After more than 27 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers Branch, MWO Steve Marois, CD, will retire on 06 August 2022. A Depart with Dignity will be held on 19 August 2022 at the Senior NCO Mess in Valcartier. RSVPs, anecdotes, and retirement wishes may be sent to Capt J.P.N.E. Laroche at Nicolas.Laroche2@forces.gc.ca.
MWO Marois was born in Montreal and enlisted in the CAF at the Montreal recruiting centre in April 1995 at the age of 21. He became a combat engineer that December in Chilliwack.
In January 1996, MWO Marois joined his mother ship, 5 RGC in Valcartier. Between 1998 and 2005, he participated in OP VERGLAS, OP PALLADIUM, and OP ATHENA. During these years and ops, MWO Marois took his first steps into the world of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD).
In July 2005 as a MCpl, he was posted to the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in New Brunswick as a Combat Engineer instructor. He was promoted to the rank of Sgt in July 2007.
Returning to 5 RGC in July 2008, MWO Marois furthered his EOD specialization by deploying on OP ATHENA again, but this time, as an EOD operator and detachment commander. He remained at 5 RGC until July 2010, training future EOD operators.
In July 2010, MWO Marois was transferred to the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu as an instructor for soldier and officer courses. He took pride in his leadership, ethics, and integrity while at CFLRS. During this time, he met his wife, Nancy, and was promoted to the rank of WO in December 2014. He participated in the base hockey and deck hockey teams. Always involved in sport, he coached the women’s hockey, deck hockey, and softball teams. In 2016, he won the CAF Coach of the Year award.
MWO Marois returned to 5 RGC in June 2016 and over the next four years, he shared his technical knowledge of combat engineering with the planners, leaders, troops, teams, and squadrons of 5 RGC. He was promoted to MWO in January 2019 and deployed with the Explosive Threat Training Team on OP IMPACT in Iraq.
In July 2020, MWO Marois was posted to Army Headquarters in Ottawa under the Director of Land Forces Development in the CAF Explosive Threat department.
After the CAF, MWO Marois will join the DND Public Service with RCN, working for the Director of Combat Support Equipment Management (D Gest EAC). He will remain in the local area with his wife, Nancy, enjoying cross-country skiing and cycling.