Retirement messages

Blank English template for retirement message available here.

Blank French template for retirement message available here.

For any retirement messages wished to be sent out to the RCEME family, please send to our mailbox: DND.RCEME-GEMRC.MDN@forces.gc.ca.

To receive a retirement certificate, please fill in this form and send it to the positional mailbox.

The guidelines and format can be seen in Communiqué 01/2018 here.

September 2021

  • 13 September: Col Spitzig – After 27+ years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Col Spitzig will retire on 9 September 2021. To maintain local COVID-19 protective health measures and respect the wishes of Col Spitzig, a very intimate Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will be held on 16 July 2021. For these reasons, the event will be closed to the public and participation will be on an invitation basis only. Therefore, we highly encourage retirement messages, anecdotes and photos to be sent to the OPI, Capt Andrew MacLean, at andrew.maclean4@forces.gc.ca no later than 9 July 2021.
  • 1 September: Col Sánchez Maloney – After 35 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Col Sánchez Maloney will retire on 1st September 2021. An intimate Departure with Dignity Ceremony will be held on 2 June 2021 at 14:00 at the Canadian embassy in Washington. Please send your stories, messages and photos to LCol Dan Thériault at daniel.theriault@forces.gc.ca.

August 2021

  • 31 August: Sgt Brown – After 22 years in uniform, Sgt John Brown is retiring from the Canadian Armed Forces with his last day in Reg force uniform being 31 Aug, 2020. It’s been a long enjoyable road and as he nears the end of his employability in the CAF, he has taken the opportunity and accepted a position as a reservist Sgt at 21EW, continuing to support the CAF as a Vehicle Technician. Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will be held on 25 March 2021 at 1:00pm at the ANAF Club in Kingston. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the event will unfortunately not open to public. Please send a message, your stories, anecdotes and photos and confirm your attendance to the OPI MCpl Kaitlyn White at Kaitlyn.white@forces.gc.ca NLT 22 March 2021.
  • 16 August: BGen Bouchard – After 33 years of service to the Corps, Brigadier-general Sébastien Bouchard will leave the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) on 16 August 2021.  Should you like to send a congratulatory message, anecdote and/or best wishes, please send to LCol Ian Koss at Ian.Koss@rmc-cmr.ca. All those interested are welcome to join his Depart with Dignity from 1400-1600hrs, 18 June on Zoom! Zoom link below for those wishing to attend!
    https://zoom.us/j/93132720013?pwd=Wlg0RVoxNmtNaTJ0Vnp5WWllajNrdz09
  • 6 August: Maj Park – After 14 years of dedicated and loyal service to the RCEME Corps and the Canadian Armed Forces, Major Ben Park will be retiring on 6 August 2021. Major Park is looking forward to taking further education with VAC Educational and Training Fund to apply for MBA and while assisting his brother’s business. A Depart with Dignity ceremony will take place on Friday 25 June 2021 starting at 1300 at MGen Hoffmeister Building, 4th Floor 1755 W 1st Avenue Vancouver. If you wish to attend or send congratulatory messages, stories and anecdotes please email at Scott.Short@forces.gc.ca, no later than 22 June 2021.
  • 6 August: Capt(ret’d) René Provencher  – After 18 years with the Public Service and 15 years of loyal service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (RCEME), René Provencher will retire from Public Service on August 6, 2021. An awards and certificates presentation will take place on June 11, 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event will unfortunately not be open to the public. For any stories, messages and photos, send them to Suzanne Robitaille at Suzanne.Robitaille@forces.gc.ca no later than May 31, 2021.

