Elements of a Retirement Biography

Element

Content

Example

Title

 

Rank, Name, Post-Nominals

Centred and bold, Arial 18 px

Sgt Joseph “Joe” Jones, MMM, CD

Note: Do not use CD1 or CD2. These are not authorized and really add little. Similarly, Captain (ex-CWO) is also meaningless.

Photo A recent photo should be included. Normally place these at the top of the page, under the title, justified Left with Word Wrap.  
Introduction An introduction announces when the person will retire, their length of service and summarizes their career. Sergeant Joseph “Joe” Jones, MMM, CD will retire from the Canadian Military Engineers on 12 September 2018 after 15 years of service in Canada, Europe, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Body – Career Summary The body should begin with some personal details covering the person’s life before they joined the Forces. This should be followed by a chronological summary of the person’s military career. It does not have to have detail any routine and trades progression training but can include notable highlights. Notable tours of duty need to be mentioned Joe was born and raised in The Pas, MB. He completed high school in 2000 and moved to Winnipeg, MB where he started studies in construction technology at Red River College, graduating in 2002. After working in Fort McMurray, AB for a while, Joe enlisted in the Canadian Military Engineers in Edmonton in 2003.

Joe completed his basic training in St-Jean, QC followed by Trades Training at CFSME. He served in Cold Lake, AB before deploying to Afghanistan in 2006. On return, he was posted to the CE section in Trenton followed two years later with a posting to SHAPE HQ in Brussels, Belgium. On promotion to Sergeant in 2009, Joe served in Edmonton and completed a 6-month UN posting to the Golan Heights in 2012. He was posted to CFSME in 2013 as an instructor on his final posting.

Body – Notable Achievements or Recognition If the person has received special recognition or achieved something notable or received a significant award, a brief mention is warranted. During his time in the Golan, Joe received the Force Commander’s Commendation for his role in the rescue of a wounded Syrian shepherd who had inadvertently detonated a mine in the buffer zone. Joe administered first aid and took the man to the nearest Syrian Army checkpoint in Sasa.

Sgt Joseph Jones received the Medal of Military Merit in 2010.

Body – Community Involvement Most members have played a role in their communities. If appropriate, these could be included here. Joe was active in the scouting movement and took a number of leadership roles. As a minor hockey coach, he was named ‘Coach of the Year while serving in Trenton in 2012.
Body – Future Plans This is where you can describe what the person is going to do after retiring including any training, education or employment opportunities they plan to pursue. Their family can also be mentioned at this point. Joe has been accepted at the University of New Brunswick and will be completing a degree in Civil Engineering that he started in 2014. He, his wife Sarah and two boys, Jeremy and Clyde, will be settling in the Fredericton area.