Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Gomes, CD

Commanding Officer

2009-2012

Lieutenant-Colonel Gomes was born in 1970 in Mississauga, Ontario. His initial exposure to the military was spent as a cadet with the 105 RCACC in Streetsville (Mississauga), Ontario. He departed as a Warrant Officer in 1988 as the “troop sergeant major” for Bravo troop.

 

LCol Gomes enrolled as a private with the 7^th Toronto Regiment R.C.A. on May 12, 1988. That summer, he completed his BMQ, QL2 and TQ1 gunnery course. That fall, while employed on the guns, he was also on the FMC driver wheel course until it was cancelled. The following spring, Gunner Gomes took his arty tech course with 11 FD in order to be loaded on the Combat Leaders Course that summer. Gnr Gomes, along with 2 other members of the Regiment, were 3 of the 16 candidates of the 40 that began the course to pass the first ever regular force run reserve CLC by the RCR battle school. In the fall of 1989, Gnr Gomes was daps and promoted to the rank of Master-Bombardier.

LCol Gomes was offered to take his commission while on his FOO tech course in the spring of 1990 and went off to CFB Gagetown to complete his RESO Artillery Phase 1 & 2 that summer where he placed third on the course. The following year, 2Lt Gomes completed his RESO Artillery Phase 3 and was immediately employed that summer as the Command Post and Recce Officer during the Central Area Concentration. Lt Gomes went on to become the Gun Position Officer of 9 Battery before completing his FOO and tactics course in the summer of 1996. That fall, Lt Gomes was employed as the Battery Captain of 9 Bty, which was the last time the unit was assessed by the regular force as a sub-unit in its gunnery skills. LCol Gomes had also been employed as a FOO and Battery Commander on various Southern Drive exercises in Fort Knox, Kentucky and Fort Benning, Georgia.

Captain Gomes completed his Battery Commander’s course in 2000 and was promoted to the rank of Major in January 2005 while serving as the BC of 15 Battery. Maj Gomes completed his Militia Command and Staff Course in Kingston, in July 2005.

Mike served the Guns of 7^th Toronto Regiment RCA as the Commanding Officer from June 15, 2009 to December 1, 2012. Previous to that appointment, he was the Second-in Command for six months. He was also the Battery Commander of 9 Battery for 2 years. He was employed as the Battery Commander at a summer concentration when he took a composite battery of all the artillery units in Ontario to Exercise Maple Defender in August 2007 at Wainwright, Alberta. In addition, to his responsibilities at 7^th Toronto Regiment R.C.A. as 2IC up until his appointment as Commanding Officer, LCol Gomes was also the OC (Officer Commanding) of the Advance Skills Company with 32 Brigade Battle School.

To say my term as CO was challenging was an understatement! 3 RSM’s, 2 Honorary Colonels and Lieutenant-Colonel’s, soldiers deploying to and returning from Afghanistan, growth of the Officer Corp, PD plan for both NCM’s and Officer’s, re-introduction of the Gunner Ball, Brigadier Brown’s 100^th birthday, a new IFT, the revitalization of our cadet corp, our own Regimental Coin and more grey hair than I cared to have at that time in my life. Mission and Regiment first, service before self but I did it my way.

LCol Gomes has studied at the University of Toronto, The Chartered Institute of Traffic and Transportation (CITT), Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics & Transport -UK (CMILT), The Logistics Institute (P.Log.), Transportation Intermediaries Association (CTB) and the Canadian Professional Sales Association (CSP). To date, LCol Gomes has completed three MBA courses through Athabasca University. LCol Gomes holds 2 black belts in karate. He has a shodan (1^st degree) in chito–ryu and a nidan (2^nd degree) in goju-ryu.

LCol Gomes is Director Corporate Accounts North America with Excel. A 3PL (third party logistics) provider of supply chain logistics services throughout North America. His clients consist of Fortune 500 as well Canada’s Best 50 Managed Companies. Mike is looking to start his own 3PL in the next 18 months.

LCol Gomes lives in Etobicoke. His son Mason is in his last year of the cooperative education program at Wilfrid Laurier University. His older daughter Lauren is in her first year at Western taking Health Sciences. His younger daughter Chance is currently in a grade 7 French immersion program. LCol Gomes completed a post command appointment as the Canadian Forces Liaison Council Liaison Officer (LO) for the GTA and retired from service on June 30, 2015. In his spare time, Mike enjoys reading, travel to destinations on his bucket list and learning how to trade the forex and S&P 500 e-mini index markets respectively.