After more than 36 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Canadian Military Engineer Branch and the National Defence Fire Service, CWO Marc Paquette, CD, will retire 27 Oct 2016.  A Depart with Dignity Ceremony will take place at the WO & Sgts Mess in CFB Borden, ON, on 02 Sep 2016.  Attendees are requested to advise the OPI of their planned attendance NLT 18 Aug 2016.  Anecdotes or retirement wishes may be sent to the OPI by e-mail.

OPI: WO Shaun Fretter; or by phone at 705-424-1200, ext 7314.

Chief Warrant Officer Marc Paquette was born in Saint-Lambert, Quebec. He joined the Canadian Forces as a reservist with the Regiment de Maisonneuve in Montreal on the 25 June 1980. He compulsory transferred to the Regular Force as an Infantryman in February 1981. On completion of recruit training in St-Jean, Quebec and trades training in Valcartier, he was posted to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal 22 Regiment (3 R22e R). In summer 1982, he was transferred to CFB Lahr, Germany with the 1st R22R and promoted to Corporal on completion of Technical Qualification Level Five training. He was promoted to Master Corporal in 1988.

In May 1990, Chief Warrant Officer Paquette obtained an occupation transfer as a Fire Fighter and was posted to CFB Borden to attend his QL3 course. In August 1991, upon completion of his trade course he was posted to CFB Ottawa. He then completed his Technical Qualification Level Five in September of 1994 and was posted to the Canadian Forces Fire Marshall Office from 1995 to 1997. During his tenure with the CFFM he helped create the first Computerized Fire Incident Reporting System (COFIRES). He was then assigned as a shipboard Fire Fighter with the HMCS Montreal and upon promotion to MCpl in1998; joined HMCS St-John as Fire Fighter section 2i/c.

In 2000 Chief Warrant Officer Paquette was posted to 8 Wing Trenton as a Crew Chief. He was quickly promoted to Sergeant in 2001 and assumed the role of the Deputy Platoon Chief. He then travelled to CFS Alert where from June to December of 2002 he would serve as the Fire Chief. With the creation of the Joint NBCD Coy in 2003 he was again posted within Trenton and became the Section Commander of the unit’s Decon Platoon. Following his promotion to Warrant Officer in 2005, he was once again posted to CFB Edmonton, where he filled the position of Platoon Chief. In April 2007 he assumed the duties of Deputy Fire Chief and was promoted to MWO in January 2008. Again posted, he arrived in CFB Borden, ON, in the fall of 2008 where he served as the Standards Master Warrant Officer responsible for Fire Fighter training quality assurance and become the Unit Chief Warrant Officer in April 2011. He was promoted to his current rank on June 6th 2011. Chief Warrant Officer Paquette has achieved the SSM for Alert and NATO and has earned his CD2. After so many attempts to have him posted again he finally decided to retire and will be leaving the Canadian Armed Forces in October 2016.

Chief Warrant Officer Paquette married Manuela in Germany in June 1986 and has two beautiful daughters, Saskia who was born in Germany in January 1990 and Tamara who was born in Ottawa, ON in January 1994. Chief Warrant Officer Paquette will retire in the region of Barrie, Ontario where he will enjoy a well-deserved retirement.