1. WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ANNOUNCE THE RETIREMENT OF MASTER WARRANT OFFICER JODI JONES, CD ON 16 FEB 2021 AFTER 31 PLUS YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, C&E BRANCH, ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS AND THE LINE TRADE.

2. MWO JONES JOINED THE MILITARY ON 24 JUNE 1989 IN HIS BELOVED HOME TOWN OF ST. JOHN’S, NL PLEDGING HIS SERVICE TO QUEEN AND COUNTRY FOR WHAT WOULD TURN OUT TO BE OVER THREE DECADES.

3. HE JOINED THE MILITARY IN ST. JOHN’S, TAKING HIS PRIMARY RESERVE SUMMER TRAINING PROGRAM WITH 727/728 COMMUNICATION SQUADRON. HE TOOK HIS QL1 LINEMAN COURSE IN AUGUST 1990 AND NEVER LOOKED BACK. FOR THE NEXT SEVEN YEARS HE WAS A TRUE “CLASS B BUM”, COMPLETING A LARGE NUMBER OF CLASS B CONTRACTS IN KINGSTON, GOOSEBAY, BADEN GERMANY AND GAGETOWN. IN JANUARY 1996 HE TRANSFERRED TO 722 COMM SQUADRON AND TOOK ANOTHER CALL OUT IN GAGETOWN WHERE HE MET HIS WIFE SONYA SPENCER. WITH HER NOW IN HIS LIFE IT QUICKLY BECAME CLEAR TO HIM THAT HE NEEDED SOME JOB SECURITY AND TRANSFERRED TO THE REG FORCE ON 30 NOVEMBER 1996 AND POSTED TO 1ST CANADIAN DIVISION HEADQUARTERS AND SIGNAL REGIMENT IN KINGSTON, ON.

4. AFTER 18 MONTHS WITH 1 CDHSR, CPL JONES WAS SENT TO CFSCE TO COMPLETE HIS REG FORCE JOURNEYMAN COURSE, QL5. UPON COMPLETION HE WAS POSTED TO 79 COMM REGIMENT 1 LINE SQN IN SEPTEMBER 1998. HE SPENT THE NEXT 3 YEARS COMPLETING A NUMBER OF PROJECTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY (MOSTLY IN BC) AND TAVS ACROSS THE POND INCLUDING TWO TRIPS TO KOSOVO AND ANOTHER IN EGYPT. HE ALSO DEPLOYED ON BOTH THE WINNIPEG FLOODS AND THE ICE STORM IN CENTRAL CANADA.

5. PROMOTED TO MCPL IN 2001, HE RECEIVED A POSTING MESSAGE TO CJFSR DET HALIFAX. DURING HIS TIME WITH THE DET HE COMPLETED HIS QL6A LINE TRAINING AT CFSCE IN KINGSTON. AS THE PROJECT 2IC HE CONDUCTED NUMEROUS ANTENNA AND CABLE PROJECTS IN ATLANTIC REGION AND DEPLOYED TO BOSNIA FOR EIGHT MONTHS.

6. IN 2006 HE PACKED UP HIS BELONGINGS, HIS WIFE, HIS 2 CATS AND HIS DOG AND WAS OFF TO 2 CMBG HQ AND SIGS SQN IN PETAWAWA, ON. THERE HE WAS PROMOTED TO SGT AND TOOK OVER AS THE LINE SECTION COMMANDER. DURING HIS TIME WITH THE SQN HE COMPLETED SEVERAL BRIGADE AND MULTINATIONAL EXERCISES INCLUDING PANAMEX IN HONDURAS. HE THEN DEPLOYED WITH CIS TROOP FOR TEN MONTHS IN KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN. AFTER RETURNING FROM TOUR AND ALL LEAVE TAKEN HE WENT TO CFSCE TO COMPLETE HIS QL6B S IN NOVEMBER 2009 AND WAS PROMOTED AGAIN TO WO IN 2010 AND SENT ACROSS THE ROAD TO CFJSR DET PETAWAWA AS THE LINE CONSTRUCTION FOREMAN. HE COMPLETED HIS INTERMEDIATE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM AND AFTER SETTLING INTO HIS NEW POSITION FOR A YEAR IT WAS TIME TO RAMP UP AGAIN FOR ANOTHER TRIP ACROSS THE POND, THIS TIME 8 MONTHS IN KABUL, AFGHANISTAN.

7. IN 2013, PROMOTED TO HIS CURRENT RANK, HE WAS POSTED TO CANSOFCOM HQ IN OTTAWA AS THE COMMAND LINE COMMUNICATIONS SUPERINTENDENT. DURING HIS TIME THERE HE CONDUCTED TAVS AND SITE VISITS AND COMPLETED HIS ADVANCED LEADERSHIP PROGRAM. HE PARTICIPATED IN THE WORKING GROUP THAT LED TO THE STAND-UP OF 77 LINE REGIMENT WHICH SO HAPPENED TO BE HIS NEXT POST.

8. IN 2017 HE WAS POSTED TO 77 LINE REGIMENT HQ AS THE REGIMENTAL LCS IN KINGSTON, ON. WITH THE REGIMENT STILL BEING IN ITS INFANCY ONLY BEING ONE YEAR OLD AND THE HQ STAFF BEING A SKELETON CREW AT BEST, MWO JONES PLAYED A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN HELPING LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR THE REGIMENT TO BUILD UPON. THIS INCLUDED THE TRANSFER OF 1 LINE SQN AND THE REGIONAL DETACHMENTS FROM CFJSR INTO 77 LINE REG.

9. IN 2019 WITH ONLY TWO YEARS IN HIS DREAM JOB, OTTAWA BECKONED ONCE MORE AND HE ANSWERED THE CALL AND WAS POSTED TO CANADIAN ARMY HQ DLCI AS THE LINE COMMUNICATIONS SUPERINTENDENT. HIS MAIN ROLE WAS WORKING WITH THE TRANSITION TEAM FOR THE STAND-UP OF THE NEW SIGNALS TRADES. WITH THE NEW LINE TRADE BACK ON ITS FEET HE BECAME THE LINE TECHNICIAN OCCUPATIONAL ADVISOR WHERE HE ADVISES THE CORPS CHIEF AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS DIRECTOR FOR ANYTHING LINE-RELATED. WITH THIS NEW DESK JOB AND THE COVID-19 SITUATION HIS TRANSITION FROM WORKING AT CARLING CAMPUS TO NOW MAKING SOME OFFICE SPACE IN HIS GARAGE WAS SEAMLESS.

10. MWO JONES HAS DECIDED TO TAKE A PUBLIC SERVANT POSITION AND LOOKS FORWARD TO CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NATION DEFENSE AND THE LINE TRADE FOR YEARS TO COME. HE AND HIS WIFE SONYA WILL BE LOCATING BACK EAST TO NOVA SCOTIA TO BE CLOSER TO FAMILY. THEY LOOK FORWARD TO THE CHALLENGES AND EXCITEMENT THIS NEW OPPORTUNITY BRINGS. NO MORE POSTINGS, DEPLOYMENTS OR BUYING AND SELLING HOUSES; THEY CAN FINALLY PUT DOWN ROOTS.

11. DUE TO THE CURRENT COVID RESTRICTIONS AN INFORMAL DEPART WITH DIGNITY CEREMONY WILL BE HELD AT A LATER DATE. HUMOROUS ANECDOTES, CONGRATULATORY NOTES AND WELL-WISHES CAN BE EMAILED TO MWO JON MOBERLY AT [email protected].