1. AFTER 20 YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO CANADA, THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE AND THE COMMUNICATION AND ELECTRONICS BRANCH, MASTER WARRANT OFFICER S. RICARD WILL BE RETIRING ON THE 28TH OF AUGUST 2023.
2. MWO RICARD JOINED THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES IN HIS HOMETOWN OF QUEBEC CITY IN 2003 AS AN AEROSPACE TELECOMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN (ATIS). AFTER COMPLETING BASIC TRAINING AT CANADIAN FORCES LEADERSHIP AND RECRUIT SCHOOL (CFLRS) SAINT-JEAN-SUR-RICHELIEU, HE HEADED TO THE CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS (CFSCE) IN CFB KINGSTON TO COMPLETE HIS PRACTICAL ORIENTED ELECTRONIC TRAINING (POET) AND QL3. HIS FIRST POSTING WAS IN 2005 TO 12 RADAR SQUADRON IN CFB BAGOTVILLE WHERE HE SPENT HIS FIRST 5 YEARS AS A SATELLITE, RADAR AND DATA LINK TECHNICIAN. DURING THIS TIME, HE PARTICIPATED TO MULTIPLE DOMESTIC OPERATIONS INCLUDING OP LOBOS, OP PODIUM DURING THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS AND OP CADENCE.
3. PROMOTED TO MCPL IN OCT 2010, HE WAS POSTED TO WTISS CFB BAGOTVILLE AS THE NETWORK SERVICES SUPERVISOR WHERE HE SPENT HIS NEXT 3 YEARS. DURING THIS TIME, HE PARTICIPATED TO HIS FIRST TOUR, ROTO 2011 OF OP MOBILE IN ITALY. POSTED TO 8 AIR COMMUNICATIONS AND CONTROL SQUADRON (8 ACCS), CFB TRENTON IN MAR 2013 AND WAS PROMOTED TO SGT IN JAN 2014 ASSUMING THE ROLE OF DEPLOYABLE NETWORKS SUPERVISOR. DURING HIS 5 YEARS SERVING WITHIN THIS UNIT, HE HAD THE CHANCE TO PARTICIPABLE IN MULTIPLE OPERATIONS AND EXERCISES, OPENING THEATRES AND VISITING EUROPE, TO INCLUDE OP REASSURANCE 2014 & 2017, OP NANOOK.
4. PROMOTED TO WO IN JUN 2018, HE WAS THEN POSTED TO CANADIAN FORCES INFORMATION OPERATIONS GROUP HEAD QUARTER (CFIOG HQ), CFS LEITRIM AS A LIFE CYCLE MATERIAL MANAGER (LCMM) IN THE CAPABILITY SUPPORT TEAM. PROMOTED TO MWO IN JUL 2021, HE STAYED WITHIN CFIOG HQ LINE ASSUMING THE ROLE OF LEAD-LCMM. DURING HIS TIME WITH CFIOG, HE HAD THE CHANCE TO VISIT REMOTE SITES LIKE CFS ALERT AND CFS MASSET.
5. MWO RICARD WOULD LIKE TO THANK HIS FAMILY, ESPECIALLY HIS WIFE CHANTALE, AND HIS DAUGHTER ANNE FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING HAVING SPENT SO MUCH TIME APART. HE PROMISED HIS WIFE HE WILL BE BRINGING HER BACK TO HER HOMETOWN UPON RETIREMENT SO THEY WILL BE MOVING TO CHICOUTIMI, QUEBEC AFTER HIS RELEASE. HE HAS ACCEPTED A JOB OFFER WITH SHARED SERVICES CANADA WHICH HE WILL START THE SAME DAY HE IS RETIRING.
6. A DWD CEREMONY WILL BE HELD AT CFS LEITRIM ALL RANKS MESS, ON 11 AUG 23. YOU ARE INVITED TO SEND ANY CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE, PICTURES, AND AMUSING ANECDOTES TO CAPT C. THIESSEN AT [email protected]