After more than 20 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers Branch, Sgt Ryan Carlisle, CD will retire on 24 June 2022. Anecdotes and retirement wishes may be sent to Sgt S.P. Reid at Shea.Reid@forces.gc.ca.
Sgt Ryan Carlisle joined the Royal Canadian Navy on 27 Feb 2002 as a Naval Communicator. His first stop was Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in Mar 2002 for Basic Recruit training. He then moved across the harbour to Naval Fleet School (Pacific) where he completed the Basic Environmental - Sea (OSQAB) course and the Naval Communicator QL3 course. Following this initial trade training, he was posted to HMCS Halifax in Mar 2003.
Needing sea time as a brand-new Sailor 3rd Class and with HMCS Halifax going into a major refit, Sgt Carlisle became a fleet rental. During the next year and a half, he sailed on HMC Ships Ville de Quebec, Charlottetown, Toronto, and Montreal. He travelled as far south as the Panama Canal and as far north as the Arctic Circle near Baffin Island, participating in numerous training exercises and fishery patrols. His travels included many port visits along the eastern seaboard and during this time, he completed the QL4 OJT package to become a Sailor 2 nd Class.
In Jan 2005, Sgt Carlisle attended the Nav Comm QL5 Communications Information Systems Network Operator course at Naval Fleet School (Atlantic). That Sep, Sgt Carlisle deployed with HMCS Halifax for four months with Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 as the Senior Hand of the Watch (SHOW) in the CCR. Upon returning from his HLTA, he was advanced-promoted to Sailor 1st Class. In Jan 2007, Sgt Carlisle was posted to Naval Radio Station Halifax as a Ship-Shore Watch-keeper, meaning six months of shift work to ensure communication with ships at sea was always maintained.
In Aug 2007, following a voluntary occupational transfer to Geomatics Technician, Sgt Carlisle was posted to the School of Military Mapping (SMM) at the Mapping and Charting Establishment (MCE) in Ottawa. He attended Algonquin College, commencing the Geomatics Technician QL5A course in Sep 2007 and graduating with honours in May 2009. Sgt Carlisle was then posted to GI&S Sqn at MCE to be employed in the Data Management Section and the Map Depot. He was promoted to MCpl in Apr 2010 and competed PLQ-L that Aug. In Jun 2012, Sgt Carlisle became the 2I/C of the Mobile Training Team, tasked to develop SOPs and training for the new deployable geo servers. In Sep, he completed two OPMEs and from Jan to Mar 2013, he attended the Geo Tech QL6A at SMM.
In Aug 2013, Sgt Carlisle was posted to 1 CER in Edmonton as the Geo Support Tech Sgt. He managed production, ensured equipment was maintained, designed and ran training exercises for the Geomatics Cell, was the Brigade Geo advisor, and provided mapping support to Bde Main during Ex MAPLE RESOLVE 16.
In July 2017, Sgt Carlisle was posted to 4 ESR as the Geo Sgt to manage a 6-person geomatics cell providing brigade-level geo support to numerous ops and exercises including Op LENTUS. He attended QL6B at the SMM in the fall of 2017.
In Jul 2019, Sgt Carlisle was posted to the C-IED cell at the Tactics School to provide mapping support and geomatics advice and briefings to CTC schools. During the pandemic, he remotely supported AOC in Kingston.
Sgt Carlisle will retire on 24 June 2022. He is looking forward to spending the summer relaxing and camping with his wife, Krista, and son, Aedyn, and will probably do more yard work then he would like. In Sep, he will embark on a new career in Cyber Security, attending a Network Security program offered by Coding for Veterans in partnership with the University of Ottawa.