After 23 years of service, Major Shawn Conod will retire from the Regular Force on 4 January 2011.

Originally from Chatham Ontario, Major Conod joined the Canadian Forces in 1987. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering and was commissioned as an Officer into the Canadian Military Engineers in 1991.

As an Engineer he has been employed as a Project Officer with 1 Construction Engineering Unit (1992-95), Officer Commanding 26 Construction Troop in 2 Combat Engineer Regiment in Petawawa (1995-97), G4 Engineer in the1st Canadian Division Headquarters, and Signals Regiment (1998), and as Engineer Technical Services Officer at Base Construction Engineering in Kingston (2009-2010).

Shawn’s, always interesting yet anything but typical, career also includes non-Engineer postings to: the Royal Military College as a Squadron Commander (1998-2001); the Canadian Forces Nuclear Biological Chemical School as Adjutant and Chief Instructor (2001-04); the Directorate of Army Doctrine as an NBC and Engineer doctrine writer (2004-06); and most memorably to the Directorate of Land Concepts and Design where he worked in support of many ‘Army of Tomorrow’ and ‘Formation 2021’ initiatives (2006-2009).

His international operations experience includes an IFOR tour as the Construction Troop Commander on OP ALLIANCE with 2 CER in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. Major Conod’s involvement in domestic operations includes OP ASSISTANCE with 2 CER, OP RECUPERATION with JTFHQ Québec and OP GRIZZLY in Kananaskis, AB as a member of the Nuclear Biological Chemical Response Team (NBCRT).

Shawn lives in Kingston with his wife Jody (née Gosselin) and two children Blake and Blair. For the time being they plan to make their home in the Kingston area where Shawn hopes to find employment that won’t interfere too greatly with sailing, fishing and family time. As always, friends are invited to pay them a visit at their home and are asked to stay in touch after Shawn disappears from the DND Outlook address book (conod.group@gmail.com or 613-549-6139).