Andrew McIntosh was born February 20, 1964 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, moving to Souris, Prince Edward Island when he was one year old. He grew up in that small town, born into a family with an extensive military tradition. Andrew recalls that the opportunities in Souris were limited, so with his parents’ blessing he joined the Canadian Forces and reported to CFB Cornwallis for basic training. Andrew had hoped to go into the air force as an engine technician, but that did not pan out – at least at first. He spent the first half of his extensive career in the artillery, and in later years he was able to achieve his air force ambitions. The first part of that saw him in Shilo and Gagetown, and he also served overseas as part of NATO forces in Germany during this time. The Cold War was still going on, and Andrew recalls that they were in a high state of readiness; he also recalls the fall of the Berlin Wall, a dramatic change from that time. Andrew returned to Gagetown after that, where he trained as a Forward Operating Officer’s Technician, calling in artillery and aerial strikes on targets. Next was Meaford, Ontario, and while there he reapplied for the air force technician training, and when accepted he reported to CFB Borden and began that training. The key base for the remainder of his career would be CFB Trenton, and while there he was deployed to Afghanistan, where he worked as a technician on the Hercules aircraft. During that time he experienced numerous rocket attacks, something that stuck with him – as did the ramp ceremonies. Shortly after his return from Afghanistan Andrew decided to leave the air force: elements of the Afghan mission combined with other factors to create a sense of disillusionment for him, and he felt the time was right to move on. He and his wife left Trenton at that time and relocated to Prince Edward Island, where Andrew became involved in the Souris Legion and pursued his musical interests. Andrew McIntosh was interviewed by Scott Masters at the Souris Legion in July 2024.
