1. AFTER 35 YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE TO CANADA AND THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, MASTER WARRANT OFFICER NELSON HATCH WILL RETIRE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES EFFECTIVE 06 FEBRUARY 2024.

2. MWO HATCH RECEIVED HIS INTRODUCTION TO UNIFORM SERVICE AS A ROYAL CANADIAN AIR CADET, WHERE HE OBTAINED BOTH HIS GLIDER AND PRIVATE PILOT LICENSE. WITH THIS EXPERIENCE AND HIS GRANDFATHER’S STORIES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, HE DECIDED TO ENLIST IN THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES AS A RADIO TECHNICIAN AT THE SUDBURY RECRUITING CENTER ON 07 FEBRUARY 1989.

3. UPON COMPLETION OF HIS BASIC TRAINING AT CORNWALLIS, NOVA SCOTIA, NELSON COMPLETED HIS PERFORMANCE ORIENTED ELECTRONIC TRAINING (POET) AND TQ3’S AT THE CANADIAN FORCES SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONICS (CFSCE). IN THE SUMMER OF 1990, HE WAS POSTED TO CFS CARP, THE DIEFENBUNKER AND WAS THERE UNTIL IT CLOSED DOWN IN 1994. IT WAS AT THE END OF THIS FIRST POSTING THAT NELSON WENT ON HIS FIRST TOUR ABROAD AS PART OF THE CANADIAN CONTINGENT UNITED NATIONS PROTECTION FORCE (CCUNPROFOR) WITH THE NATIONAL REAR LINK (NRL) LOCATED IN CANBAT II, VISOKO, BOSNIA.

4. UPON RETURNING FROM BOSNIA IN 1995, NELSON WAS POSTED TO 79 COMMUNICATIONS REGIMENT KINGSTON, PREDECESSOR TO JOINT SIGNALS REGIMENT. IT WAS DURING THIS PERIOD THAT NELSON CONVERTED FROM RADIO TECHNICIAN TO HIS PRESENT TRADE, AEROSPACE TELECOMMUNICATION INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN (ATIS TECH). IN JAN 1996, NELSON DEPLOYED WITH THE FIRST EVER NATO DEPLOYMENT, IMPLEMENTATION FORCE (IFOR) OPENING UP THE NRL AT VELICA KLADUSA, BOSNIA, FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER DEPLOYMENT TO THE SAME LOCATION IN 1999.

5. NELSON WAS POSTED TO CFS LEITRIM IN 2000 AND PROMOTED TO MCPL IN 2002. DURING HIS TENURE AT CFS LEITRIM, HE COMPLETED 3 TOURS OF CFS ALERT AS THE HIGH ARCTIC DATA COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN. UPON RETURNING FROM HIS LAST ALERT TOUR IN 2005, NELSON WAS POSTED TO NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS CENTER, KUNIA, HAWAII AS THE TELEPHONY AND PHYSICAL SECURITY SUPERVISOR. HE WAS PROMOTED TO SERGEANT IN 2006 AT THE HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE NEAR PEARL HARBOR. IN 2007, NELSON WAS POSTED TO JOINT INTELLIGENCE INFORMATION FUSION CENTER (JIIFC) IN OTTAWA AS THE TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR.

6. UPON PROMOTION TO WARRANT OFFICER IN 2012, NELSON WAS POSTED TO 19 WING TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFORMATION SYSTEMS (WTIS) CFB COMOX, BRITISH COLUMBIA AS THE AIRFIELD TECHNICAL MAINTENANCE WARRANT OFFICER. DURING THIS TIME, HE ALSO FILLED IN AS THE SENIOR WARRANT OFFICER (SWO) FOR OVER A YEAR. IN JANUARY 2015, NELSON WENT ON ROTO 0 OF OP IMPACT AT AL JABER, KUWAIT AS THE COMMUNICATION INFORMATION SYSTEMS (CIS) WARRANT OFFICER. DURING THE SUMMER OF 2016, HE WAS PROMOTED TO HIS PRESENT RANK OF MASTER WARRANT OFFICER AND POSTED BACK TO OTTAWA AS THE HF LCMM. DURING THE LAST FEW YEARS, HE ALSO ASSUMED THE ROLE OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT PROJECT DELIVERY (DGIMPD0 SERGEANT-MAJOR.

7. MWO HATCH IS PLANNING ON MOVING BACK TO NORTHERN ONTARIO WHERE HE WILL RETURN TO HIS ROOTS AND CONTINUE HIS ADVENTURES IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS. SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT HE INTENDS TO TAKE UP AGAIN ARE FISHING, HUNTING, HIKING AND CANOEING.

8. A DWD IS BEING PLANNED TO TAKE PLACE BETWEEN 1000 TO 1500 HRS ON 06 FEBRUARY 2024 AT THE ALL-RANKS MESS AT CFS LEITRIM. FOR THOSE WHO PLAN TO ATTEND, PLEASE E-MAIL THE DWD ORGANIZER, WO KITCHER ON INTENT TO ATTEND AND ALLOW HIM TO PROVIDE UPDATES AS DATE OF THE EVENT GETS CLOSER.

9. CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES, ANECDOTES, FAREWELL MESSAGES, AND WELL WISHES CAN BE SENT TO WO JAMES KITCHER BY EMAIL AT [email protected].