Petty Officer First Class Mario Couture

Good day, I am Petty Officer First Class Mario Couture from Rosemère, Quebec. I joined the Canadian Forces in 1985 under the Youth Training and Employment Program (YTEP), as naval acoustic operator (SONAR). After my initial training at recruits’ school in St Jean, Québec, I was assigned to the languages school before starting my trade course as naval acoustic operator in Halifax Nova Scotia.  My first assignment was aboard the destroyer HMCS NIPIGON which I remained for a period of 3 months, then transferred to the HMCS ALGONQUIN in January of 87. At the heart of this assignment, I participated in a mission with the NATO fleet which saw me gone away from Halifax for a period of 6 months and allowed me to visit most of the west coast of Europe. In 1989, I served on HMCS Gatineau for a period of 4 months prior to being selected for a posting to PARAMAX Montreal as an instructor for the new type of SONAR on the newly built Frigates. On 6 Apr 1992 I was sent back to Halifax Nova Scotia to serve on HMCS VILLE DE QUÉBEC, a bran new frigate not completed yet. In July 94, I was part of the commissioning crew in the city of Québec. In 1995, I did another 6 months deployment this time, in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1996, the Military sent me across country to serve on the west coast onboard HMCS WINNIPEG. While on the WINNIPEG, I did another 6 months Nato Deployment and left from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. In late 1998, I was sent to CFFS(E) to teach QL3 Sonar Courses. In early 1999, I came back without my family to Halifax for the Sonar Control Supervisor Course. In November 1999 I was promoted to the rank of Petty Officer Second class and saw my posting ashore cut short to return to HMCS WINNIPEG as the Sonar Control Supervisor. During this stint, WINNIPEG was deployed on a 6 months UN Mission in the Arabian Sea. In 2001 moved my family to Whidbey Island where I was posted to the Naval Ocean Processing Facilities. In 2005, I came back to the East Coast to serve on HMCS VILLE DE QUÉBEC for a second tour as a Sonar Control Supervisor (SCS). During this stint, we participated in a humanitarian exercise to help cleaning Biloxi Mississippi, an extremely rewarding challenge. I got posted to CFNOS as the PO ASW-2 immediately after my Director’s course, teaching and assessing the SCS Students. In December of 2008 I returned to HMCS VILLE DE QUÉBEC as the Under Water Warfare Director where I am currently employed. My wife Kathleen and I as well as our children Natasha, Jessica and Patrick live in Upper Tantallon, NS.