1. AFTER NEARLY 30 YEARS OF LOYAL AND DEDICATED SERVICE, WO STONEHAM WILL BE RETIRING FROM THE CAF ON 1 APRIL 2025.

2. STONEY ENROLLED ON 16 OCTOBER 1995 AS A RESERVIST WITH 1 ROYAL NEW BRUNSWICK REGIMENT (1 RNBR) IN FREDERICTON, NB, SERVING AS A RIFLEMAN. PTE STONEHAM RECEIVED HIS CALL UP TO THE REG FORCE WHILE FREEZING ON WINTER WARFARE EXERCISE OUTSIDE OF IQALUIT, BAFFIN ISLAND, NU WITH 1 CER. ON 7 AUG 1997 PTE STONEHAM SET TO COMPLETE BATTLE SCHOOL IN MEAFORD, ON AND WAS POSTED TO THE 2ND BATTALION ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT (2 RCR), “JOGGING” JULIET COMPANY IN CFB GAGETOWN, NB. AFTER HIS FIRST CHRISTMAS LEAVE BREAK, HE WAS DEPLOYED TO QUEBEC DURING THE “ICE STORMS” WINTER OF 1998. FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS STONEY WAS ON A PLANE OVERSEAS EVERY 18 MONTHS TO TYPICALLY SOMEWHERE HOT. IN EARLY 1999, HE WAS DEPLOYED TO OP PALLADIUM IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA AS A RIFLEMAN. THIS WAS HIS FIRST AND ONLY TOUR TO BE DEPLOYED THE SAME TIME AND OPERATION AS HIS FATHER SGT E.A.C STONEHAM, CD. DURING HIS 8 YEARS IN 2 RCR, CPL STONEHAM DEPLOYED ON 4 TOURS, WAS QUALIFIED ON MULTIPLE VEHICLES INCLUDING THE ILTIS, M113, MLVW, HLVW AND MANY MORE AS WELL AS LAV III GUNNER / COMD, TOW UNDER ARMOUR TO NAME A FEW QUALIFICATIONS. ONLY A MONTH AFTER HIS SON AUSTIN WAS BORN, CPL STONEHAM DEPLOYED TO OP ECLIPSE IN ETHIOPIA/ERITREA FROM DEC 2000 TO JUL 2001 AS A LAV III DRIVER. DURING HIS TOUR HE WAS THE FIRST CANADIAN SOLDIER TO HIT AN ANTI-TANK MINE WITH THE LAV III. GENERAL MOTORS WAS EXTREMELY INTERESTED IN THE DETAILS OF HOW THE LAV TOOK THE BLAST, IT WAS ALSO THE TIME WHERE STONEY FOUND OUT HIS PANASONIC DISC-MAN INDEED WAS ANTI-SKIP. SPRING OF 2003 CPL STONEHAM FOUND HIMSELF ON A PLANE TO AFGHANISTAN AS A SECTION SHARPSHOOTER, WHERE HOTEL COMPANY WAS DEPLOYED TO SECURE CAMP JULIAN IN KABUL. DURING HIS TIME IN KABUL, HE MET A FELLOW BATTLE SCHOOL GRADUATE DAVE HAMMOND, WHO HAD OCCUPATIONALLY TRANSFERRED (OT) TO THE LINE TRADE AND MADE COMPELLING ARGUMENTS THAT STONEY SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER AN OT TO THE TRADE. ONLY A YEAR LATER, CPL STONEHAM WAS DEPLOYED TO OP HALO IN PORT AUX PRINCES, HAITI AS AN LO’S / OC’S ILTIS DRIVER WITH INDIA COMPANY 2 RCR. THIS WAS HIS FINAL DEPLOYMENT AS A ROYAL. EARLY 2005 CPL STONEHAM ACCEPTS AN OT TO 052 LINEMAN AND UPON COMPLETION OF THE LINE APPRENTICE COURSE WAS POSTED TO 1 LINE SQUADRON, CFJSR IN KINGSTON. DURING