Published April 29, 2014
Sgt Albert Estensen will be retiring from the CF after over 29 years of loyal and dedicated service with both the Engineer Branch and the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery.
Albert joined the military on 5 Jan 1982 as a gunner. He completed his basic recruit training in April 82 and was posted to Shilo to complete his basic artilleryman course. In July 82 he was posted to B Battery 1RCHA as a Gunner and assigned to 25B as a gunner. Promoted to Bombardier in 86. In 87 he changed trade to Air Defence Artillery and was posted to Chatham MB. Upon leaving B Battery 1RCHA he was granted the honourable title of B Battery Gunner. Upon completing his new trade training he was posted to the Air Defence Artillery School as a Driver. Upon completing his combat leader course in 89 he was promoted to Master Bombardier and was posted to CFRS Cornwallis as an Instructor. In 92, Albert saw the light and changed trades again, this time to become a construction electrician. He was posted back to Chatham for a short while before he was to CFSME, Chilliwack BC in Jan 93 to begin his training to become an Electrician .
Once completing his QL3 he was posted to Kingston ON.While there he returned to CFSME, Chilliwack BC to complete his QL5 in 95. He worked in the CE line shop and the PMQ service centre while in Kingston. In 97 he was posted to sunny Cold Lake Electrical Shop as a tradesman. While there he completed a tour to Haiti in 97, Ice Storm in 98 and Kosovo in 99. In 2001 he was promoted to M/Cpl and posted to 81 AEF as the 2 i/c electrical. While there he completed a tour to the Middle East in 2002, upon returning form tour he was sent to CFSME, Gagetown NB to complete his QL6a. Upon returning to Trenton he was promoted to Sgt and was posted to CFB Halifax as a Contracts Inspector. While there he completed another tour to Afghanistan in 2005. In 2006 he was posted to CFB Winnipeg as contracts inspector. In the final years of service he work as the contracts 2 i/c filling the contracts offices position when it was required to do so with no difficultly.
Sgt Albert Estensen and his wife Andrea will be moving back to the Halifax region sometime in the near future.