1. SERGEANT RYAN HEFFERNAN WILL BE RETIRING AFTER 23 YEARS OF SERVICE.

2. SGT RYAN HEFFERNAN OR AS MOST KNOW HIM “HEFF” JOINED THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES IN 1999 AS RESERVE INFANTEER WITH THE HASTINGS AND PRINCE EDWARD REGIMENT. IN 2001 WHILE A MEMBER OF THE “HASTY P’S”, SGT HEFFERNAN WAS SELECTED TO DEPLOY TO BOSNIA WITH 3 RCR. AFTER 6 MONTHS IN BOSNIA, HE RE-DEPLOYED TO MACEDONIA. SGT HEFFERNAN THEN SAW THE LIGHT AND IN 2002, DECIDED TO TRANSFER TO THE REGULAR FORCE AS AN ATIS TECH. AFTER POET AND ATIS TRADES SCHOOL, SGT HEFFERNAN WAS POSTED TO 8 ACCS IN TRENTON, WHERE HE WORKED BOTH ON THE COMMUNICATIONS SIDE AS WELL AS THE AIRFIELD SIDE. DURING HIS TIME AT 8 ACCS, HE WAS DEPLOYED TO MULTIPLE DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL EXERCISES AND OPERATIONS. MOST NOTABLY ETHIOPIA TO ASSIST WITH THE EFFORTS DURING THE DARFUR CONFLICT. IN 2009, SGT HEFFERNAN WAS POSTED TO CFJSR. DURING HIS SHORT 2 YEARS THERE HE DEPLOYED TO AFGHANISTAN WORKING FOR THE REGIONAL COMMAND SOUTH SERVICE DESK. HE DEPLOYED OUTSIDE THE WIRE IN THE PANJWAI DISTRICT TO ASSIST IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FORWARD OBSERVATION COMMAND POST. AFTER RETURNING TO CANADA, SGT HEFFERNAN PUT HIS APPLICATION IN FOR CANSOFCOM IN OTTAWA. SGT HEFFERNAN WAS SELECTED TO JOIN JOINT TASK FORCE 2 BUT HAD TO DO A YEAR AT CFSCE TEACHING QL3 CANDIDATES BEFORE HE WOULD BE POSTED. IN 2013 SGT HEFFERNAN WAS POSTED TO CANSOFCOM. DURING HIS 5 YEARS THERE, HE DEPLOYED ON MULTIPLE EXERCISES AND OPERATIONS. SGT HEFFERNAN WORKED FOR THE TECH SHOP AND THEN LATER AS THE COMMUNICATIONS TECHNICIAN FOR THE MARITIME OPERATIONS TROOP. IN 2015 SGT HEFFERNAN DEPLOYED TO IRAQ AS A COMMUNICATIONS TECHNICIAN. IN 2017 SGT HEFFERNAN WAS POSTED TO CFSCE ONCE AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME, TO TEACH QL6A.

3. NOW, ABOUT 23 YEARS LATER, SGT HEFFERNAN IS RETIRING FROM THE CAF AND IS LOOKING FORWARD TO PURSUING FIREFIGHTING AND STARTING HIS OWN EQUIPMENT TRANSPORT BUSINESS. SGT HEFFERNAN LOOKS FORWARD TO SPENDING MORE TIME WITH HIS DAUGHTERS AND WIFE AS WELL AS TAKING UP GOLF. SGT HEFFERNAN WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THE PEOPLE WHO HE KNEW THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER THAT HELPED SHAPE HIM INTO THE PERSON HE’S BECOME TODAY.

4. PLEASE SEND ALL ANECDOTES AND WELL WISHES TO [email protected].