WARRANT OFFICER MATTHEW KEDDY
AFTER 24 YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE TO CANADA, THE RCAF, CANADIAN ARMY
AND THE ROYAL CANADIAN LOGISTICS SERVICE, WARRANT OFFICER MATTHEW
KEDDY’S LAST WORKING DAY WITH THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES WILL BE
ON 02 OCTOBER 2024.
WO KEDDY ENROLLED IN HALIFAX IN THE SUMMER OF 2000 WHERE HE WAS
GIVEN THE OPPORTNITY TO ATTEND THE TWO WEEK CANADIAN FORCES
ABORIGINAL ENTRY PROGRAM IN ST-JEAN/FARNHAM, QC. THERE HE MET AND
BUILT RELATIONSHIPS OTHER INDIGENOUS YOUTH INTERESTED IN PURSUING A
CAREER IN THE CAF. ONCE COMPLETING THE CFAEP PROGRAM, HE WOULD
RETURN TO ST-JEAN TO COMPLETE HIS 10 WEEK BASIC TRAINING. FROM THERE
HE WOULD MAKE HIS WAY TO CFB BORDEN TO PREPARE FOR HIS QL3 BASIC
COOK COURSE WITH THE COOKS CADRE AT CFLTC. WHILE AWITING TRAINING,
HE WAS PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL BACK TO NOVA SCOTIA AND
LINK UP WITH RECRUITERS TO TRAVEL TO THE DIFFERENT FIRST NATIONS
COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT NOVA SCOTIA TO SPEAK ABOUT HIS
EXPERIENCES WHILE PARTICIPATING IN THE CF ABORIGINAL ENTRY PROGRAM.
IN THE SPRING OF 2001, WO KEDDY AS POSTED TO CFB 17 WING WINNIPEG
WORKING IN BOTH THE COMBINED MESS AND OFFICERS MESS KITCHENS. THIS
IS WHERE HE MET HIS WIFE REBECCA OF NOW ALMOST 20 YEARS AND HAVE
RAISED THEIR TWO CHILDREN, JACOB AND OLIVIA. THE SPRING OF 2002 SAW
WO KEDDY GET HIS FIRST TASTE OF AN INTERNATIONAL TASKING, BEING
SELECTED TO TRAVEL TO TUSCON, ARIZONA ON AN EXCHANGE RPOGRAM
WITH THE AIRFIELD ENGINEERS FROM 17 WING AND SGT ART SMYTH FROM
THE KITCHEN. WO KEDDY RECEIVED A LETTER OF APPRECIATION FOR NOT
ALLOWING SGT SMYTH TO BURN DOWN THE AMERICAN DFAC.
2003, HE DEPLOYED WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF 17 WING ON OP ATHENA TO
SOUTHWEST ASIA IN SUPPORT OF THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN. HE WOULD SEE
ANOTHER DEPLOYMENT NOT LONG AFTER IN 2005, THIS TIME DEPLOYING TO
THE GOLAN HEIGHTS IN ISRAEL ON OP DANACA, THE MULIT-NATIONAL UN
MISSION IN THE AOR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND SYRIA. 2011 WOULD SEE HIM OFF
TO SHILO, MB TO TAKE ON A FIELD COOK ROLE WITH THE 2ND BATALLION
PRINCESS PATRICIAS CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY. HERE HE WOULD LEARN THE
CHALLENGES OF COOKING FOR UPWARDS OF 800 TO 1800 ARMY PERSONNEL
UTILIZING BASIC COOKING EQUIPMENT IN AUSTEER CONDITIONS. 2013 WOULD
SEE A RETURN TO 17 WING AND HIS FAMILY. 2015 HE WOULD BE PROMOTED
TO SARGENT AND TAKE ON THE ROLE OF THE IC KITCHEN AT THE COMBINED
MESS. HE WAS PROUD TO REACH THE RANK THAT HE ASPIRED TO ACHIEVE
WHEN HE FIRST JOINED AND WAS EXCITED TO MENTOR AND SHARE HIS
KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES WITH THE JUNIOR COOKS COMING INTO THE
TRADE. IN 2016, HE TOOK ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO TRAVEL WITH THE
RECRUITING CENTRE STAFF FOR A WEEK TO NORTHER MANITOBA, VISITING
SCHOOLS AND REACHING OUT TO YOUTH IN COMMUNITES LIKE THOMPSON,
LYNN LAKE AND LEAF RAPIDS. HERE HE WAS ABLE TO SPEAK TO MEMBERS OF
THE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES ABOUT HIS INDIGENOUS BACKGROUND AND
HIS EXPERIENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES HE HAS HAD THROUGHOUT HIS
CAREER. IN 2017, WO KEDDY WOULD BE POSTED TO 408 TACTICAL HELICOPTER
SQUADRON IN EDMONTON, AB AS THEIR CHIEF COOK WHERE HE WOULD LEAN
ON THE EXPERIENCES AND KNOWLEDGE LEARNED WHILE WITH 2 PPCLI. HE
WOULD OPT TO TAKE ON THE POSITING UNDER THE IR RESTRICTIONS, LEAVING
HIS FAMILY IN WINNIPEG AND TRAVELING HOME FOR VISITS DURING THE
HOLIDAYS. IN 2018, HE WOULD BE PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF WARRANT
OFFICER(BY THE CDS HIMSELF AT THE 408 THS HANGER) AND RECEIVED A
POSTING “CLOSER TO HOME”, BACK IN SHILO AND THIS TIME AS THE CHIEF
COOK OF THE 1ST REGIMENT ROYAL CANADIAN HORSE ARTILLERY WHERE HE
WOULD SPEND THE NEXT FOUR YEARS STILL DOING THE IR GIG AND
TRAVELING HOME EACH WEEKEND TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH FAMILY AS
POSSIBLE. THIS ALL WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE HARD
WORK AND DEDICATION OF HIS WIFE AND HIS MOTHER-IN-LAW PATRICIA,
WHOM HE IS FOREVER GRATEFUL TO FOR THE UNWAVERING SUPPORT AND
CARE TO THE KIDS DURING HIS ABSENCES. IN 2022, THE OPPORTUNITY CAME
TO BE POSTED BACK TO HIS FAMILY AND 17 WING AS THE KITCHEN MANAGER.
THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE BROUGHT A LOT OF CHALLENGES IN THE
WORKPLACE AND OPPORTUNITIES AT HOME, WHERE HE AND REBECCA HAVE
RECENTLY SEEN THEIR DREAMS COME TO FRUITION AND PURCHASED AN
ACREAGE JUST NORTH OF WINNIPEG WHERE THEY HAVE THEIR HORSES WITH
THEM AND ARE ENJOYING THE QUIET COUNTRY LIFE. MATT HAS ACCEPTED A
POSITION WITH 17 MSS SUPPLY AS A CR-05 PROCUREMENT STAFF AND WILL BE
TRANSITIONING TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE ON 03 OCTOBER 24. HE IS LOOKING
FORWARD TO THIS NEW ROLE AND CONTINUED SERVICE TO CANADA AS A
PUBLIC SERVANT WHILE DRAWING ON ALL HIS KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCES
HE HAS GAINED IN HIS 24 YEARS IN UNIFORM.
A DEPART WITH DIGNITY LUNCHEON WILL BE HELD, LOCATION AND TIME TBD.
ANECDOTES AND WELL WISHES ARE ENCOURAGED. PLEASE FORWARD TO MWO
JON DONAHUE AT JONATHAN.DONAHUE@FORCES.GC.CA