1. SERGEANT JACQUELINE BOYD WILL BE RETIRING FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES ON 04 JANUARY 2021, AFTER 24 PLUS YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE TO THE ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY AND ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE.

2. JACQUELINE JOINED THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES IN VICTORIA, BC, ON 28 MAY 1996, ENLISTING AS A NAVAL COMMUNICATOR. AFTER COMPLETION OF BASIC TRAINING AND NAVAL FLEET SCHOOL, SHE JOINED THE CREW OF HMCS HURON IN 1997. BECOMING HER FAVOURITE SHIP TO EVER SAIL ON, AND EVEN WITH EVER PRESENT CLEANING STATIONS, SHE HAS FOND MEMORIES OF THAT TIME, INCLUDING WORK UP TRAINING FOR RIMPAC. WITH SEA TRAINING LEAVING THE SHIP TO PLAY DEAD IN THE WATER, WITH FAKE FIRES, FLOODS AND A LOT OF SMOKE, SAILOR SECOND CLASS (FORMALLY AB) BOYD AND A COUPLE OF HER CREW MATES HAD AN EXHILARATING TIME CRAWLING THROUGH 1 MESS HATCH WITH RATHER LIMITED VISIBILITY.

ON TOP OF EARNING HER SEA LEGS WITH HMCS HURON, AND ALREADY A YEAR INTO THE NEXT RANK, SAILOR FIRST CLASS (FORMALLY LS) BOYD RECEIVED THE CANADIAN PEACEKEEPING AND SPECIAL SVC MEDALS FOR HER HARD WORK AND DEDICATION WITH TASK FORCE ARABIAN GULF, ON THE HMCS WINNIPEG IN 2001.

COME THAT TIME, AS AN S1 WITH SOME STORIES TO TELL, SHE IS NOW POSTED TO CFB ESQUIMALT. ALTHOUGH TRAVELLING WITH THE NAVY WAS EXCITING, SHE MISSED THE TECHNICAL WORK AND BEGAN THE PROCESS OF TRANSFERRING OVER TO THE AIR FORCE AS AN AEROSPACE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS TECHNICIAN IN 2003. SHE SPENT TWO AND HALF YEARS EARNING HER COMPUTER TECHNICAL DEGREE AT CAMOSUN COLLEGE, VICTORIA BC BEING COMING FULLY QUALIFIED FOR HER NEW TRADE.

IN JANUARY 2006, THE NOW CPL BOYD WAS POSTED TO CFB COMOX. WITHIN NO TIME SHE WAS OFF TO AFGHANISTAN FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AS A COURIER AND CRYPTO CUSTODIAN.

IT WAS AT CFB COMOX IN OCT 2007 WHERE SHE MET HER SPOUSE ALEXANDRE, WITH THEIR COMMON INTERESTS OF ROCK CLIMBING, CAMPING AND RIDING MOTORCYCLES SETTING THEIR RELATIONSHIP IN MOTION.

FINALLY, AFTER ROUGHLY 14 YEARS IN THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES, THE RANK OF MCPL WAS OBTAINED. SUBSEQUENTLY, SHE TRADED IN RAIN FOR SNOW AND WAS POSTED TO CFB WINNIPEG IN 2010, WHERE SHE WORKED FOR THE RED SECTION AT WTIS.

IN 2013 IT WAS TIME FOR HER TO LEAVE THE ‘GATEWAY TO THE WEST’ AND ENJOY THE SEA AIR ONCE MORE. FOR WHAT MUST HAVE COME AS A SURPRISE NO LONGER BEING NAVY, SHE BECAME AN “EAST COASTER” WITH 12 WING IN SHEARWATER. JACQUELINE SPENT A COUPLE OF YEARS WORKING HELP DESK, IT AND RED SYSTEMS BEFORE HER PROMOTION TO SGT AND FINALLY COMING OVER CFB HALIFAX.
WITHIN CFB HALIFAX, SGT BOYD FILLED THE ROLE OF SENIOR TCI INSPECTOR, BEFORE FINALLY SETTLING INTO HER POSITION AS THE RECEIVE SECTION SUPERVISOR. KEEPING UP WITH THE ONGOING REQUIREMENTS TO RECEIVE TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE NAVY SHE ONCE SERVED IN, SGT BOYD HAS LED AND TREATED ALL MEMBERS AROUND HER AS A FAMILY SHE WILL SURELY MISS.

3. SGT BOYD AND HER SPOUSE SGT GAGNON, TWO DOGS AND CAT WILL BE RETURNING TO COMOX ONCE HE ALSO RETIRES BY THE END OF JANUARY, AND WILL BEGIN A NEW ADVENTURE OF TRAVEL AND FREEDOM, POSSIBLY WITH A NEW RV.

4. AN INFORMAL DWD WILL BE HELD AT A LATER DATE TO A SMALL GROUP DUE TO COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS. THOSE WISHING TO PASS ON CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES, ANECDOTES AND STORIES MAY EMAIL SGT CROSBY AT [email protected].