After more than 37 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch, Maj M.G.M. Rousseau, MMM, CD, will retire on 21 March 2025. A DwD reception will be held later. Anecdotes and well wishes may be sent to Capt Matt Gauthier: matthieu.gauthier3@forces.gc.ca.

In February 1988 Maj Rousseau joined the 4^th battalion, Royal 22^{e R}egiment and in 1989 transferred to the Regular Force within the National Defence Fire Service. He served with the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Arm, and the Royal Canadian Air Force in various capacities and missions.

He was employed at CFB Summerside, 3 Wing and 2 Wing Bagotville, 12 Wing Shearwater, CFB Halifax, on board HMCS Montréal, 14 Wing Greenwood, 16 Wing Borden, Military Police Headquarters and the National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.

He served as crew member, Senior Firefighter at the Formation Augmentation Fleet Atlantic, Senior Fire Instructor at the Naval Damage Control School (Atlantic), Platoon Chief (Shearwater, Bagotville, Greenwood), Deputy Fire Chief at 14 Wing Greenwood and Fire Chief at 12 Wing Shearwater. As a CWO he held the position of the National Defence Fire Service Senior Occupation Advisor, CWO of the Canadian Forces Fire Marshal and Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment), Commandant of the RCAF Academy, 2 Wing CWO, Air Task Force CWO for Operation Cadence, Military Police Group CWO and as the CMP/MPC Command CWO.

Maj Rousseau’s operational tours of duty included support to 3 Wing Mission Support Element to Buffalo, N.Y. on HMCS Montréal, naval missions and with the STANFORLAND NATO fleet. He deployed to Operation Athena as the Canadian contingent Task Force Fire Marshal for Canadian assets in Afghanistan and in the United Arab Emirates and fulfilled several additional operational taskings to Afghanistan as well as in Germany, Kuwait, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

In August 2024, under the Special Requirements Commissioning Plan, he was promoted to the rank of Maj and took on the role of Succession Planner for the CMP/MPC and was assigned as the CMP delegate to the Personnel Management Task Force.

Maj Rousseau was awarded the order of military merit. He is currently the military director on the board of directors for the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation, is a former co-patron of the CAF men’s soccer and is a former member of the Canadian Military Engineer Association executive committee. He is a graduate of the Intermediate, Advance, Senior Leadership Programs and Senior Appointment Program, at the CWO Robert Osside Institute, as well as from the Executive Leadership Program and Canadian Safety and Security Program at Canadian Forces College.

Retirement is not yet on the horizon, going back to his roots, Maj Rousseau accepted the position of Fire Chief and Director of Protection Services for the City of Clarence-Rockland.