAL SYSTEMS MAINTENANCE SECTION IC. IN 2008, AFTER 4 YEARS IN OTTAWA, HE WAS SELECTED TO SERVE OVERSEA WITH THE 76 COMMUNICATION GROUP HQ, DETACHMENT SELFKANT AS THE CLASSIFIED NETWORKS SUPPORT SERGEANT, A NEWLY CREATED POSITION.
5. DURING THIS 4 YEAR POSTING, HE SUPPORTED CANADIAN MILITARY SYSTEMS IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES IN EUROPE: UNITED KINGDOM, ITALY, GERMANY, FRANCE, TURKEY AND NETHERLANDS, TO NAME A FEW. HE ALSO SUPPORTED THE CLASSIFIED NETWORKS FOR OPERATION MOBILE IN NAPLES AND POGGIO, ITALY. HE WAS PROMOTED TO WARRANT OFFICER ON HIS LAST YEAR OF HIS TOUR IN EUROPE. IN 2012, MWO COUTURE RETURNED TO 764 COMMS SQN AS THE TECHNICAL MAINTENANCE TROOP WO WHERE HE SPEND 3 YEARS SUPPORTING CLASSIFIED NETWORKS.
6. PROMOTED TO MWO IN MAY 2015, HE BRIEFLY ACTED AS THE 764 COMM SQN SERGEANT MAJOR ROLE BEFORE HE WAS TASKED TO BUILD AND COMMISSION THE CAF SATCOM OPERATION CENTRE (SOC) IN SUPPORT OF THE MERCURY GLOBAL AND PROTECTED MILSATCOM PROJECTS. HE OPERATIONALISED THE SOC AND WORKED THERE AS THE SATCOM FOREMAN UNTIL AUGUST 2017, WHERE HE WAS POSTED TO DLCI/G6 AS THE ARMY FOREMAN OF SIGNALS.
7. MWO COUTURE WILL RETIRE FROM THE REGULAR MILITARY SERVICE, BUT WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT MILITARY COMMUNICATION AS A PUBLIC SERVANT AND AS A RESERVIST WITH THE 33 SIGNAL REGIMENT. HE WILL REMAIN IN OTTAWA WITH HIS WIFE AND THEIR TWO KIDS.
8. A DEPART WITH DIGNITY COCKTAIL WILL BE HELD TO HONOUR MWO COUTURE FOR HIS SERVICE ON FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2ND 2018, AT THE NDHQ WOS’ & SGTS’ / C&POS ’ MESS AT 17H00. ANECDOTES, STORIES, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES ARE WELCOMED AND ARE TO BE FORWARD TO: (CONTACT REMOVED 2023 APR 20 BY ADMIN. SEND INQUIRIES HERE: https://cmcen-rcmce.ca/contact/). THOSE WISHING TO ATTEND ARE REQUESTED TO CONFIRM THEIR ATTENDANCE NO LATER THAN FRIDAY 26 JAN 17. PLEASE NOTE THAT SPOUSES ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND THE EVENT. THE COST TO ATTEND IS $15 PER PERSON $20 PER COUPLE, WHICH WILL GO TO OFFSET COSTS OF THE EVENT AND A SMALL CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS A RETIREMENT GIFT.