WO Vincent L. Mercer, CD, will retire from the Canadian Armed Forces on 7 Feb 2018, after more than 32 years of loyal and dedicated service to the CAF, the CME Branch and the Artillery Branch (see bio attached).

A retirement luncheon will be held at the Canadian Brewhouse 101 St. Albert Trail, St Albert, AB on 15 Feb 2018 at 1300 hrs.

If you plan to attend, please email the OPI WO Schemerhorn at Jaret.Schemerhorn@forces.gc.ca<mailto:Jaret.Schemerhorn@forces.gc.ca>, 780-973-4011 ext 3532 Congratulatory messages and anecdotes can be forwarded to WO Schemerhorn.

On behalf of the Branch, we would like to announce that WO Vincent Leigh Mercer will retire from the regular force on 7 February 2018 after more than 32 years of service to Canada, the Canadian forces and the engineering and artillery branches.

WO Vince Mercer joined the Canadian forces on 25 Sep 1985 at the CFRC detachment in Sydney, NS. After completing recruit school in Cornwallis, he attended Artillery QL3 at the RCA Battle School, Shilo MB on January 1986. This is where he received his first issue of frostbite. He went on to graduate in March 1986 and was immediately posted to C Battery, 1 RCHA in Lahr, Germany where he carried out all the duties that would be expected of a young artillery soldier in those days and was part of 1 RHCA's Pipes and Drums for two years.

In 1992 Vince returned to Canada with a posting to D Battery 2 RCHA Petawawa, marked time at the CP, OP and of course, on the guns. While on tour in Bosnia 1998-99 Vince learned of the plight of the Geotech and the hardships of Ottawa. He transferred to Geotech with the Mapping and Charting Establishment in the summer of 2000.

Directly after graduation of his trades training in March 2003, he deployed to Bosnia again from April to October and was promoted to MCpl in July 2003 while deployed (coincidentally he had to sprint from writing a statement at the military police building to his promotion parade as a result of a pool party he hosted in the Geotech backyard the night before). Upon his return from tour, Vince was posted to Digital Response Sqn as a member and then as 2 i/c.

Seemingly always at the right time and place, he was offered the enviable opportunity to take part in the national rollout of the DAGR Gps. As if that 2 + year swan wasn’t enough, he was chosen to be a part of the pilot program and became the first course sergeant with the School of Military Mapping at Algonquin College. Unbelievably while still enjoying that good go, Vince was offered the (rare as hen’s teeth) opportunity to relocate for three years to Naples, Italy to work at Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFCNP), such hardship...

In 2011, he was posted back to MCE with a promotion to Warrant Officer and became Troop WO with Geo Sp Sqn. After failing at that job for a year, he was hidden away as Ops WO GI&SS for a year before finally being banished to 1 CER in 2013 until his weakness became too much to ignore in late 2016 and he was earmarked for medical release. The last year and a bit of his career were spent at 3^rd Cdn Div where he quickly learned being a staff officer was a fate worse than death.

Vince is accompanied today by his loving and supportive wife Constanza, and their daughter Lina, his father Art who is also a 32 year veteran of the CAF, and Vince’s sister-in-law Carolina.

WO Mercer plans on staying in Edmonton with his spouse, Constanza and plans to pursue employment in the field of do nothing for a year.