Published April 29, 2014
After a short stint as a civilian growing up in Harry’s Harbour NL, MWO Sharpe enrolled in the CF at the tender age of 17 on the 13th of January 1977. His 35 plus years as an Engineer has seen him serve across Canada and around the world. He is the Senior Serving Combat Diver in the CF with over 30 years of diving experience. He also holds the unique qualification Counter IED Operator. Now, after a career that has spanned 35 years of taskings, postings, and missions that could only be described as ubiquitous, he has decided to retire.
MWO Sharpe completed his training as a Fd Engr on the 15th of September 1977 at CFSME Chilliwack BC and moved across the road as a Sapper to 1 Combat Engineer Regiment (1 CER), Chilliwack BC. At 1 CER he would earn his Combat Diver Qualification. He spent three years there until his posting to Lahr Germany at 4 Combat Engineer Regiment (4 CER) in 1980. In 1984 then, MCpl Sharpe returned to 1 CER in Chilliwack where he completed his QL6A crse and was employed as a Sect Comd for RV 85. In the summer of 1985 MWO Sharpe was posted back to 4 CER Germany where he spent the next 8 years and was employed in posns from Sect Comd through to Recce Sgt and Sqn Ops Sgt. Also, there he deployed on a UN tour with UNPROFOR in Croatia from March to October 1992 on Roto 0.
He returned to Canada to 4 Engineer Support Regiment (4 ESR) in Gagetown NB the summer of 1993 and would stay in that unit until 1999 where he filled the posns of Regt Int Sgt, Resources Tp Recce Sgt, Resources Tp WO, Field Tp WO, CI of the Armd Engr School and Regt Ops WO. While in 4 ESR he returned to Croatia for a short tour of 2 and a half months in 1994, deployed for the Quebec ice storms, deployed as a diver for the Swiss Air crash, and a six month deployment to Port au Prince, Haiti in 1997, where he received a CDS Commendation for his work on a body recovery diving operation.
From 1999 to 2004 MWO Sharpe was posted to 44 Fd Engr Sqn in Trail BC. Here he was able to work independently while managing the training, time and resources as the RSS WO. All the while he enjoyed the beautiful interior of BC.
In 2004 MWO Sharpe was posted to CFSME Gagetown, where he was employed as the SM of the Army Cbt Diving COE. While there he was the Army`s representative at CF and international Diver training, equipment procurement, and safety venues and conferences. He was the EX SM for Ex Roguish Buoy, the Army’s annual multinational diver collective trg exercise involving units from across Canada and invited allied dive teams. As the CI for Army diver trg with LFDTS, he convened QS and TP writing boards for both the Combat Diver crse and Combat Diver Supervisor crse, and oversaw the running of those crses.
In 2006 MWO Sharpe was promoted to his present rank and posted to 1 CER Edmonton, AB as the 12 Fd Sqn SSM. There he had the distinction of taking his Sqn, as part of JTF Afghanistan, on operation with the 2 PPCLI BG as the Engr Sqn SM, from February to October 2008. Upon returning from tour he was appointed the HQ Sqn SM. The following year he was posted JTFW - LFWA HQ, Area Engr shop as the Engineer Ops MWO.
Finally in June of 2010 MWO Sharpe was posted to LFCA TC Meaford, ON as the CSM E Coy and finally CSM Charlie Company. Here in Meaford, during his spare time, he was the President of the TC Meaford Rod & Gun Club.
MWO Sharpe and his wife Theresa, are looking forward to retirement. They will be returning to Genos’ port of origin, the place where he grew up, Harry’s Harbour NL. They are looking forward to the return to the serene and slower paced lifestyle that only MWO Sharpe’s hometown can provide.
For those who are able to attend, MWO Sharpe’s retirement luncheon, it will be held at the TC Meaford Centurion Mess, 15 June 2012 starting at 1500hrs. If you are unable to attend please send your well-wishes and anecdotes to; Ellis CWO KRJ@LFCA TC@Meaford, or; Mallais WO P@LFCA TC@Meaford.