After more than 37 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, CWO C.A. Garrett, CD, will retire on 16 September 2025. A DwD reception will be held on 3 September 2025 at the Hartlen Point Golf Club in Shearwater. If attending, please RSVP to MWO Standing (details for the golf in the attachment):Brian.standing@forces.gc.ca. Anecdotes and well wishes may be sent to the same person.
Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) Chris Garrett was born in 1970 in Bathurst, New Brunswick. He began his military journey in 1988 by enrolling in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as a member of the local Reserve Force Infantry unit, the 2nd Battalion, The Royal New Brunswick Regiment (now The North Shore Regiment). He later transferred to the Regular Force, where he trained and served as a Plumbing and Heating Technician.
Throughout his distinguished career, CWO Garrett held several key postings. He was first assigned to 141 Construction Engineering Squadron at CFB Greenwood, followed by 81 Construction Engineering Squadron at CFB Trenton. He then served at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering at CFB Gagetown. After four years at the school, he was selected for the Advanced Training List and successfully completed a year-long French language course.
He was subsequently posted to 3 Wing Bagotville, where he served for three years as the Squadron Sergeant Major. His next assignment took him to Ottawa, where he spent two years at Canadian Joint Operations Command Headquarters as the Joint Engineer Squadron Sergeant Major. In 2020, he was promoted to his current rank and appointed Unit Chief Warrant Officer for the Real Property Operations Unit (Atlantic).
CWO Garrett’s operational experience includes multiple deployments to CFS Alert. He also served in several international missions, including the Joint Task Force Afghanistan National Command Element in 2007 and again in 2008–2009, the Joint Task Force Afghanistan Theatre Support Element in 2007, Operation IMPACT in Kuwait in 2016, and Operation REASSURANCE in Latvia during Roto 10 (FY18/19) LRCDP.
Outside of his professional life, CWO Garrett is a devoted family man. He and his wife, Carole, have three children: Kaelan (born 2002), Joshua (born 2004), and Alyson (born 2008). Their family also includes two dogs—Bailey, a Goldendoodle (born 2013), and Ollie, an Aussiedoodle (born 2024).
After 37 years of dedicated service, CWO Chris Garrett will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces on September 16, 2025. He plans to settle in Nova Scotia with Carole and Alyson. In retirement, he looks forward to playing as much golf as possible and building a truck camper, with the goal of traveling to Tuktoyaktuk and Alaska.