Wearing the green beret a Canadian with the Royal Marine Commandos

Summary: EARLY DAYS ... I was born in a small town on Vancouver Island off the coast of British Columbia in 1979 and my first home was a cabin surrounded by forests and wildlife. I lived in that little cabin with my mom, my dad, and my brother, who was three years older than me. My dad was building a nice family home on the property and the cabin was just a temporary measure as the house came together. My parents spent a few years in it, I think, but I barely did one. So, living miles away from the nearest town, I grew up playing with slingshots and wooden swords my dad made out of plywood. We had a few pigs and some chickens, and sometimes I couldn't go out to play because of bears or wolves in the yard. I thought it was a fantastic place to live. I was never bored, and my mother made sure that I was on the soccer and T-ball teams or involved with kids' clubs to keep me busy. When I wasn't up to that stuff I was back in the bush, throwing rocks at the snake nest or setting the tent up in the yard to sleep out at night. I loved it.