After more than 39 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, LCol T.J. Gale, CD, (00181) will retire on 15 May 2026. A DwD reception will be held on 7 May at 1400 at the NCROM (Officer’s mess in Ottawa). If attending, RSVP to Maj M. Bosse: maxime.bosse@forces.gc.ca NLT May 1. Anecdotes and well wishes may be sent to the same person.
Initially enrolled in the Canadian Forces in the Reserves in 1985 as Combat Engineer Officer with 45 Fd Engr Sqn upon completion of a technology diploma at the College of Cape Breton in Sydney, Nova Scotia. After two years, he enrolled in the Regular Force, RCN, in January 1987 as a Maritime Surface Officer, but decided on an occupational transfer back to the Engineer Branch in Oct 1988.
Completing his Engineer training at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering in Chilliwack, British Columbia in June 1989, he was immediately posted across the road to 1 Combat Engineer Regiment. Upon fulfilling the duties of Field Troop Commander and Heavy Equipment Squadron Commander and completing a deployment to Cyprus and a UN tour to Kuwait, he was posted back as the Adjutant/Operations Officer from 1992-1995 to the Reserve unit he had originally joined in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
A posting in July 1995 to 4 Engineer Support Regiment at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick as the Operations Officer for 2 years was followed with joining the Combat Training Centre G3 Individual Training staff for the next 3 years in various operations and training coordination roles.
Promoted to Major and posted to 2 Combat Engineer Regiment in 2000, LCol Gale spent 2 years as Officer Commanding 23 Field Engineer Squadron and 28 Administration Squadron at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa, Ontario.
From 2002-2004 LCol Gale was posted back to Gagetown as Directing Staff (Engineer) at the Tactics School, which was followed by a posting to the Engineer School, which by this time had relocated to Gagetown, NB. He spent 2004-2007 as the Officer in Charge of Army Diving and as Training Support Squadron Commander.
LCol Gale took advantage of the opportunity to further his education and completed an undergraduate degree in Political Science at the University of New Brunswick in 2009. Remaining in Gagetown, he assumed the responsibilities as the Assistant Area Engineer for Land Forces Atlantic Area until June 2010.
Concurrent to his Assistant Area Engineer duties, LCol Gale completed a master’s certificate in Project Management at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in February 2010, and the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff Course (Hybrid) in Quantico, Virginia in June 2010. He immediately deployed to the United States Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey California and obtained his Master of Science degree in Defense Analysis in December 2011.
That postgraduate opportunity was sponsored by the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command, and LCol Gale completed a tour within the CANSOFCOM HQ Force Development Section as the Future Concepts Officer until July 2013. After a six-month NATO tour in Kosovo, an 18-month posting as the J5 Plans within Real Property Operations Group/Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment) followed. In August 2015, LCol Gale moved to Colorado Springs in DComd NORAD as the Deputy Division Chief, J72 Joint Training and Education, responsible for assisting in the development and delivery of training for some 1800 headquarters personnel within NORAD and USNORTHCOM.
Fortunate enough to serve within N&NC/J7 until July 2021, a cross-posting to the Pentagon as the Canadian Army LNO to Headquarters Department of the Army G-3/5/7 followed. Finally returning to Canada in 2024, he assumed the responsibilities as COS RP Ops Unit (North) at ADM (IE). Will be moving to the Public Service but staying within DND upon release.
A heartfelt thank you to all of those throughout my career who guided, educated, and humoured me, to those who kept me out of trouble and those who got me into it! Deepest gratitude to my wife Lisa and my two daughters, Lauren and Erin, who sacrificed so much.