Newsletters - Volume 53
Branch CWO Message
Article written by Chief Warrant Officer Fequet
Fellow Communicators, where has the time gone? My tenure as your Branch CWO is quickly coming to an end, way too quick for me. That said, this will be as much of a farewell and thank you as it will be about passing on any particular messages.
It has been both an honour and a privilege to be your Branch CWO for the past two years. As I have said in previous Branch CWO Messages, during my travels across this great country of ours and overseas visiting our troops, I have been honoured to meet the many excellent Communicators we have in our Branch. Our Signallers, Air Force C & E and SIGINT personnel are ON DUTY 24/7 providing our Commanding Officers and Commanders with critical information to allow them to make significant and informed decisions to WIN the fight and have success in their missions. You will have read in our Branch Leader’s comments some testimonials to these facts.
I am also pleased to announce to all that my replacement will be CWO Marcel Dinelle, currently the RSM at 5 ASG Sig Svc. CWO Dinelle brings with him a lot of experience within the world of communications including a stint as the SSM of B Sqn at CFSCE (now 2 Sqn CFSCE). I know CWO Dinelle very well and I know that he has both the desire and energy to serve you well as your Branch CWO. The change of appointment ceremony will take place at our Home Station, CFB Kingston, ON around 1030 hours on 16 June 2010. If you are in the area drop by to meet your new Branch CWO and say hello to your Branch leadership.
My last few weeks as your Branch CWO are busy ones as we prepare for the up coming second annual C & E Branch All Ranks Mess Dinner at the Army Officers’ Mess here in Ottawa. At this dinner we will have seven “special guests”; our Branch Member of the Year (BMotY) for 2009, MCpl Hunt, and a representative from each of our MOSIDs: MCpl Thibault, LMN; MCpl Ross, LCIS Tech; MCpl Bissonnette, Sig Op; MS McBride, Comm Rsch; Cpl Bartlette, ATIS Tech and Cpl Kutcher, Signal Reserve.
Also Col Dufour, Col Lackonick, MCpl Hunt and myself along with three deserving Branch members, Capt Doody, WO Flood and Cpl Noakes will be visiting with our Colonel-in-Chief at the end of April in St. John’s NL.
In May I will be hosting, what I believe the first ever C & E Branch CWO/CPO1s Working Group in Kingston. We will be briefed by several of our Cols and tasked to work on your behalf on issues concerning you. That said, let your leadership know your concerns so that we can effect change as required.
Once again I ask you to consider making a contribution to your Branch Museum/Fund if you are not already a contributor. For your interest, in Jan 2004 we had only 950 contributors and as of 15 Feb 2010 we are up to 1642 and growing. Most of our contributors are our junior ranks, junior officers and NCMs. This is due in large part to the program our school, CFSCE, has where they introduce our new members to their Branch on first contact in Kingston. We still have a long way to go. Only about 1/3 (1642/5000+2000 Sig Res) of your Branch members contribute to their fund. It is a tax deductible donation. See your RMS Clerk and make your contribution NOW (P070). Last year your Fund sponsored close to 50 different events and personnel with a budget of $10,000. WE can do better.
With that plea being my last, I will now request permission from our Branch Leader and Branch Advisor to ZKJ (close down) for those who are not a “Jimmys”.
