45 years of service in the CAF

It's not every day that a soldier celebrates 45 years of service in the Canadian Armed Forces. Since the mandatory retirement age is 60, you have to start very young to reach this number.

For Sergeant Daniel Doucet, this milestone was reached on February 1 when he was able to hoist the Canadian flag on the mast located at the entrance to CFB Bagotville, to mark the anniversary of his enlistment on February 1, 1977.

“I had asked to be able to hoist the flag to mark this day. When I leave the Canadian Armed Forces on my birthday, April 24, I will be two years past the age of mandatory retirement,” explains Sgt Doucet, who leaves with a sense of accomplishment.

First a member of the cadets, he enlisted in the reserves at the age of 16 (almost 17, he adds!) He was subsequently assigned to the 12th Armored Regiment in TroisRivières and after seven years, he joined the regular force in an armored regiment in Valcartier. It was in 2011 that he joined the Air Force as a reservist first and became an avionics technician.

During his years in Bagotville, he was successively assigned to different fighter squadrons. He was a member of the ground research team in the early 2000s before joining the Bagotville Operational Training Center (CFOB) where he has been an instructor for fifteen years.

In addition to providing training, Sgt Doucet is also responsible for standards in addition to being an administrator of the SSAM Management computer system (Monitor Mass).

“I really like my job at the CFOB, I have the chance to meet a lot of people there and it is very rewarding. My time in the Ground Search Team helped me acquire skills, particularly in first aid, which brought me to the CFOB, first for this training, then the others were added over the years. explains Sergeant Doucet.

“The time had come for me. I still really like what I do, but I gave. I have seen my colleagues leave for years and in addition I will retire at the same time as my girlfriend. I intend to make the most of the next few years,” concludes the future retiree.