After more than 34 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers, CWO Kevin Easton, CD, will retire on 06 April 2023. Anecdotes and retirement wishes may be sent to Capt R.B. Biollo at Richard.Biollo@forces.gc.ca.
CWO Kevin Easton joined the CAF in 1988 as an Armour Crewman. Following Basic Training at CFB Cornwallis, he completed Armour Crewman TQ3 and Primary Combat Function training at CTC, Gagetown, NB. He was then posted to the 8th Canadian Hussars (PL), 4 Cdn Mechanized Brigade, CFB Lahr Germany from 1989 to 1993. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, closure of CFB Lahr, and the removal of the 8 CH from the order of battle in the CA, CWO Easton was rebadged and posted to the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Special Service Force at CFB Petawawa in 1993. He remained there in various positions and Sqns for the next seven years. He deployed twice in 1994 with UNPROFOR and then with SFOR, and again in 1998 to the former Yugoslavia with NATO.
Highlights of his time in the Armoured Corps include completing the French Special Forces Commando course, being part of the RCD Smalls Arms Team, completing the Assault Trooper course, serving in 2 CMBG, the RCD, and fulfilling the roles of Recce Patrol Commander and Leopard 1 Commander.
In 2000, CWO Easton voluntarily transferred to the Engineers to become an Electrical Distribution (ED) Tech, completing the QL3 course at CFSME in 2001. Once again, he headed back to good old CFB Petawawa with a posting to 2 CER, Construction Troop. There, he participated in many projects, additional trades training and unit exercises.
On promotion to MCpl in 2004, he was posted to 14 Wing Greenwood, 141 AEF as the ED Tech Section 2I/C. He worked on numerous construction projects, Wing exercises, completed an 8-month tour to OP ATHENA, UAE, in 2004 and returned for short TAV there in 2007. Upon promotion to Sgt in 2007, he was posted to 81 CEF at 8 Wing Trenton until 2012. He held the positions of ED Section IC, Flight Ops & Trg Sgt, and Flight WO. During his time with 81 CEF, he deployed to Afghanistan on OP ATHENA with the CMO in CMT2 in 2008/2009, where he enjoyed the comforts of FOB Wilson and the Zhari district. In 2011, after deciding that CFB Trenton was too hot and humid, he deployed to CFS Alert as the Boss Beaver from September 2011 to April 2012 to enjoy the challenges and the long dark cold of the far North. Upon returning from his extended stay up North, the CME decided to keep CWO Easton in the northern regions and posted him to 4 Wing Cold Lake, CE Sqn, where he would hold positions as the Production WO, Utilities WO, MSE Eng Flt WO, and Maintenance Works
MWO. CWO Easton was promoted to MWO in 2014 and posted to 1 ESU in early in 2015 as the 15 Sqn SM. There, he had the opportunity to work closely with the Royal Dutch 101st Engineer Battalion, Work Force Coy and Dutch School of Military Engineering in the Netherlands. CWO Easton served as 15 Sqn SM until his posting to RPOU(O) Det Kingston in 2019 as the Det SM. CWO Easton was promoted to his current rank in 2021 after completing two years as the RPOU(O) Det Kingston SM. He was posted to his current position in 2021 as RPOU(W) UCWO where he will remain until his retirement on 06 April 2023. During more than 34 years of dedicated service to the CAF, CWO Easton had numerous highlights during his career. His most notable and enjoyable postings were with his first Regiment (the 8 CH) and 1 ESU. CWO Kevin Easton is married with two daughters and has five grandchildren and is very much looking forward to remaining in Alberta to enjoy retirement with his lovely wife, Tonja. If at any point in the future, you are treading through the wild woods or prairies of Alberta or Saskatchewan, you may run into him stalking big game with a hunting bow in hand, or maybe fishing on a lake – CHIMO!