Maj James Boone, CD, will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces on 13 Apr 2018, after 23+ years of loyal and dedicated service to the CAF and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch (See bio attached).  A DwD will be a luncheon on a TBD date in May 2018 to celebrate his years of loyal and dedicated service to the CAF at the Officers Mess in 19 Wing Comox.  All congratulatory messages, anecdotes, and farewell messages should be sent to Lt Garrett Sykes at garrett.sykes@forces.gc.ca<mailto:garrett.sykes@forces.gc.ca> / Tel: 250-339-8211 x8552 / CSN: 252-8552

Major Jamie Boone joined the CAF on 21 Sept 1994 in Kingston Ontario. Major Boone joined as an infantry soldier with the Royal Canadian Regiment. Upon completion of basic training he was quickly whisked off to CFB Petawawa to conduct Battle School and subsequently assigned to the 2nd Battalion RCR’s in Gagetown.

After years of training up and down the Lawfield corridor in the CTC training area and a tour in Former Yugoslavia he decided to re-muster to Construction Tech. Upon completion of trade training in 2000 then Cpl Boone was posted with his family to 3 CDSB Edmonton at 1 Combat Engineer Regiment. Quickly honing his skills allowed him to become the Regimental Carpenter and was selected to be part of a team sent to Jamaica to partake in hurricane relief and reconstruction.

Upon return in 2004 he was promoted to MCpl and was posted to Engineering services across the base. Shortly thereafter in July of 2005 he was tasked to complete his first tour in Afghanistan as the Op Archer Construction Tech within the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team. Shortly after returning he was promoted to Sgt and Posted to 4 Wing Cold Lake as the Carpenter Shop Supervisor. Two years later in Feb 2008, he was once again off to Kandahar, this time as a contracts manager at Kandahar Airfield in charge of “outside the wire” contracts for the Canadian AOR. Shortly after returning in Apr 2009 he was promoted to WO and moved in to the 2 I/C of Contracts in RP Ops Det Cold Lake (CE then).

In 2010 he was once again posted back to 3 CDSB in Edmonton to reunite with his family and take on a Utility Officer role, seeing his many talents, his supervisors and chain of command determined that he would be better suited taking on the challenge of production officer and Sergeant Majors role when the existing CWO decided to retire. Excelling in his roles he was mentored by the OC at the time to compete in the Commissioning process and was subsequently selected to CFR in Apr 2012 to the rank of Capt.

It was inevitable at that time there was no longer a position at 3 CDSB for Capt Boone, so he accepted a posting to 1 Cdn Air Div A4 CE working alongside a USAF Major in the completion of critical updates to the CE Aide Memoire and much needed airfield capability modernization projects. This gave birth to two new capabilities Airfield Surface Assessment and Recce (ASAR) and Airfield Light Repair (ALR). In July 2015 after three years at 1 Cdn Air Div, Major Boone was selected for posting to 19 Wing Comox as the Requirements Officer for RP Ops det Comox. Upon arrival Major Boone and his family quickly realized they were in the best location in Canada. After a couple of years as the RO, he was asked to fill a role that was left vacant by an unforeseen posting of the OC of 19 MSS Construction Engineers in Aug 2017. As the new OC Major Boone quickly took on the responsibility and challenges that came from the position. In Dec 2017 Major Boone was promoted to his current rank.

In order to meet the permanent needs of his family Major Boone has accepted a positon working at DCC in Comox, allowing him to keep his family happy and in the area they have grown to love, as well as continuing to influence the shape and future of 19 Wing Infrastructure.