After more than 32 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers Branch, MWO Andrew O’Connell, CD will retire on 08 June 2022. Anecdotes and retirement wishes may be sent to Capt J. St-Georges-Fingler at Joseph.St-Georges-Fingler@forces.gc.ca.

Master Warrant Officer Andrew O’Connell joined the Canadian Armed Forces on 04 July 1989 to serve in the RCN. During the eleven years before he remustered, he was stationed in Halifax with brief interruptions to attend courses in Borden, ON, and a two-year posting to Esquimalt, BC. MWO O’Connell served on numerous ships including HMCS Fredericton, Montreal Toronto, Vancouver, Goose Bay and Moncton to mention a few. He participated in Op PERSISTENCE, the Swissair Flight 111 tragedy. MWO O’Connell attained the rank of Petty Officer Second Class.

In 2000, MWO O’Connell transferred to the Army as a Construction Tech. Posted back to Halifax from Gagetown, NB, he worked for the Naval Construction Troop. During his time there, he deployed twice to Bosnia, once to Afghanistan, and on Op SPLINTER.

In 2005, MWO O’Connell was posted to 81 Construction Engineer Flight (CEF) in Trenton from where he did a tour to Camp Mirage, UAE. After Trenton, MWO O’Connell was briefly posted to 14 CEF in Greenwood, NS. Upon promotion to Sergeant, he was posted to 1 Engineer Support Unit (1 ESU) in Moncton, NB. Immediately upon arrival, he started work-up training and deployed to the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (KPRT) as a Project Manager with the Specialist Engineer Team (SET). Following the tour, MWO O’Connell experienced the high Arctic summer for the first time with a tasking to Devon Island. Later, he deployed to open the camp in OS Hub Kuwait.

2012 brought a promotion to Warrant Officer and a posting to 2 Combat Engineer Regiment (2 CER) as the Construction Troop Warrant Officer. Four years later, MWO O’Connell attained his current rank and moved to Real Properties Operation Unit Detachment Petawawa as the Sergeant Major. In the summer of 2019, MWO O’Connell arrived at his final posting, the North Warning System Office in the National Capital Region. For three years, he has had the immense pleasure of traveling across the Arctic again, an area to which he wishes to return.

Having served more than 32 years, MWO O’Connell will retire from the CAF on 08 Jun 2022. He wishes to thank all those alongside whom he worked as it was an honour. He sends a very special thanks to his wife, Ingrid, and daughter, Maaike, who stood by him through all the highs and lows.