After more than 35 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers, CWO John Martin, CD, will retire on 22 December 2021. At the member’s request, a small private luncheon will take place at a date to be determined. Congratulatory messages and best wishes can be sent to Maj A. Baillie at Allan.Baillie2@forces.gc.ca.
CWO Martin joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1986 as a direct-entry firefighter. After completing basic training in CFRS Cornwallis, he was sent to St-Jean, QC, for French language training and then to CFB Borden for the QL3 Firefighter course.
CWO Martin has served with the three elements in numerous locations, which included 14 Wing Greenwood (3x), 12 Wing Shearwater (2x), 4 Wing Cold Lake (2x), 17 Wing Winnipeg, HMCS Iroquois in Halifax, and the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal’s office in Ottawa. Some of his key positions were 14 Wing Greenwood Deputy Fire Chief, CFS Alert Deputy Fire Chief, 12 Wing Shearwater Fire Chief, 17 Wing Winnipeg Fire Chief, Firefighter Senior Occupation Advisor/Canadian Forces Fire Marshal CWO, and 14 Mission Support Squadron CWO in Greenwood, NS.
His operational tours of duty included six months as the Deputy Fire Chief for CFS Alert, deploying with CFB Valcartier on Op Palladium with the Task Force Bosnia-Herzegovina Infantry Battle Group, Op Sharp Guard, Op Northern Denial, Op Box Top, an Op Impact SAV, and deploying to Gulf Port, Mississippi, as a member of an Airfield Engineering Flight. CWO Martin is also a former member of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Military Engineers Association and a former member of the Board of Directors with the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
CWO Martin was appointed to his current position as the Deputy Wing Commander Chief Warrant Officer in Greenwood in July 2019.
CWO Martin and his spouse, Anne, will continue to reside in Greenwood, NS, and are looking forward to a quiet retirement, spending quality time with family.