Published September 15, 2022
After 30 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, LCol Pascal Boucher, CD, will retire on 02 October 2022. A DwD will be held at the Ottawa Army Officer’s Mess (AOM) located at 149 Somerset Street, Ottawa ON, K2P 0H7, on Thursday, 29 September 2022. Guests are encouraged to arrive between 12:30 to 13:30 hrs with formal presentations being conducted from 13:30 to 15:00 hrs. All guests are welcome to stay beyond 15:00 hrs. RSVP for attendance as well, any anecdotes and retirement wishes may be sent to Maj S.V. George at Scott.George@forces.gc.ca by 23 September 2022. Dress: Dress of the Day or Casual (No Jeans). Meal: There will be no formal meal provided for the event; However, in-person attendees are welcome to join LCol Boucher for an informal lunch at the AOM from 12:30 to 13:30 hrs. Due to staffing limitations at the AOM, meal wait times could be lengthy and as per standard mess policy, no outside food or drinks are allowed. Virtual Attendance: The MS Teams Link at the bottom of this message will be live by 13:30 hrs on 29 September 2022 for those who wish to attend virtually.
A native of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Boucher enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1992. He completed the recruit course as a soldier with 9e Escadron du génie (9 EG), but left the Army Reserves upon completion of the course to enter the Collège militaire royal (CMR) in St-Jean. At the end of three years at CMR, LCol Boucher had the honour of carrying the College’s Colours during the final Freedom of the City of St-Jean before the college closed in 1995. He graduated from RMC Kingston with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering in 1997.
After a few more or less memorable summers in Chilliwack (and Chilcotin!) for Engineer phase training, he once again participated in a CAF base closing parade, that of Chilliwack in December 1997. Then, barely four days after arriving at the 5e Régiment du génie de combat (5 RGC) as the heavy equipment troop commander, he deployed on OP RECUPERATION in the St-Hubert region for the 1998 ice storm. Following a six-month tasking at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering (CFSME) in Gagetown, and freshly promoted to captain, he was posted to his hometown as Regular Support Staff for the 9 EG during the winter of 2000, where he met his future wife Lise. Almost two years to the day later, he returned to 5 RGC to immediately deploy to Bosnia-Herzegovina on Roto 10 of OP PALLADIUM. In 2004, he was posted to the CFSME as a tactics instructor. Promoted to major in 2005, he took command of 42 Engineer Squadron at 4 Engineer Support Regiment (4 ESR). He deployed in 2007 as the Officer Commanding the C-IED Squadron on OP ATHENA Roto 3.
Upon his return from Afghanistan, he was posted to the Canadian Expeditionary Forces Command (CEFCOM) in the position of J3 C-IED Ops. In 2010, LCol Boucher took the whole family to Colorado Springs and worked at NORAD/USNORTHCOM headquarters. This posting will certainly remain one of the most memorable life experiences. Returning to Canada in 2013, he worked briefly in the J5 Plans section of the Canadian Joint Operations Command HQ in Ottawa, then was posted for a third time to 5 CER, this time as the Regimental Deputy Commanding Officer. He then completed the Joint Command and Staff Program 43 in Toronto.
In 2017, LCol Boucher got his first taste of the technical field as the section head responsible for engineering equipment support within the Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel) (ADM(Mat)). Promoted to his current rank in 2018, he began what would be his last posting with the Director of Land Requirements (DLR), occupying successively (and sometime simultaneously) the positions of DLR 7, DLR Coord, and finally Acting DLR for the last six months.
LCol Boucher will retire on October 2, 2022 after more than 30 years of good and loyal service within the CAF and Military Engineer Branch. He will begin a new professional chapter as a project engineer within ADM(Mat), taking advantage of his experience acquired in recent years. LCol Boucher is married to Lise Blanchette and they are the proud parents of Émeric, 16, and Christian, 14. They will continue living in Aylmer.