Sorry I haven't been around for the last month or so, but as of 1050 Friday, I am officially retired from the Royal Canadian Navy after 34 years. Petty Officer 1st Class was my final rank. Now you Americans are going to say "not a very high rank for 34 years", but Canada follows the British Rank structure, not the US. It is the equivalent rank of Warrant Officer in the Army or Air Force. Just a quick horn tooting. I was in Somalia for 7 months (before the US Black Hawk down incident), Bosnia for 6 1/2 months, home for 3 months, and back to Bosnia for another 6 months. Afghanistan for 6 1/2 months, Haiti earthquake relief, chased Colombian drug smugglers, and replaced the roof on a school in Florida after Hurricane Andrew. Most of those tours were seaborne, but I did spend a lot of time ashore in Somalia. Assisted with the Manitoba Red River flooding in 1997, and was the first boat in the water to look for survivors of the 1998 Swissair Flight 111 plane crash at Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. There were no survivors, only carnage. I believe that I have done more than my share in the name of democracy, so I bought a retirement toy (Can-Am Outlander 1000 V-Twin XMR (Xtreme Mud Racer) ATV). It's SICK! There are videos on youtube, lol. At the end of the day, it is all good as long as the pension rolls in. We are staying in the Halifax area for now, with a possibility of moving to Cape Breton if an acceptable place can be found near the wife's home town of L'Ardoise. Thanks for understanding my absence, and the support over the last few years. Here's to many more.
