After more than 23 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, WO S. King, CD, will retire on 3 November 2025. Anecdotes and well wishes may be sent to Sgt J. Tibbo: jonathan.tibbo@forces.gc.ca.
Warrant Officer (WO) Stephen King was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He was the second of four children, with an older sister, Cara, a younger brother, Anthony, and a younger sister, Angela. Growing up in a military family, WO King spent his youth moving between various bases, including Cornwallis, Summerside, Greenwood, Gagetown, and Petawawa.
From an early age, WO King developed a passion for outdoor activities and sports. He enjoyed cross-country skiing, fishing, sailing, camping, and hiking—activities that not only kept him physically active but also instilled in him a deep appreciation for nature. He attended public school and graduated from high school in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, in 2001. Later, he pursued a diploma in graphic design at Answorth College, completing his studies in 2016.
WO King’s military career began shortly after high school. He joined the reserves on December 6, 2001, and completed the Combat Engineer DP1 course in 2002, followed by DP2 in 2003. In 2005, he successfully completed the Primary Leadership Qualification (PLQ) course. In 2008, he briefly transferred too the supplementary reserves to focus on music for a year before re- enrolling in the regular force in 2009 as an RM Tech. His professional development continued with the completion of DP1 in 2010, DP2 in 2014, DP3A in 2017, and DP3B in 2023.
His reserve service began in Sydney, NS, with 45 Engineer Squadron before he switched to Reg Force as an RM Tech and was posted to CFB Gagetown from 2009 to 2010. After his DP1, he was posted to CFB Greenwood from 2010 to 2014, then to CFB Bagotville from 2014 to 2019. During his time in Bagotville, he spent a year with 2 Air Expeditionary Squadron, completed a year-long French course, worked at 12 Radar Squadron for a year, and spent approximately ten months at RP Ops Bagotville before being posted back to CFB Greenwood in 2019, where he remains today. WO King has participated in multiple domestic and international operations. His domestic deployments include Inuvik for OP NORTHERN DENIAL and Charlevoix with 12 Radar Squadron for the G7 summit, along with numerous exercises across Canada and the United States. Internationally, he has deployed to Latvia for OP REASSURANCE and Kuwait for OP IMPACT.
Outside of his professional life, WO King is an accomplished musician and a member of the rock band Midnight Genny, where he plays lead guitar. Covering a range of genres from classic rock to metal, his musical pursuits have provided him with both a creative outlet and opportunities to develop teamwork and leadership skills. He currently resides with his spouse, Cathy, and together they have one son, Landon, who remains a constant source of joy and motivation.