After 26+ years of dedicated and loyal service, MWO Brian Bennett will be retiring from the CME Branch and the CAF on 22 Jan 2016. (see bio attached)

A Depart with Dignity ceremony will be held on 7 March 2016 at Big Leagues in Cole Harbour, in his honor. Attendees are requested to advise the OPI of their planned attendance NLT 1 March 2016.

Anecdotes or retirement wishes may be sent to the OPI by e-mail. OPI: Sgt Pete Gofton at PETER.GOFTON@forces.gc.ca

MWO Brian Cory Bennett, the youngest of 14 children from Stephenville Crossing, Newfoundland, joined the CF in September, 1989. Upon successful completion of Recruit training in Cornwallis, he was sent to CFSCE in Kingston, ON for Performance Oriented Electronics Training (POET). After five months on course, Brian was sent to BCE Borden for OJT in the EGS Shop until he was sent to CFSME, Chilliwack in Feb 1991 to begin his TQ3 training as a 622 EGS Tech.

His first posting was to the Mobile Repair Team (Now 86 ASU) at 8Wg Trenton. This is, and always will be, Brian’s favourite posting. In the four years at MRT, Brian completed over 25 installs and removals of EGS equipment from various CF Bases and Stations including CFS Masset, CFS Alert, CFS Sydney and CFS Bermuda. He completed his first six month tour of CFS Alert from May – Nov 1994. In 1995, he was posted to 14 Wg Greenwood and immediately went on his QL5 course to Chilliwack. Within months of completing his QL5 course, Brian was deployed to Haiti from Mar – Oct 1996.

It was on his return from Haiti that Brian met his future wife Vera and her two wonderful children Sarah and Corey. Brian was promoted to MCpl in 1999 and was deployed to Alert for his second tour in Sep 1999 – Mar 2000. Brian completed his JLC course in the fall of 2000 and was promoted to Sgt in Dec 2000. In Jan 2001, Brian was sent on his QL6A course to CFSME, Gagetown and was then posted to 1CER Edmonton July 2001- Jun 2004. While at 1CER, he completed a tour to Bosnia in 2002 and was the lead EGS tech for OP Grizzly (G8 Summit) in 2003.

He was posted to CFB Halifax in Jun 2004 as the EGS Shop supervisor and promoted to WO in Jun 2006. He was then posted to CFSME as the EGS Standards WO from 2006-2009. In Feb 2009, Brian was promoted to his current rank of MWO and was posted to FCE Halifax in June of that year. Over the six years in Halifax, he has been employed as the Deputy Building Maintenance Officer, Auxiliary Systems Officer, Property Services Officer, Environmental Officer, Requirements MWO and his current position of Contracts 2IC.

Brian will be retiring on 22 Jan 2016 and will be starting his new job as a civilian EGS Tech in the EGS Shop in Halifax 25 Jan. He and his wife, Vera, will be calling Eastern Passage their home and plan to have many visits from their two grandchildren and family over the coming years. A Depart with Dignity is being planned for 7 Mar 16 (storm date of 10 Mar 16) at Big Leagues in Cole Harbour. Warm wishes and stories can be sent to the DwD organizer Sgt Pete Gofton at PETER.GOFTON@forces.gc.ca .