After more than 42 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers, MWO Luc Gauthier, CD, will retire on 22 November 2023. Congratulatory messages, well wishes, and anecdotes can be sent to WO S. Theriault at Serge.Theriault@forces.gc.ca.

MWO Luc Gauthier joined the Canadian Armed Forces in January 1981 in Ottawa, Ontario, as a gunner. Following gunner training in Valcartier, he was transferred to 5 RALC Valcartier with 5 Canadian Mechanization Brigade Group. In July 1985, he was transferred to 1 RCHA at the military base in Lahr, West Germany, while serving under NATO.

He returned to Canada in July 1989, again with 5 RALC, until he transferred occupations to refrigeration technician in January 1991. He completed qualification levels 3 and 5 at the School of Military Engineering in Chilliwack, British Columbia before another stay in Valcartier.

From Valcartier, he deployed to Bosnia, former Yugoslavia, again under the NATO flag, returning home in July 1997. He was posted to 4 Wing Cold Lake, Alberta, in the summer of 1997, where he worked as an RM technician. He pursued his career as an Aircraft Arresting System technician, gaining experience and going on numerous tasking for NORAD in the great white Canadian north. He deployed to the middle East (Israel and Syria) to serve under UN (UNDOF) in 1999 and 2001. Returning home, he was deployed several times to the Canadian North to ensure the operation of emergency shutdown systems for fighter aircraft under Operation DENIAL.

Transferred to 3 Wing Bagotville in 2005, he held the positions of Assistant Refrigeration Shop Supervisor, Emergency Shutdown Systems Operator, and Warrant Officer (SM) at RPOU(Q) Bagotville. After a brief posting to CFSME Gagetown in 2011, MWO Gauthier continued to 1 Canadian Air Division in Winnipeg and adopted the responsibilities of the Aircraft Arresting System LCMM/TA for the RCAF. Finally, MWO Gauthier was transferred to RPOU(Q) Montréal in October 2018, where he took on the responsibilities of section SM.

MWO Luc Gauthier will retire from the CAF on 22 November 2023 after over 42 years of dedicated service and will be employed in the Public Service with Real Property Operations Unit Québec. He is the spouse of Nathalie Dufour. He has three children, Véronique (43), Pier-Luc (33), and Sophie (soon to be 30 years old). He also has four grandchildren and two stepsons, Jonathan (18) and Mathis (16).