After more than 24 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineers, Sgt James Werenka, CD, will retire on 21 February 2022. Congratulatory messages and best wishes can be sent to MCpl D.J.S.C. Poulin at David.Poulin@forces.gc.ca.

James Werenka was born in Edmonton, AB, in Oct 1978 and at the age of 19, joined the PRes as a member of the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. James paraded with the Regiment until an occupational transfer to Armoured Crewman in Feb 2002. He completed crewman training in Meaford, ON, through the early spring and was posted to Petawawa, ON, in June of that year. In Jan 2005, James was posted to the Armoured School at the CTC in Gagetown, NB, for the next three years. In the fall of 2009, he OT’d to RM Tech. As a Cpl at the time, he completed RM QL3 training at the NSCC Akerley Campus. Upon its completion in Jan 2010, he was posted to 14 Wg Greenwood for OJT before returning to CFSME for the Journeyman course in Mar 2015.

In Aug 2015, James moved from CFSME to 4 ESR as a member of 53 Construction Troop, 45 Sqn. While at 4 ESR and having just been promoted to MCpl, he was involved in many courses, exercises, and deployments. A short TAV to the International Peacekeeping and Security Center in Starychi, Ukraine, in Feb 2016 was immediately followed by PLQ in Halifax, NS, and a deployment to AASAB in Kuwait from May to November for OP IMPACT. After a much needed break in early 2016, he was off to Wainwright, AB, to assist with preparations for EX MAPLE RESOLVE and shortly thereafter, to one final TAV in Latvia to support OP REASSURANCE.

After completing DP3A in Sep 2017, MCpl Werenka was tasked to CFSME during which time he was promoted to Sgt in December 2018. The following year, he was posted to CFSME as the RM Section Comd, the position he currently holds.