Published October 24, 2022
After more than 20 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers Branch, Sgt Justin Grant, CD, will retire on 01 November 2022. Sgt Grant will have a Depart with Dignity celebration at the Warrant Officers' & Sergeants' Mess, 18 Craftsman Blvd, Kingston, ON, K7K 7B4, on 28 October 2022, starting at 13:00 hrs. Anecdotes and retirement wishes may be sent Sgt B.H. Steadman at Brad.Steadman@forces.gc.ca.
Justin was born into a military family in 1984 in the town of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He joined the CAF in October 2002 at CFRC Det Sydney and completed Basic Training at CFLRS St. Jean. Basic Training was followed by Mar Eng Tech QL3 at CFB Esquimalt.
Sgt Grant’s first posting was to HMCS Iroquois at CFB Halifax in 2003 during which time he deployed to the Mediterranean as part of ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR in 2006-2007. Upon his return, he completed Mar Eng Tech QL5 from 2007 to 2009 and was then posted to HMCS Athabasca. Sgt Grant deployed on Op CARIBBE in spring of 2011 and was presented with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal for his efforts. Following a promotion to MS later that year, he was posted back to CFLRS St. Jean as a Section Commander in 2012.
In 2013, Justin requested a Voluntary Occupational Transfer to RM Tech. His first RCAF posting was to CFB Cold Lake in 2015, which was followed by a promotion to MCpl, and a deployment on Op REASSURANCE, Latvia, in the spring of 2017. Shortly after his return, he deployed on Op NORTHERN DENIAL during Christmas of 2017 and again the following summer. He was then deployed on JTF-I Op IMPACT in 2018-2019. Promoted to his current rank in the spring of 2019, Sgt Grant returned to CFB Cold Lake where he completed QL6 in the fall of 2019. He was then posted to his final unit, 1 ESU, in Kingston, Ontario. While at 1 ESU Sgt Grant deployed once to OSH-LAC in Jamaica.
Following his release from the CAF, Sgt Grant, his wife Jessica and their two children, Jackson and Jordan, will move back to Antigonish, Nova Scotia. There, he will to take time to reorient his life and reconnect with his family before pursuing any further employment.