LCol R.J. (Rob) Aucoin, CD will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces on 6 Jul 2016 after more than 28 years of loyal and dedicated service to the CAF and the CME Branch. He has accepted a civilian position at the Canadian Forces Housing Agency Head Office (CFHA) in Ottawa effective 7 July 2016. A DwD will be held (details will be sent shortly). Congratulatory messages, anecdotes, photos, and farewell wishes can be forwarded to LCol Pat Dubé
LCol Rob Aucoin graduated from RMC in 1993 with a degree in Civil Engineering. As a Construction Engineer, summers were spent at the home of the engineers at CFB Chilliwack.LCol Rob Aucoin graduated from RMC in 1993 with a degree in Civil Engineering. As a Construction Engineer, summers were spent at the home of the engineers at CFB Chilliwack.
A true Maritimer, LCol Aucoin was happily posted to Construction Engineering sections at 9 Wing Gander, 14 Wing Greenwood, and CFB Halifax. LCol Aucoin also spent 5 years at 1 CEU / 1 ESU, in Moncton, where he had the privilege to be a Specialist Engineer Team (SET) Commander and then the Unit Operations Officer. In 2008, LCol Aucoin was posted to CANOSCOM HQ and reluctantly moved West all the way to Ottawa. In 2011, he was promoted to his current rank and posted to the Canadian Forces
Housing Agency (CFHA) Head Office, and then in 2014, back to the Star Top building with Canadian Joint Operations Command.
LCol Aucoin’s deployments include a tour to Sarajevo, Bosnia in 1999 quickly followed by a two-month TAV to close-out Camp Maple Leaf in Aviano, Italy in 2000. In 2002, he deployed to the United Arab Emirates, where he led 3 SET on a six-month deployment to design and build the infamous Camp Mirage. His most recent deployment was to Afghanistan in 2010 to kick-off TFK engineer close-out planning.
LCol Aucoin is married to Barb from Central Bedeque, PEI and they have two children, Erin, 20, who is entering her 4th year in Physics at St-FX University in Nova Scotia, and Daniel, 15, who is finishing Grade 10. Rob and Barb will remain in Orleans (for the time being at least) as Rob has accepted a civilian position at the CFHA Head Office. Their long term plans certainly see them heading back to the Maritimes at some point. Rob is particularly proud of his Nova Scotia roots and Maritime connection. He is grateful that the CAF allowed him to meet a wife from PEI, that his daughter was born in NL, and that his son was born in NB, covering off all four Atlantic Provinces.
Chimo!