July 2021

  • 30 July: Sgt Glandon – After 19 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Sergeant (Sgt) Glandon will retire on 30 July 2021. Due to Covid -19 restrictions an official Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will not be held. A small award and recognition ceremony will be held followed by an unofficial gathering hosted by Sgt Glandon’s spouse, timing and location to be confirmed. In the interim please send your stories, messages and photos to Sergeant Frederic Turcotte at Frederic.Turcotte@forces.gc.ca.
  • 21 July: Cpl O’Connor – After 5 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, Cpl O’Connor will release on 21 July 2021. A Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will be held on 9 July 2021. The time and location are TBD based on provincial COVID restrictions. Please send your stories, messages and photos to MCpl Tim Cromwell.
  • 13 July: Cpl Finnigan – After 31 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the RCEME Corps, Cpl Stephen Finnigan will retire on 13 July 2021. Due to COVID restrictions and on Cpl Finnigan request, a small Departure with Dignity (DWD) will be held in Gander. Stories, messages and photos can be sent to MCpl Lamothe at Samuel.Lamothe@forces.gc.ca to wish him well in his future endeavors.
  • 12 July: Cpl Hope – After 6 years of exceptional dedication and loyal service to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and to the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers(RCEME), Cpl David Hope will retire on 12 July 2021. Should you wish to send any congratulatory messages, anecdotes and best wishes, please send them to Sgt Bradley Smith at Bradley.Smith3@forces.gc.ca and they will be presented to him upon his release.
  • 8 July: LCol Edwards – After 35 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, LCol Edwards will retire on 8 July 2021. A Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will be held on 20 May 2021 at 10:00 through ZOOM as per the invitation details. Please confirm your attendance and send your stories, messages and photos to Maj Guillaume Fleury at guillaume.fleury@forces.gc.ca. The details of the Zoom Event can be found in the retirement message.
  • 6 July: MWO Guay – After 30 years of loyal and dedicated service within the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) as a Vehicle Technician, MWO Guay will retire on 6 July 2021. A Departure with Dignity ceremony will be held on (date/time and location to be determined). Please send your stories, messages and photos to WO Eric Labbé at Eric.Labbe3@forces.gc.ca.
  • 2 July: MWO Fortin – After more than 34 years of loyal and dedicated service with the CAF and the RCEME Corps, MWO François Fortin will retire on the 2nd of July, 2021. Due to Covid restriction there will be no DWD ceremonies but please send congratulatory messages and anecdotes no later than 2 Jun 2021 to Capt Robertson julian.robertson@forces.gc.ca.

June 2021

  • 28 June: MCpl Steeves – After more than 15 years of dedicated service with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Corps, MCpl Brandon Steeves will retire on June 28th, 2021. There will be no Depart with Dignity for MCpl Steeves at this time. Any messages, well wishes, stories or anecdotes can be passed on to Sgt Cory Johnson at: CORY.JOHNSON2@forces.gc.ca.
  • 24 June: MWO Maurice – After more than 23 years of service, Master Warrant Officer Dominique Maurice will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) on June 24, 2021. No Depart with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will be held due to COVID-19 restriction. However, he would like to thank everyone he has had the pleasure to work with to this day. Please send your stories and anecdotes to MWO Hum DON.HUM@forces.gc.ca.
  • 21 June: MCpl Beverley – After 20 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), MCpl Beverley will retire on 21 June 2021. A Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will be held on 21 June 2021 at 10:00. at CFB Shilo CAFTC. Please confirm your attendance and send your stories, messages and photos to Sgt Gingras at hugo.gingras2@forces.gc.ca.
  • 20 June: Sgt Crews – After 20 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Sgt Crews will retire on 30 June 2021. A Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will be held on 30 June 2021 at 1200, at Building 129 RCEME Flight, pending current Manitoba COVID-19 PHM restrictions. Please send your stories, messages and photos to Sgt Al Dodman at Alexander.Dodman@forces.gc.ca.
  • 18 June: Maj McLeod – After 36+ years of loyal service, Maj McLeod will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces on 18 June 2021. A small DWD will be held in Kingston at a date to be determined in the near future. Please send anecdotes, messages and photos NLT 20 May to Mike Vandepol at Michael.Vandepol2@forces.gc.ca.
  • 15 June: MCpl Raddatz – After 11 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), MCpl Raddatz will retire on 15 June 2021. Unfortunately, at this time a Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony has not been scheduled.
  • 14 June: Sgt Tétreault – After 15 years of loyal service in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Royal Canadian Mechanical Electrical Engineering Corps (RCMG), Sgt Denis Tétreault will retire on June 14, 2021. A departure ceremony with dignity will take place on June 14, 2021 in our lines. Due to covid-19 restrictions, the event will unfortunately not be open to the public. For any story, anecdote and photos, send them to Sgt Gallant NLG in nigel.gallant@forces.gc.ca no later than May 31, 2021.
  • 11 June: Sgt Madge – After 15 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Sergeant Madge will depart from the Corps on 11 June 2021. He has accomplished a long-term goal of being selected as a Search and Rescue Technician, and will begin his training this summer. A small release gathering will be held within unit lines before Sergeant Madge’s departure. Well wishes and anecdotes may be sent to Sgt. Chris Corbett chris.corbett@forces.gc.ca.
  • 4 June: WO Fenton – After 30 plus years of dedicated and loyal service in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and RCEME Corps, WO Derrick Fenton will retire on 4 June 2021. The official Retirement Ceremony will commence at “The Bunker” located in the Oromocto mall, 1198 Onondaga St, Oromocto, N.B (Pizza Delight) at 1300hrs on 04 June 2021. If you wish to send any anecdotes or congratulatory messages please send them to WO S. Benjamin via email at Shane.Benjamin@Forces.gc.ca.
  • 2 June: Cpl Proctor – After 24+ years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Cpl Daniel Proctor will officially remove and hang up the uniform on June 2nd 2021. Cpl Proctor DWD Ceremony will be planned later when the restrictions due to COVID 19 are relaxed. Any messages, well wishes, stories or anecdotes can be passed on to Sgt Andreas Nitsche at Andreas.Nitsche@forces.gc.ca.

