Uniform Doesn’t Matter

My last transfer was right here in Charlottetown. I was transferred to the HMCS Queen Charlotte which is a naval reserve unit, but as their clerk. So I went there and I walk in there. The CO looks at me and says, “You wearing an army uniform?” “Yes sir, doesn't matter in our trade, navy, army, air force, we're here to help and we'll help.” And once I reached the 30 years I said to my wife, I said, “Enough, I think that's, I did enough. I want to get out.” She said, “It's up to you.” So I retired and we decided to stay here in PEI. Interviewer: If you were to do it all again, would you do it any different? No, I'd do it in a heartbeat, just... If I was a kid again, I would join again, do the same thing over again. I just loved it. It was a way of life. They taught me a lot, the military taught me a lot, discipline, respect, we learned that a lot in the military, and that was great, it was great. I met fantastic people.

Mr. Desmeules shares his story of returning to Navy service from Army yet not bothering to change uniforms.

Mike Desmeules

Mr. Desmeules was born in 1950 in Jean Pierre, Quebec. With little work in his hometown community, Mr. Desmeules decided to join the armed forces, considering it as an opportunity to travel. At 18 years of age Mr. Desmeules initially joined the Navy taking up the service occupation of administrative clerk. With this occupation being very generic to all branches of service, Mr. Desmeules later joined with the army and in 1975 accepted an opportunity to travel to Egypt with the Signal Regiment. In 1995, Mr. Desmeules accepted a posting to Rwanda, again in the administrative field of occupation. Upon return to Canada, Mr. Desmeules made the switch back to navy service and retired when 30 years of service was achieved. Mr. Desmeules and his family took up residence in Prince Edward Island, Canada.