AFTER MORE THAN 24 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE, SERGEANT CHRIS RICHARD WILL RETIRE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES EFFECTIVE 27 OCTOBER 2023.

SGT RICHARD FIRST JOINED THE CAF ON 26 MARCH 1999, AS A NAVAL COMMUNICATOR. AFTER COMPLETION OF BASIC TRAINING IN ST JEAN SUR RICHELIEU QC AND TRADES TRAINING IN ESQUIMALT BC, HE WAS POSTED TO HALIFAX NS, ABOARD HIS FIRST SHIP, HMCS CHARLOTTETOWN. HE DEPLOYED TO THE MEDITERRANEAN AND ARABIAN SEAS AS PART OF OPERATION AUGMENTATION FROM JANUARY TO JULY 2001. THEN AGAIN LESS THAN 4 MONTHS AFTER RETURNING, AS A RESPONSE TO THE SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS,  HE DEPLOYED TO THE ARABIAN SEA AND INDIAN OCEAN AS PART OF OPERATION APOLLO ROTO 0.

IN 2004, SGT RICHARD WAS POSTED TO MARLANTHQ AS THE ALTERNATE COMSEC CUSTODIAN. AFTER 3 YEARS ASHORE, IT WAS TIME TO GO BACK TO SEA, AND ANOTHER DEPLOYMENT. HE WAS POSTED TO HMCS VILLE DE QUEBEC IN 2007 AND PROMOTED TO MASTER SAILOR. HE DEPLOYED IN JULY 2008 ON OPERATION SEXTANT, WHICH WAS THEN REDEPLOYED IN AUGUST TO EAST AFRICA, AS PART OF OPERATION ALTAIR, ESCORTING WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME SHIPS LOADED WITH LIFE-SAVING SUPPLIES FROM KENYA TO SOMALIA.

ANOTHER SHORE POSTING WAS IN THE CARDS FOR SGT RICHARD IN 2009, THIS TIME IT WAS AT HMCS SCOTIAN, THE NAVAL RESERVE UNIT IN HALIFAX, WHERE HE WAS EMPLOYED AS THE SENIOR NAV COMM/ISA. THEN BACK TO THE FLEET IN 2011, WHERE HE WAS POSTED TO HMCS IROQUOIS.

IN NEED OF A CHANGE, SGT RICHARD REMUSTERED TO ATIS TECH IN 2012. HE ATTENDED POET AND TRADES TRAINING AT CFSCE IN KINGSTON ON, THEN WAS POSTED TO 76 COMM REGIMENT IN OTTAWA IN JANUARY 2014. HE WORKED AS THE ADDN AND CDRSN TECH THEN MOVED ON TO BE A NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR FOR TOP SECRET AND SMALL NETWORKS.

IN 2018, HE WAS PROMOTED TO MASTER CORPORAL AND POSTED TO CFB GREENWOOD, WHERE HE BECAME A JACK OF ALL TRADES, WORKING IN THE MESSAGE CENTER, THE CRYPTO VAULT THEN ON THE AIRFIELD. IN 2021, HE MOVED OVER TO LRP OPS AS PART OF THE DEPLOYED MISSION SUPPORT CENTRE TEAM, WHERE HE TOOK PART IN NUMEROUS EXERCISES AND WAS DEPLOYED TO SICILY, ITALY FROM MARCH TO JUNE 2022, FOR OPERATION REASSURANCE. HE WAS PROMOTED TO HIS CURRENT RANK IN 2023 AND EMPLOYED AS THE SMC SERGEANT.

SGT RICHARD HAS FELT HONOURED TO SERVE HIS COUNTRY AND WEAR THE UNIFORM AS A MEMBER OF THE CAF AND HAS ENJOYED THE OPPORTUNITIES AND ADVENTURES IT PROVIDED. HE APPRECIATES THE RELATIONSHIPS AND FRIENDS HE MADE THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. HE WILL MOVE BACK TO HIS HOMETOWN OF SHEDIAC NB, WITH HIS PARTNER NICOLE, WHERE HE WILL BE EMPLOYED WITH THE SOUTHERN NEW BRUNSWICK SCHOOL BOARD.