HIS 4 YEAR STINT IN KINGSTON, HE BOUNCED BETWEEN CABLE AND ANTENNA CREWS, COMPLETED HIS LINE JOURNEYMAN COURSE, ADVANCED ANTENNA COURSE AND MULTIPLE PROJECTS FROM GAGETOWN TO ALERT TO VANCOUVER ISLAND AND MANY LOCATIONS IN BETWEEN. AFTER FINALLY MAKING IT TO THE BELOVED SGT KENNY HOWE’S SUNSHINE CREW, WHICH WAS SHORT LIVED, HE THEN DEPLOYED TO KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN (KAF) IN 2008 AS A GD FOR RC SOUTH. AFTER A LONG 10 MONTH TOUR, WITH THE BEST LINE SECT IMAGINABLE TO INCLUDE MCPL ROD MULLET, CPL MARTY ORGAN, CPL OTIS EATMAN AND CPL JOHNNY PHILPOTT, HE WAS DEPLOYED MERE MONTHS LATER TO EX TROPICAL HAMMER IN KINGSTON, JAMAICA AS LINE DET COMD DURING THE ENGINEERS WORK UP TRAINING FOR AFGHANISTAN. CPL STONEHAM WAS THEN POSTED TO CFJSR DET HALIFAX IN APS OF 2009 WHERE IS ONCE AGAIN DEPLOYED ON MULTIPLE PROJECTS INCLUDING HIS FAVORITE LOCATION OF GANDER CONDUCTING MAINTENANCE ON THE MONSTROUS FRD-10A. AFTER ONLY 2 YEARS IN HALIFAX, NOW PROMOTED MCPL STONEHAM WAS POSTED TO 1 HQ & SIGS SQN IN EDMONTON AS THE LINE DET SGT WHERE HE DEPLOYED TO THE FIELD MORE TIMES THAN HE WISHES TO ADMIT. THIS WOULD BE STONEY’S FINAL GEOGRAPHICAL POSTING AS HE WOULD GO ON TO BE PROMOTED AND POSTED TO CFJSR DET EDMONTON IN 2016. SGT STONEHAM DEPLOYED AS PROJECT FOREMAN TO MULTIPLE LOCATIONS IN WESTERN CANADA, WITH A MORE THAN IMPECABLE CREW. AS INJURIES SUSTAINED DURING THE MINE BLAST IN 2001, SGT STONEHAM STARTED DEALING WITH BACK ISSUES WHICH ULTIMATLEY LED TO A MEDICAL RELEASE. SGT STONEHAM HELD ON FOR AS LONG AS HE COULD AND WAS VERY GRATEFUL THAT 77 LINE REGT OFFERED A 3 YEAR PERIOD OF RETENTION (POR). PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS POR, STONEY WAS PROMOTED TO WARRANT OFFICER AND POSTED TO 3 LINE SQN OPS. AFTER RECEIVING AN EXTENTIONS TO HIS POR, WO STONEHAM WAS POSTED AGAIN TO HIS FINAL POSITION OF 3 LINE SQN, RLWC LCF, WHICH WAS HIS ULTAMITE GOAL DURING HIS TENURE AS A LINEMAN. STONEY WISHES TO EXTEND HIS SINCERE APPRECIATION TO ALL THE EXTRAORDINARY TRADESMEN HE HAD THE HONOR OF SERVING WITH AND THE FRIENDSHIPS THAT HE MADE DURING HIS JOURNEY THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER.

3. WO STONEHAM INTENDS TO RETIRE IN THE EDMONTON AREA WITH HIS WIFE ELISHA. HIS SON AUSTIN REMAINS IN THE FREDERICTON, NB AREA WITH HIS SPOUSE DESTINY AND THEIR 2 DAUGHTERS ISABELLA AND IVY.

4. A DWD LUNCHEON WILL BE HELD AT THE CFB EDMONTON WARRANTS AND SERGEANTS MESS FROM 1300 – 1600 HRS, 28 MARCH 2025