Sgt Jim Young will be retiring after 26 plus years of dedicated service to the CF and the Fire Service. Sgt Young spent 8 years as Reservist with the Argylls and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada in Hamilton, ON and then entered the YTEP program as a Naval Electronics Technician (Tactical) and was officially enrolled in the CF full time as of 1 April 1985.

During those early years, Able Seaman Young served aboard HMCS TERRA NOVA on the West coast and was promoted to Leading Seaman in November 1988,

In 1989, Jim had enough of the high seas and put in his VOT to Fire Fighter, arriving at CFFA in Dec of that year. Following his QL3 course, his first posting was to CFB Chatham in May 1990. In August 1995, he went back to the West coast where he was part of the commissioning crew for HMCS Ottawa and got to visit the Persian Gulf. In 1999, he traversed the country once again; ending up in Greenwood, NS.

Before leaving Greenwood, Jim was promoted to MCpl in July 2002; and in October, he missed out on the big Trans-Canada mileage claim and was posted to HMCS Toronto in Halifax. He sailed a short time on HMCS Halifax and then was back on the Toronto for another scenic tour of the Persian Gulf in 2004.

In July 2005, Jim was posted to Trenton, ON and was promoted to Sgt in Jan 2007. During his time in Trenton he did a six-month tour in Alert from September 2007 to March 2008.

In July 2008, Jim was posted to CFFCA, where he has been kept very busy as a QL3 and QL5 Course Director and Instructor.

Jim will be taking his release from the CF on 27 July 2011 and will be taking a Fire Fighter position with ATCO-Europe in Kandahar. We wish Jim all the best in this and all his future endeavours.

DWD to be determined, messages, well-wishes and amusing stories may be sent to Sgt Bowen at robert.bowen@forces.gc.ca