Published May 14, 2016
After more than 42 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, MCpl Bennie Desbiens, CD (bio attached), will retire 03 November 2016. A Depart with Dignity Ceremony will take place at the AYR Mess ROCC Lounge at 22 Wing North Bay, on 14 Oct 2016 from 1300 to 1600. Attendees are requested to advise the OPI of their planned attendance NLT 16 SEP 2016. Anecdotes or retirement wishes may be sent to the OPI by e-mail.
OPI: Sgt Jamie McCreight
MCpl (Ben) Desbiens decided to join the Canadian Armed Forces and signed the dotted line on the 13th of September 1974 at the young age of 17 in Rimouski Quebec. He then started his Basic Training on the 23rd of September where is successfully completed and graduated without any difficulties. After his basic training he continued on to English School to perfect his second language while waiting for his QL3 Firefighter course to commence.
In February 1976 he was then send to start his QL3 Fire Fighter course and successfully completed it in June 1976 and was posted to CFB North Bay, where he met his lovely wife Lise and has been married to for 31 years. Then in June 1979 the Career Manager thought it was time for him to see some of the world and what better way to see the world than by ship? So he was posted to the East Coast on the HMCS Skeena and got to do some travelling and learn the way of life on ship which is quite unusual and different from the rest of the Canadian Forces. After mastering the ship’s way of life and seeing some of the world, he was posted back to lovely North Bay in June 1981.
By September 1985 the Career Manager thought it was time for MCpl Desbiens to see the world once again and posted him over to CFB Baden Soellingen in Germany. While he was there he was promoted to the rank of Master Caporal in 1986 and then went on his JLC in February 1987 and his 6A course in June 1987. By August 1990 it was time for MCpl Desbiens to come back home to Canada, where once again arrived back in CFB North Bay. In August 1992 he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and was given the position of Fire Chief in the Under Ground Complex until 1994. While he was in the UGC he started the Auxiliary Fire Fighter training in preparation for the base closure.
By April 1995 his friend the Career Manager thought that maybe MCpl Desbiens had missed a few worldly places to see while on ship so he posted him back to sea, this time he was posted to the HMCS Iroquois as the Fire Chief, so off he went with his life jacket in hand. But by February 1998 he had saw enough of the world and decided to retire from the forces and move back to lovely North Bay.
Now back in North Bay and retired, by June 1998 he needed a little spending money and something to keep him busy so he went and became a Commissionaire and worked at the Military Police section. Then in December 1999 an offer from the Reserve office came up to sign the dotted line once again this time as a MCpl and in the position of the Chief Fire Inspector of 22 Wing North Bay which he gladly accepted and remains in that position today.
His statement when asked is:
I have a wonderful understanding wife and two beautiful daughters. Now I am a proud grandfather of three gorgeous little girls, an 8 year old, 6 year old and a 2 year old. “Life is Good”