After more than 21 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers, WO Dharminder Virdi, CD, will retire on 04 April 2022. A small DwD ceremony will take place at CFB Cold Lake on 01 April 2022. Congratulatory messages and best wishes can be sent to WO B. Bilodeau at Benjamin.Bilodeau@forces.gc.ca
WO Virdi joined the CAF as an Armoured Crewman on 15 July 2000 and commenced basic training in St. Jean, Quebec. After BMQ, he completed Battle School in Wainwright, Alberta, and received his first posting with The Lord Strathcona’s Horse Regiment (RC) at CFB Edmonton.
Two years later, on 20 February 2002, he found himself on his way to Afghanistan as part of Op APOLLO. He returned to Canada in late July 2002 and the following year, was posted to the Armoured School in CFB Gagetown.
In 2006, he remusted to RM Tech and subsequently completed DP1 at Ackerly Campus in Nova Scotia.
In May 2010, he returned to CFSME for the DP2 course and shortly thereafter, began PLQ in April 2011. Approximately a month after PLQ, he was sent to CFB Trenton to complete the Mobile Arresting Systems and Secure Mobile Anti-Jam Reliable courses. In December 2011, he was promoted to MCpl and posted to 1 CER in Edmonton.
While at 1 CER, he had the opportunity to join Op LENTUS, assisting with flood relief in High River, and he completed DP3A. After this brief posting at CFB Edmonton, he was promoted to Sgt and posted to 2 Air Expeditionary Squadron (2 AES) at CFB Bagotville.
At 2 AES, WO Virdi was the RM Section I/C within 21 Construction Engineer Flight (CEF). During his time in Bagotville, he learned to speak French and deployed on Op IMPACT (Kuwait), RIMPAC (Hawaii), and Op REASSURANCE (Romania) as part of an Airfield Activation Surge Team (AFAST).
On 1 Jan 20I8, he was promoted to WO to be the Tp WO at 21 CEF Bagotville. In the summer of 2019, he was posted to 4 CES as the Ops O. This is where he has spent the last two years of his career and where he will retire on 04 April 2022.