After more than 13 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, Sgt J.K. Nelander, CD, (00339) will retire on 1 April 2025. A DwD reception will be held on 1 April at 1200 at Wild Wings in Angus, Ontario.. If attending, please RSVP to WO T.I. Yurkiw at: thomas.yurkiw@forces.gc.ca. Anecdotes and well wishes may be sent to the same person.
James K. Nelander joined 32 CER on November 8, 2011, while in High School as a part-time job. His passion to try a career in demolition led him to choose the Combat Engineer trade.
Over the next few years, he completed his BMQ to DP2 training while actively parading with his Unit and conducting exercises, concurrently finishing high school then college.
His primary duties in 32 CER were in the field engineer role. His leadership ability and as a trusted member of his team, Cpl Nelander was assigned the role of 2IC and filled in as Section Commander.
In 2015 he completed his PLQ at the Leadership school in Petawawa. Following PLQ, Cpl Nelander was posted as 2IC for his section and was tasked primarily instructing on courses for the next two years teaching BMQ/BMQ-L and taught DP1 and DP2 at The Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering (CFSME), CFB Gagetown.
While serving in CFSME, he took an opportunity and completed the Conventional Munitions Disposal (CMD) course. Cpl Nelander was promoted to MCpl 1 May 2016 and assumed Section Command on 28 Jun 16. Early 2017 MCpl Nelander taught a series of a BMQ and BMQ-L for the local high school’s co-op programs across southern Ontario. The final courses were in CFB Borden where he met some different people on the Base and was pointed to taking a class B position with CFRG HQ. MCpl Nelander went an interview. The interview was carried out with his soon to be new boss Sgt Matthew Jackson, one the former instructors who he taught with a year or so prior.
MCpl Nelander accepted a Class B contract to work in the Offers section. In 2018, MCpl Nelander passed the Reg F DP6a course in CFB Gagetown which took most of the year including pre/post course leave and travel. During the course, MCpl Nelander applied to the marketing recruiter support section and surpassed the other competitors. MCpl Nelander was promoted early 2019 to his current rank of Sergeant.
Upon his contract end, Sgt Nelander on 5 Aug 2021 accepted a position as the R7-2-2 Quality auditor as part of the Quality Management team. Sgt Nelander retires on 1 Apr 25 completing over 13 years of honourable service. Some of Sgt Nelander’s best memories were built around the comradery during the Engineer Courses, or on exercises, always operating to achieve goals, complete tasks with his section. The comradery that comes with playing almost every sport at the intramural or base level teams. While there are things he won’t miss like days on end without sleep, while on exercise.
There were a lot of good times to be had…I mean who wouldn’t love shooting rifles and blowing things up daily? To Sgt Nelader the CAF has become a second family and because it is a relatively small community, it is always a joy seeing former co-workers or former students from your past. Chimo!