A DWD will be held for Maj Ryan Southwood who will retire on 22 July 2019 with over 22 years of loyal and dedicated service to the CAF and the Engineer Branch. The ceremony will take place at the Army Officers’ Mess, 149 Somerset St W, on 9 Aug 2019 from 1500-1700. Those wishing to attend are requested to contact Maj Matthew Ng via email: Matthew.Ng@forces.gc.ca. Please forward any best wishes, farewell messages, anecdotes, and congratulatory messages to Maj Ng.
Maj Southwood joined the CAF in 1997 and attended the Royal Military College of Canada following a prep year in St Jean sur Richelieu. Upon graduation, he was posted to 5 RGC where he quickly learned that a BBB profile was not the ideal standard when leading troops. He served as troop commander, sqn ops o, sqn 2IC and deployed to Bosnia as the deputy Task Force Engineer.
Posted to CANOSCOM in Ottawa in 2006, Maj Southwood got his first taste of Ottawa staff work and was put in charge of the CAF RTC assets. He was also the Engr lead in planning the facility maintenance contracts for Kandahar Airfield. This task required him to escape from his cubicle on a routine basis and jet off to Luxembourg to negotiate with various NATO partners. Additional opportunities to jet set included planning and participating in the first Ex TROPICAL HAMMER in Jamaica and culminated in commanding the famous (or was it infamous?) “Franken-SET” as part of the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team in 2008.
Promoted to his current rank in 2010, Maj Southwood was posted to 1 CER as a Sqn OC and commanded Support, Field and Administration Squadrons over his tenure. He deployed to KAF as the Engr Sp Sqn OC with the Mission Transition Task Force and was the acting DCO during the Regiment’s response to
the Calgary floods. His three years at 1 CER were the best in his career and he would like to thank the Corps for entrusting him with the opportunity to lead the sappers and junior officers at the Regiment.
Following his time at 1 CER, Maj Southwood was accepted into the Post Graduate Training program and spent two years at the University of Guelph to further his education. His penance was to be posted to the Directorate of Land Infrastructure in the C Army HQ where he was the Senior Project Director Army Infrastructure and the Deputy Director. He was much less successful at escaping his Ottawa cubicle this time around with only one trip to Quantico, Virginia to complete his residency portion of the US Marine Corps Command and Staff Blended Seminar Course.
Maj Southwood has a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from RMC, a Masters of Science in Rural Planning and Development from the University of Guelph, and is a Registered Professional Planner in the Province of Ontario. He enjoys cycling, swimming, golf and spending quality time with his family.
He is married to Rea Southwood and they have two wonderful children: Kenzie (4 years old) and Andrew (3 years old). He would like to thank his wife for the sacrifices she has made and the emotional and physical support she has provided so that he could be successful in his military career. He would like to
thank the whole family for keeping him grounded, grateful, and on his toes. The family will make Ottawa home and Maj Southwood will be taking the position of Associate Director Facility Planning and Sustainability at Algonquin College.
Finally, Maj Southwood would like to thank the NCOs and Officers who have provided him with mentorship and guidance throughout his career. It has truly been an honour to serve with you.