May 2021

  • 30 May: WO Sparks – After 38 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), 36 of which with the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Warrant Officer Michael Sparks will retire on 31 May 2021. Please send your stories, congratulatory messages and photos to WO Jason Fortin (jason.fortin@forces.gc.ca) which will be given to Mike during the event.
  • 12 May: MWO Cimon – After 24 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, MWO Cimon will retire on 12 May 2021. Yannick would like to to thank all mentors and friends who made it possible for him to have a wonderful career in the military. Yannick accepted a job with the public service as EG6. He and his family will stay in the National Capital to allow their two daughters to complete their University. A Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will not be held due to the COVD-19 Situation.

April 2021

  • 31 April: Sgt Pepin – After 30 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and 21 years in the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Sgt Pepin will retire on 30 April 2021. No Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will be held due to COVID-19 restriction. But you can send your stories, messages and photos to MWO Beaulieu at Daniel.Beaulieu@forces.gc.ca NLT 24 April 2021.
  • 30 April: Maj(ret’d) James Webb – After 19 years with the Public Service and 28 years of loyal service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (RCEME), James Webb will retire from Public Service on April 30, 2021. An awards and certificates presentation will take place on June 11, 2021. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event will unfortunately not be open to the public. For any stories, messages and photos, send them to Suzanne Robitaille at Suzanne.Robitaille@forces.gc.ca no later than May 31, 2021.
  • 30 April: Capt Biggar – After 41+ year of service in the Canadian Armed Forces, Capt Brad Biggar retired on 30 April 2021. A DWD will be held at the Oromocto Branch or the Royal Canadian Legion on the 28 May 2021 from 1300-1500 hrs. All provincial and base COVID –19 protocols will adhered to. The number of personnel permissible at the ceremony will be restricted to 50 people. All reservations, anecdotes and congratulatory messages are to be sent to Capt Paul Roy via email to Roy Capt PJ@CTC HQ@Gagetown, Paul.Roy@forces.gc.ca
  • 30 April: Cpl Laplante – After 11 years of loyal and dedicated service in the Canadian Armed Forces, Cpl Maxime Laplante will retire on 30 April 2021. Cpl Laplante decided to change his career path and will be working in finances after his retirement and does not want a dignified departure ceremony. Farewell messages can be sent to Julien.Gagnon@forces.gc.ca.
  • 30 April: MWO Pruski – After 22 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the RCEME Corps, MWO Ray Pruski will retire on 30 April 2021. Due to COVID restrictions and on MWO Pruski’s request, a small Departure with Dignity will be held in Halifax. Stories, messages and photos can be sent to MWO Fleck at Todd.Fleck@forces.gc.ca to wish him well in his future endeavors.
  • 23 April: MWO Ring – After 35 plus years of loyal service in the RCEME Corp and the Canadian Armed Forces, MWO Gary Ring will be retiring on 23 April 2021. A Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony will be held on 22 April 2021 at 1200hrs at The Boulevard (formerly the Warehouse / Sassy’s) as long as COVID restrictions do not change in Renfrew County. Please confirm your attendance and send your stories, messages and photos to Sgt R.J. Bould at Robert.Bould@forces.gc.ca.
  • 21 April: Cpl Russell – After 7 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Cpl David Russell will retire on the 20 April 2021. Due to the COVID restriction a small Departure with Dignity (DWD) Ceremony was held with selected individuals. If you wish to send stories, messages and photos they can be sent to the OPI MCpl Kevin Pearce at Kevin.pearce3@forces.gc.ca.
