After more than 33 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers, WO Rory Innes, CD, retired on 21 July 2020. Congratulatory messages and best wishes can be sent to CWO D.L. Payne at Douglas.Payne@forces.gc.ca. Please contact CWO Payne for information on the DwD ceremony being held this Friday.
WO Innes joined the CAF as a Cbt Engr in 56 Fd Sqn, St John’s, NL, in Jan 1987 and remained in St John’s to complete basic training by May of that year. He continued training, completing Engr QL3 in Aug 1987 at CFS St John’s and Engr QL5 in Aug 1988 at CFB Gagetown.
He was promoted to Cpl in Jan 1989 and completed CLC that Nov at CFS Aldershot, leading to a promotion to MCpl in Apr 1990. He deployed to Croatia in 1993 with 2PPCLI, earning a Commanders and Chiefs Unit citation for action in the Medak Pocket. In Nov 1995, MCpl Innes transferred to 6 Fd Engr Sqn, North Vancouver, before returning to CFB Gagetown in Jun 2000 for the Engr 6A course. He was promoted to Sgt in Sep 2001.
The next decade saw him transferred to 56 Fd Engr Sgn in St John’s in Sep 2003; to 5 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (CRPG) at CFB Gander in Nov 2006; back to 56 Fd Engr Sqn in St John’s in Apr 2008; back to 5 CRPG in Gander in Feb 2013; again to 56 Engr Sqn in St John’s in July 2015; to 91 Air Force Reserve Unit at CFB Gander in Nov 2015; and finally to the SPHL in July 2019. During these many moves, WO Innes completed the Engr 6B in Mar 2010, was promoted to WO in Mar 2010, completed the Advanced Leadership Course in St Jean, QC, in Dec 2013, and was the IPSC Detachment Gander Troop WO from Aug 2014 to Mar 2015.
During his career, he participated in various exercises including many summer ARCONS, On Guard 90, and RV 92. He also taught many BMQs, Engr QL3, QL5, 6A, 6B, and Engr Officer Phase 3 and 4 courses at CFSME in both Chilliwack and Gagetown. He participated in numerous bridge builds, such the Lomond River and Wallace Brook projects in Gros Morne National Park, NL, the Manuals River, NL, and Petti Forte, NL. WO Innes retired from the CAF on 21 July 2020