After more than 29 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers, Sgt Darrin Firth, CD, will retire on 29 September 2023. A Departure with Dignity presentation will tentatively take place on 15 September 2023 at 12:00 hours at the 19 Wing Airforce Beach Pavilion. Congratulatory messages, well wishes and anecdotes can be sent to MCpl S.J.L. Killoran atSean.Killoran@forces.gc.ca.
Sgt Darrin Firth joined the 2nd Royal New Brunswick Regiment in September 1991 as an Infanteer. In June 1998, he completed the Cooks QL3 course and began the QL 4 package. He was promoted to MCpl in December 1999 and employed as a Unit cook and Shift I/C at CFB Gagetown and Camp Aldershot until his release from the Reserves in June 2003.
Darrin joined the Regular Forces in March 2006
as an ED Tech and completed some OJT at 4 ESR before starting the QL3 course at CFSME. He received the Canadian Forces Decoration in June 2006 while on this course. Following QL3 in June 2007, Cpl Firth was posted to CFB North Bay to what is now RP Ops. As a Cpl, he managed the Electrical shop for the next year. In June 2009, he was posted back to 4 ESR and completed the QL5 Journeyman’s course. While at 4 ESR, he deployed with the DART to TF PHILIPPINES on OP RENAISSANCE 13-01. In a humanitarian aid role, he assisted the locals in recovering from a natural disaster. Cpl Firth was promoted to MCpl in June 2014 to become 2I/C of the ED Section. In July 2014, he received the OSM-
Humanitas Medal for his work with the DART.
From 4 ESR, MCpl Firth was posted to CFB Cold Lake in July 2015. Almost immediately, he deployed to Kuwait on OP IMPACT as an ED Tech. He received the GSM-EXP medal in May 2016 and the CD1 in March 2017. He returned to CFSME just long enough to complete the ED Tech QL 6A course in June 2019. Back in Cold Lake, Darrin was promoted to Sgt in July 2019 and worked at RP Ops as the Planning 2I/C as well as for six months in Contracts. He currently works as the 191 MSS CEF Ops and Training coordinator at CFB Comox.
Sgt Firth’s last day in the CAF will be 29 September 2023. Darrin would like to thank his spouse, Deborah, and their children, Tyler, Chase, Amanda, Shaun, Alexander, and Jacob for their support throughout his military career.