  • 19 April: WO Samuel – After 30+ years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Royal Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) as a Vehicle Technician WO Craig Samuel (Sammy) has retired on the 19th April 2021. WO Samuel plans on spending most of his summer in Lethbridge with his significant other and of course on the golf course. WO Samuel DWD will be planned later when restrictions due to COVID 19 are relaxed. Stories, Messages and photos of WO Samuel’s time in the CAF can be sent to PATRICK.MAKINSON2@forces.gc.ca
  • 15 April: MWO Noseworthy – After more than 27 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Corps (RCEME), MWO Noseworthy will retire 15 April 2021. Due to the Covid protocols enforced in Alberta at this time, there will be no DWD but you can send any well wishes or ridiculous stories over the years to WO Marie Walton at Marie.Walton2@forces.gc.ca.
  • 2 April: Sgt Gagné – After more than 24 years of good and loyal service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Sgt Martin Gagné will retire on April 2, 2021. Martin does not want a Departure with Dignity ceremony, but simply a farewell dinner with the team he worked with during his last assignment. In the meantime, any anecdotes or words of thanks can be sent to rene.gosselin@forces.gc.ca

March 2021

  • 29 March: Capt Dubé – After more than 16 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and more than 10 years with the Canadian Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Corps (RCEME), Captain Daniel Dubé will retire on 29 March 2021. Due to the sanitary measures currently imposed, a private ceremony to celebrate Capt Dubé’s career will be held on 9 March 2021. Retirement messages, anecdotes and best wishes can be sent to Capt Marc-Antoine Lévesque: Marc-Antoine.Levesque@forces.gc.ca.
  • 26 March: Maj Walsh – After 33.5 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Major Allan Walsh will retire on the 26 March 2021. Due to COVID restrictions and on Maj Walsh’s request, a Departure with Dignity (DWD) will not be held. Stories, messages and photos can be sent to MWO Fleck at Todd.Fleck@forces.gc.ca to wish him well in his future endeavors.
  • 21 March: Cpl Davidson – After 17+ years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Cpl Brad Davidson will retire on 21 March 2021. Due to COVID restrictions and on Cpl Davidson’s request, a Departure with Dignity (DWD) will not be held. Stories, messages and photos can be sent to Sgt Doherty at Ryan.doherty2@forces.gc.ca.
  • 17 March: Capt Stewart – After 31 years of good and loyal service within the CAF and RCEME Corps, Capt Greg Stewart will retire on 17 March 2021. There will be no DWD, instead Greg and Shelleyann will have a huge party by the pool/ lake when circumstances allow.
  • 15 March: Cpl Haque – After 14.5 plus years of service, Cpl Enamul Haque will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the RCEME Corps on March 15th 2021. Enamul, Ishrat and their daughter Arya will be staying in the Toronto area where he plans to go back to school to focus on his new career in entrepreneurship and small business. Enamul would like to wish everyone that he has worked with over the years all the best in their futures and a safe journey throughout their military careers. Unfortunately ,due to the COVID restrictions in place, there will be no formal DWD ceremony. Should you like to send any congratulatory messages, anecdotes and best wishes, please send them to Sgt Maharaj at ajay.maharaj@forces.gc.ca and they will present to him upon his release.
  • 9 March: MWO Charest – After 24 years of good and loyal service in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), MWO Frédéric Charest will retire on March 9, 2021. A ceremony will take place at a later date, when the COVID-19 situation is stabilized. An invitation will be sent. You can send your anecdotes and photos to Capt JD Legault at Jere-mie.Legault2@forces.gc.ca.

