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Morrison would not have had the same opportunity two decades ago. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces used to have to retire at age 55, but in 2004, the mandatory retirement age was raised to 60. It means anyone can join the Canadian military as long as they have enough time to complete their first term of service before reaching mandatory retirement.

Morrison had grown up in a military family: His father, Col. Scotty Morrison, fought in the Korean War, served in Germany, and later commanded The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada.

After attending high schools in Germany and Ottawa, David Morrison graduated from the University of Fredericton and travelled to Japan to teach English as a second language. He stayed for 15 years, became fluent in Japanese, and went to work for Deutsche Bank as an editor. He left as a vice-president and moved to Thailand to launch his own business. During his overseas years, he climbed mountains in Austria, explored pyramids in Egypt and scuba dived in the Philippines.

Morrison only returned to Ottawa when his father was diagnosed with cancer. He helped look after him until his death in April 2010 while working a series of odd jobs, everything from bike courier to pizza delivery man. He resolved to pursue a military career soon after his father’s death, in part to honour him.

Morrison also yearned for another adventure.

“I’ve had such a wonderful life so far and I thought, ‘What a feather in my cap to be able to say I served my country in the armed forces.’ And they took me.”