Coxswain - Chief Petty Officer First Class D.J. (Dave) Cashin, CD
Chief Petty Officer First Class David Cashin was born and raised in Port Felix, Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. After graduating from Guysborough Academy in 1971, he joined 702 Communications Squadron as a Signalman.
Transferring to the Regular Force as a Medical Technician in 1972, Chief Petty Officer First Class Cashin served his first tours with 1 Canadian Field Ambulance and 2 Canadian Field Ambulance, located in Gagetown, New Brunswick and Petawawa, Ontario, respectively. Upon promotion to the rank of Leading Seaman in 1976, he was posted to the Canadian Forces Hospital at CFB Cold Lake, Alberta, and subsequently to Canadian Forces Station Gypsumville in Manitoba in 1979. In 1981, he was posted to the Halifax area and served at the Canadian Forces Hospital at Canadian Forces Base Stadacona and Canadian Forces Base Shearwater until 1984.
Promoted to Petty Officer Second Class in 1984, Chief Petty Officer First Class Cashin served at the Canadian Forces Medical Services School in Borden, Ontario and returned to the East Coast in 1989. Upon return to the Halifax area, he served another tour at the hospital at Canadian Forces Base Stadacona as well as tours on board HMCS GATINEAU and HMCS TERRA NOVA.
Upon promotion to Chief Petty Officer Second Class in 1997, Chief Petty Officer First Class Cashin was posted to Sea Training, Maritime Forces Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia. Upon retirement from the Regular Force in 1999, he commenced employment as the Regional Medical Liaison Officer with the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Prairie). In 2001, he accepted the position of Regional Medical Liaison Officer with the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Atlantic). In 2007, he was appointed Coxswain of the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Atlantic).
During his career, Chief Petty Officer First Class Cashin has also served peacekeeping tours with the United Nations Emergency Force in Egypt and the United Nations Defence Observer Force in the Golan Heights. He has also participated in many sea operations including the Adriatic Sea blockade during the war in Bosnia and the Haitian blockade in 1993.
Chief Cashin is married to Lynn Laycox and they have two children, Christian and Nichole.