1. ON 3 JULY 2020, AFTER 38 PLUS YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED COMBINED SERVICE TO CANADA, MASTER WARRANT OFFICER JOHN SPENCER WILL RETIRE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, THE COMMUNICATIONS & ELECTRONICS BRANCH AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN CORPS OF SIGNALS.
2. JOHN JOINED THE CAF IN JUN 1982 WITH THE GREY & SIMCOE FORESTERS. AFTER COMPLETING HIGH SCHOOL IN JUN 84, HE WOULD TRANSFER TO THE REGULAR FORCE. POST COMPLETION OF BASIC TRAINING IN CORNWALLIS, DRIVER TRAINING IN BORDEN AND QL3 IN KINGSTON, HE COMPLETED 4 YEARS WITH THE SSF HQ & SIGS SQN PETAWAWA (85-89) AND TWO YEARS WITH 2 FIELD AMBULANCE (90-91) BEFORE BEING TRANSFERRED TO 708 COMM SQN TRENTON (MACS) (91-95). THE FOLLOWING TRANSFER WOULD SEE JOHN SPEND THE NEXT 11 YEARS IN KINGSTON WITH 1 CDHSR AND CFJSR, PRIMARILY EMPLOYED IN 1 SQN, RHQ AND 3 SQN OPS (95-05). IN 2006, ANOTHER TRANSFER WAS IMPOSED ON JOHN, THIS TIME AS RSS TO 700 COMM SQN BORDEN (06-11). AFTER FIVE VERY LONG YEARS (HIS WORDS), A POSTING BACK TO KINGSTON AT CFSCE 3 SQN (11-12). THIS POST WOULD ONLY LAST ONE YEAR AS A PROMOTION TO THE RANK OF MWO WOULD COME IN AND WITH IT ANOTHER TRANSFER BACK TO TRENTON AS THE WTISS OPS MWO FOR FOUR MORE YEARS (12-16). ONE LAST TRANSFER BACK TO KINGSTON CAME JOHN’S WAY AS THE 1ST CDN DIV CCO (16-20). NEEDLESS TO SAY, HE NEVER LEFT ONTARIO FOR ANY POSTINGS! HIS TOURS INCLUDE OP VAGABOND IRAN, OP DANACA GOLAN HEIGHTS SYRIA, OP ATHENA UAE AND NATO MISSION IRAQ. JOHN ALSO PARTICIPATED IN NUMEROUS EXERCISES ACROSS CANADA & USA, SOUTH KOREA, ENGLAND, ITALY AND NORWAY.
3. THERE ARE TOO MANY FRIENDSHIPS (MOST HAVE RETIRED) AND POSITIVE MOMENTS TO SHARE IN THIS MESSAGE. NONETHELESS, MWO SPENCER WISHES TO HIGHLIGHT THAT ALL OF HIS ROLES AND SUCCESSES OVER THE LAST 38 YEARS HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO THE MANY GREAT CAF SOLDIERS, PEERS AND SUPERVISORS THAT HAVE ASSISTED HIM ALONG THE WAY. THANK YOU TO ALL.
4. JOHN AND HIS FIANCÉE LYNN IBRUS WILL RESIDE IN QUINTE AREA WHERE THEY WILL ENJOY BBQ’S BY THE POOL SIDE, GOLF, MOTORCYCLE RIDING AND POSSIBLY SOME PART TIME WORK AFTER A LONG REST TO BALANCE OUT THE BOOKS.
5. A DEPART WITH DIGNITY WILL BE PLANNED AS PER JOHN’S WISHES (TBD). ANECDOTES AND WELL WISHES CAN BE SENT TO MWO TIM LYTTLE AT [email protected] IOT COMPILE FOR HIS MEMORIES BOOK.
VVV
All the best on your new stage of life. Congratulations to you and Lynn.
All the best in your new chapter, enjoy
John and family, congratulations on a long and fulfilling career. It was a please serving with you both Petawawa and Kingston. Best wishes for the future. 38 years is a mighty long time, thanks for your service and remember keep your head down and follow thru…
All the best…
What a well deserved retirement John. I thoroughly enjoyed all the time we worked together and look forward to finding many more lost balls. All the best in life to you and Lynn.
Congrats on your retirement John!! I enjoyed serving with you in Trenton.
John, congratulation on a well deserved retirement after a long and distinguished career. It was a honour serving with you at CFJSR and for the short time at 1st Cdn Div. All the best to you and the family.
Congrats John, it was great working with you in Kingston. Have fun in your promotion to RSM (Retired Service Member)
It was a pleasure working with you! Thank you for your service.
Congrats John – Wish you all the best – looking at the calendar on the wall, I guess I will be next in line. It has been a pleasure to work with you over the years – even back in the party days of Pet on Cleeve. Take care and I am sure our paths may cross again.
Congratulations, well deserved Retirement John, so Very Proud of You !!!!
Love your Big Sister
Fond memories of our time together in RHQ John, Godspeed to you and your family, Sam
Thank you John for your 38 years of dedication to Country, Branch and Corps. An outstanding career. I will always remember our time spent on our RCR CLC in Pet down at the Mattawa camp. Quite the course. All the best in your retirement years. VVV
It was always a good day whenever we met at work or play and you certainly new how to engage with troops in a bit of banter. You are a soldier who I (and Paula) were very fortunate to know during our careers. We hope your retirement is very fulfilling and we run into each other again.
Congratulations John, you’ve had a great career my friend! All the best with your move to Quinte; maybe we will get out for a rip on the bikes when all of this apocalypse madness subsides.
Congrats John, it was an honour to serve with you my friend. We had of good times working together in the Regt! I wish you all the best in your retirement. Do me a favour at your depart with dignity. Flash you green card fo old times sake! Lol Terry
John, Congrats and all the Best to you and your family. The patience you had for the young Sigs way back when was something else. Pleasure to have worked with you!
Congratulations to you and your family John!!! The recce is done, it’s not bad on this side. Hope to see you soon.
Wow, what a great career, as my first Det Cmdr in 1 CDHSR, and having served with youi on Op Danaca in the Golan in 2000, it was such a pleasure to have served with you. Have a great retirement!!!!
All the best John and have a great retirement! VVV
Congrats John, It was a pleasure to have served with you. I wish you nothing but the best in your retirement
Good luck John. Have a great retirement.
John, all the best to you and your family on your well deserved retirement. I can honestly say you were one of the hardest working Sergeants that I have had the honour of working with. Your time in Regt Ops demonstrated your dedication to not only the Regt but to your trade and was a guiding light to many of your juniors. God speed to you and your family and hopefully we can get out sometime for a round of golf….VVV
Congratulations John, 38 years is really amazing 😉 I keep very good memories about the time we spent in Regt Ops. I was lucky you were there assisting with all those ration request, transportations. I hope our path will cross again. Enjoy your well deserve retirement VVV, Marco