Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 191 DESMARAIS, Michel Etienne PEACETIME Michel was born in 1958 in Sorel, Quebec. He joined the military in 1976 in Sorel. After completing boot camp in St. Jean, Quebec, he was sent to Halifax for English training and sea survival training. Those early days were filled with challenges, but they laid the foundation for his military career. In early 1977, he joined CFB Esquimalt in Victoria, BC for his trades training in RadSea 251. Michel remembers feeling a mix of nerves and anticipation as he prepared for what was ahead. By December 1977, he was back in Halifax proudly serving on HMCS Skeena. Over the years, he had numerous postings on various ships including HMCS Iroquois, Assiniboine, Terra Nova, Skeena, Algonquin, Athabascan, and Restigouche, along with three tours at CFS Mill Cove. One of the highlights of his career was his three-and-a-half-year posting to CFB Valcartier where he joined a communications detachment in Porte St-Jean, Quebec City. This was in support of the Naval Reserve Headquarters, which had recently moved from Halifax to Quebec City. His last posting was to HMCS Terra Nova and he made the decision to voluntarily release under the Forces Reduction Program in October 1995. It was a bittersweet moment, but he was ready for the next chapter of his life. After the military, he returned to school and earned a certificate as an Information Technology Technician, which he pursued for twelve years. He then returned to Quebec to be with his aging parents, during which time he took a trucker’s course with CFTR Quebec. Eventually, he found himself as a school bus driver in a small community near his hometown where he enjoyed five wonderful years transporting kids from kindergarten to grade twelve. Upon his return to Halifax, he worked as a shuttle driver for the Airport Hotel and then Park’N Fly. He even had a stint as a tour bus driver for Ambassatours, but unfortunately only lasted one season due to the impact of Covid on cruise ship visits to Halifax. Now, Michel is happily retired and works part-time as a bartender at his local Legion. Submitted Independently
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