Master Warrant Officer M.R. Williams

Squadron Sergeant Major B Squadron

MWO Williams joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1998, with the 1st Hussars in Sarnia ON. He competed QL2 and QL3 in 1999 and became a Cougar driver in the winter of 2000 while participating in the Y2K stand up of OP ABACUS.

While in the reserves MWO Williams deployed three times: Bosnia-Herzegovina on OP PALLADUIM in 2001; Kabul, Afghanistan on OP ATHENA in 2004/04; and Kandahar, Afghanistan on OP ATHENA in 2008/09. He completed his component transfer to the Regular Force while on this last tour in the Spring of 2009 and was badged into the Regiment where he served as A Sqn’s Ambulance Commander in Mas’um Ghar.

Upon posting to the Regiment, he went directly to Recce Sqn and from there to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Following the Olympics, he completed 25mm gunnery as well as the ARCC, and went back to Recce Sqn as the Tp Ldrs Jr callsign. In 2011, MWO Williams went to RHQ to become the Bde Comd’s gunner and eventually commanded the Bde Comds LAV over an ice road north of Yellowknife NWT. This was not as nearly “cool” as it sounds, but was actually quite nerve racking!

MWO Williams completed the ARPC in 2012 before being qualified as a Tank Commander and moving into A Sqn as the Tp Sgt for 2 Troop. After about 3 weeks, his Tp WO went on a course and never came back leaving him to be Tp WO for MR ’1. He remained in this role across multiple troops in A Sqn from 2013-2015.

MWO Williams was then posted to 1 CAN DIV HQ (2015-2018), Kingston ON, where he deployed on RIMPAC to Honolulu, Hawaii, Allied Response Corps exercise in Cornwall, UK   and the Joint Operations Course at the NATO School in Oberammergau Germany in between.

In 2018, he was posted back to the Regiment as the Tp WO for 3 Tp, B Sqn, completing his 11th Maple Resolve (including one at 1 CAN Div HQ). After this last period as a Tp WO, he became the SQMS in B Sqn for 2 years with one of them as the acting SSM during COVID. The first “COVID” Camp for the army was during STEELE SABRE and as the SQ, had his tent evaporate around him and his SQ team during a microburst on Centurion Field in 2020, the video is still floating around on youtube.

MWO Williams moved back upstairs to become the Regimental Ops WO in 2021 and had the unfortunate pleasure to break it to the regiment that the last time the regiment would use Peregrine 9 in Wainwright was the year before due to an out break of nap weed that someone had dragged into the Peregrine. 

MWO Williams completed his fourth deployment in Arifjan, Kuwait in 2022, where he was awarded the US Army Commendation Medal and had the distinct honour of being the cenotaph commander for the first ever Coalition Remembrance Day Ceremony in Arifjan. Upon his return home home the same year, he took over as the Tpt WO and completed his DP4 SSM course. He was then posted back to the 1st Hussars in London/Sarnia, O, this time as the as Regimental OPS WO 2023-2024. He returned to Regimental duty in July 2024 as B Squadron Sergeant Major.

MWO Williams has a long term, very loving, supportive and understanding spouse, Stacey, as well as four sons: Cuilean, Connor, Liam and Simon. His only daughter is an 11-year-old Blue Heeler named Lois.