February 2021

  • 28 February: LCol McDonald – After almost 32 years as a FCS/EO Tech and a RCEME Officer, LCol Rob McDonald will be retiring from the CAF on 28 Feb 2021. Rob and his wife, Sgt Shelley McDonald, will continue their careers in ADM(Mat) with Rob immediately transitioning to the Public Service to take on new challenges in DCSEM. His 3 children (Ashley in Toronto, Mikaela in Richmond and Pte Christian McDonald in 2 Svc Bn) wish him success in his future endeavours. Rob has met many wonderful people in his long career and has many fond memories of his time in uniform. He will indeed miss all of those whom he has met and hopes to keep contact with them into the future. A virtual DWD will be planned in the near future. The OPI is Maj Andrew Chan and can be contacted at LColMcDonaldDWD@gmail.com for congratulations and anecdotes.
  • 25 February: LCol Pellicano – After 29 plus years of loyal service to the Canadian Armed Forces and 27 plus years with the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, LCol Sophie Pellicano will leave the Regular Force on 25 February 2021. She will nonetheless continue in a career as a public servant in the Strategic Joint Staff. Due to the pandemic restrictions, there will be no formal DWD ceremony. Should you like to send a congratulatory message, anecdote(s) and/or best wishes, please send to LCol Guillaume Oliver at Guillaume.Olivier@forces.gc.ca.
  • 25 February: Pte Gagné – After 4 years of good and loyal services in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and in the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Pte Sébastien Gagné will be retiring on February 25, 2021. Sébastien does not want a Departure with Dignity ceremony. Any anecdotes or photos can be sent to chantal.bourget@forces.gc.ca.
  • 24 February: Cpl Wells – After 5 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Cpl Connor Wells will retire on the 24 February 2021 to explore other career opportunities. Due to COVID restrictions and on Cpl Wells’s request, a Departure with Dignity (DWD) will not be held. Stories, messages and photos can be sent to MCpl Misch at Alfred.misch@forces.gc.ca to wish him well in his future endeavors.
  • 19 February: Cpl Bélanger – After more than 7 years of good and loyal services in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and in the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Cpl Nicolas Bélanger will be retiring on February 19, 2021. Any anecdotes or words of thanks can be sent to Francois.Guitard2@forces.gc.ca.
  • 14 February: Capt Emes – After 26 years of service with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), Captain Stephen Emes will retire on 14 February 2021. Captain Emes’ last day in uniform will be 14 February 2021. His new career will start the next day, with his own company marketing prominent product lines to the Mil/LE community. Captain Emes will remain in the Southern Georgian Bay area as he waits for his wife Stacey to retire from the Forces. Please send your stories, messages and photos to Capt Todd Gervais at todd.gervais@forces.gc.ca.
  • 5 February: WO Bertrand – After 30 years of service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, WO Bertrand will leave the Regular force on 5 February 2021. He will nonetheless continue in a career as a public servant at DSSPM 7. No event will be held as Robert would like to move smoothly to his next employment. To send your congratulations and anecdotes, please contact MWO Francis Rose by email at Francis.Rose@forces.gc.ca.
  • 1 February: MCpl Franklin – After 9 plus years of service, MCpl Nicholas Franklin will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the RCEME Corps on February 1st 2021.Nicholas, Nikki and their three children will be staying in Edmonton area where he plans to start his own mobile repair company. Nicholas wishes everyone that he has worked with, in the past and present, the best of luck in their futures, and a safe journey throughout their military careers. Per Nicholas’ request no DWD ceremony will be held. Please send your stories, messages and photos to Sgt Matteau at David.Matteau@forces.gc.ca

January 2021

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