After more than 21 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, WO M.J.S. Thibeault, CD, (00339) will retire on 13 Aug 2025. A DwD reception will be held on 8 August at 1400 at the CFB Edmonton WO and Sgt mess. If attending, please RSVP to Sgt A.J. Black at: alexander.black@forces.gc.ca. Anecdotes and well wishes may be sent to the same person.
WO Thibeault was born in Alma, Quebec in 1982. He joined the military on 21 April 2004 in Saguenay Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec as a Combat Engineer. After Basic Training in Saint-Jean, he continued with BMQ Land and Combat Engineer QL3 kat the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering (CFSME), graduating on 18 May 2005, and then was posted to 1 Combat Engineer Regiment (CER) in Edmonton. He completed several driving, comms, and stores courses, and completed his Basic Parachutist course, before getting advanced promoted to Corporal on 26 April 2007.
WO Thibeault deployed to Afghanistan on TF 3-07 for seven and a half months as recce, during which he received a Comd- in-Chief Unit Commendation for the responses to the numerous IEDs and casualty care under fire. Shortly after returning from Afghanistan, he completed his QL5 at CFSME in November 2008, Combat Diver course in 2009, and worked as a part of the 1 CER dive team and 15 support sqn for almost 4 years. He completed his Bridge Inspector Course at CFSME in June 2009, graduated his Primary Leadership Qualification course, and was immediately promoted to Master Corporal on 23 June 2011.
He completed his QL6A in May 2013, and in June 2013 he deployed on Op LENTUS as a diver for the floods in Southern Alberta. On 01 August 2013, he was promoted to Sgt and he completed his Section Commander time at 1 CER, deploying on several exercises as a Sergeant, before heading to Ukraine on Op UNIFIER Roto 2 from October 2016 to March 2017. During this tour, he received a CJOC Commendation for the development of the engineer program in conjunction with the high level of professionalism as a mentor to the AFU Engineers. Shortly after Op UNIFIER, he deployed again this time to British Columbia forest fires as a part of Op LENTUS in September 2017.
After graduating his QL6B in April 2018, he was posted to 41 CER in Calgary as an Ops WO in July 2018. He was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer on 01 January 2019. Two years later, he was posted back to 1 CER to assume the role of 4 Troop WO, and being the high performer and fast learner that he is, over the course of the next two years he moved to Squadron Quartermaster and 18 Ops WO, before settling into 1 CER Regimental Training where he remained until now.
WO Thibeault had an exceptional career, during which he continuously demonstrated an infectiously positive attitude, keen intellect, genuine personality, and a work ethic second to none, resulting in an expedient progression through the ranks. Throughout his career, WO Thibeault upheld the highest standard of physical fitness inspiring others to follow. He completed both the Combat Diver and Jump courses, three mountain man competitions (2009, 2012, 2016), the Marine Corp marathon in Washington 2012, and received “The Order of the Spur” by finishing second in a selection race held by the US Army in Ukraine. His decorations include the Canadian Forces Decoration, Special Service Medal – Expedition, Queens Diamond Jubilee, General Campaign Star with one ribbon, and Comd-in-Chief Unit Commendation.
Upon retirement, Mike and his spouse Carla, sons Skyler and Jaxton, daughters Everley and Georgia, are planning to remain in Morinville and he is looking to purse schooling in animal care.