Published July 21, 2026
CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER (CWO) HENRY (ROB) OVERTON WILL BE RETIRING FROM THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES ON 14 AUG 26. AFTER COMPLETING 37+ YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE CROWN.
CWO OVERTON JOINED THE FORCES IN 1988 FOLLOWING IN THE STEPS OF HIS FATHER MASTER WARRANT OFFICER (MWO) RICK OVERTON (RET’D). FOLLOWING BATTLE SCHOOL, ROB JOINED THE ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT (RCR) IN LONDON. AFTER THREE YEARS OF LEARNING THE REGIMENTAL CREED. HE SAW A NEW OPPORTUNITYAND DECIDED HE WANTED TO GROW HIS HAIR OUT AND ATTEND A POST SECONDARY SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING PROGRAM AT FANSHAWE COLLEGE. DURING THIS TIME, HE JOINED 4 RCR AND IN 1992 MET ANN THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE; GETTING MARRIED IN LATE 1993. IN 1994 PTE OVERTON RE-ENROLLED IN THE FORCES APPLYING FOR CONSTRUCTION TECH, AND ALTHOUGH THEY WERE FULL. YOU KNOW WHO WAS NOT FULL? THAT’S RIGHT THE INFANTRY, AS ROB ALREADY KNEW LONG WALKS AND CAMPING WAS SOMETHING THAT HE ENJOYED. HE REJOINED AS AN INFANTEER THIS TIME WITH PRINCESS PATRICIA’S CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY (PPCLI). MOVING THROUGH THE BATTALION THROUGH VARIOUS JOBS AND POSITIONS ROB WAS APPOINTED TO MCPL.
SIX YEARS AFTER RE-ENROLLING, ROB SAW YET ANOTHER OPPORTUNTIY FOR CHANGE AND APPLIED FOR AN OCCUPATIONAL TRANSFER TO CONSTRUCTION TECHNICIAN (CONST TECH). TOWARDS THE END OF HIS ASSAULT PIONEER COURSE ROB FORMALLY ACCEPTED THE OCCUPATIONAL TRANSFER.
FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR, CPL OVERTON WAS LEARNING WHICH END OF THE HAMMER TO HOLD, HOW TO DRIVE A NAIL CROOKEDLY INTO A PIECE OF WOOD OR HOW TO PROPERLY LEAN ON A SHOVEL WHILE OTHERS WORKED. FOLLOWING HIS TRANING AT CFSME IN GAGETOWN HE WAS POSTED TO 81 AIRFIELD ENGINEERING FLT (81 AEF) IN TRENTON. SOME MEMORABLE TASKS WITHIN 81 AEF: WERE THE GOLF COURSE CLUB HOUSE, CAMPBELLFORD SUSPENSION BRIDGE AND LOCAL ARMORY RENOVATIONS.
IN 2003 ROB WAS APPOINTED AGAIN TO MCPL HEADING TO CFB COLD LAKE AS I/C OF THE WING CARPENTRY SHOP. IN 2006 ROB WAS PROMOTED TO SGT AND POSTED TO 2 CER AT CFB PETAWAWA. AFTER SPENDING FIVE YEARS IN PETAWAWA, WO OVERTON WAS ON THE MOVE YET AGAIN THIS TIME TO CFSME IN GAGETOWN TO THE CONSTRUCTION TECHNICIAN SECTION.
IN 2013 PROMOTED TO MWO, MWO OVERTON ASSUMED THE POSITION OF “A” FLIGHT MWO AND A YEAR LATER WAS APPOINTED TO THE POSITION OF SSM CETS.
IN 2016 MWO OVERTON, MOVED BACK TO CFB TRENTON AS THE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING SUPPORT SQUADRON MWO. IN 2019 ROB SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PROMOTION AND CONTINUED SERVICE IN TRENTON,
HOWEVER THIS CHANGE CAME WITH A NEW BLUE DEU. PROMOTED IN MAY 2019 HIS FIRST ROLE WOULD SEE HIM MOVE TO HQ AS THE DWCOMD BRANCH CWO. IN OCT 2022 CWO OVERTON RECEIVED HIS NEXT OPPORTUNITY AND BECAME THE VERY FIRST NON-TRAFFIC TECH CWO OF 2 AIR MOV SQN. FILLING A POSITION THAT STOOD AS A TRAFFIC CHIEF FOR OVER 50 YEARS.
A FEW OF CWO OVERTONS ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE
BASIC PARA (1988), OP SNOWGOOSE (1989), OP PALLADIUM (1997), OP DANACA (2000), CAMPBELLFORD SUSPENSION BRIDGE (2002-2003), AND OP ATHENA (2010).
ROB AND ANN WILL BE REMAINING IN BELLEVILLE FOR THE TIME BEING, HOWEVER PLAN TO MOVE TO THE LONDON AREA TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY.
CWO OVERTON WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT MENTORED AND SUPPORTED HIM THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. MOSTLY ANN, FOR BEING HIS ROCK, TAKING CARE OF EVERYTHING AND PUTTING UP WITH ALL THE MOVES AND LONG HOURS. LASTLY TO HIS TWO DAUGHTERS TARA AND KAYLA, THANK YOU, HE LOVES YOU.
A DWD WILL BE HELD AGAINST ROB’S WISHES AT THE FIRESIDE LOUNGE (ABOVE THE WO’s SGT’s MESS CFB TRENTON ON 7 AUG 26 AT 1130 HRS-1330 HRS. SEATING IS LIMITED, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US PLS SEND MWO POULIN AN EMAIL TO CONFIRM.
CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES, BEST WISHES, AND ANECDOTES ARE WELCOME AND MAY BE SENT TO MWO MAT POULIN AT MAT.POULIN@FORCES.GC.CA