LCdr Andrew Cumming was born in Guthrie, Ontario, just outside Barrie.  He attended St. Andrew’s College and studied engineering at the University of Toronto.  He then entered the working world, and unhappy with what he encountered he chose to join the Canadian Forces.  Given his background he was drawn to the navy, and he has since made a career there.  He began that career with basic military training, moving on to more specialized naval classes and engineering operations, where he has grown to be familiar with the complex inner workings of Canada’s many types of naval ships.  Andrew has also been involved in a number of deployments, including Operation Caribbe, where he helped to police the Caribbean region by being on the lookout for drug smuggling and other illegal activities.  He was also assigned to Operation Reassurance, where Canada and its NATO allies are working to deter Russian aggression in Ukraine and the Baltic states region.  Similarly the Canadian navy worked alongside its NATO allies to patrol the Mediterranean as part of Operation Sea Guardian, searching for refugees who were often in unsafe watercraft.  In 2024-2025 LCdr Cumming attended the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, and he took some time one afternoon to share his story with Mr. Hawkins’ Grade 10 history class.