Travis Hegland was born and raised in La Ronge, Sask. where he lived until 1996 when he joined the Canadian Forces (CF). Following the completion of his trades training, he was posted to the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) in Edmonton, Alta. Travis’ first overseas tour commenced in 2000 when he deployed on Operation Palladium in Tomislavgrad, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Two years later he was again deployed on Operation Apollo in Kandahar, Afghanistan as part of Canada’s first combat mission since 1953. Shortly after his return to Edmonton, Travis was recognized as the top paratrooper in the CF winning the inaugural Canadian Airborne Soldier of the Year award.

After completing ten years with 3 PPCLI, Travis was posted to the Parachute School in Trenton, Ont. During this timeframe, Travis taught all disciplines of Parachuting in the CF, he also performed on the airshow circuit throughout North America for two years with the SkyHawks, the Canadian Forces Parachute Demonstration Team. In his final year at the Parachute School he was responsible for all Freefall Parachuting in the CF.

Travis returned to 3 PPCLI in 2012 and deployed on two more missions, Operation Attention in Kabul, Afghanistan and Operation Enduring Freedom in Poland. In 2016, after serving 20 years and accumulating over 1100 Parachute descents, Travis decided to retire in order to be closer to family and give back to the community.

Travis is married to Candice, they have two children, Bryce, age 12, and Breanna, age 8. He is currently the Fitness Centre Supervisor at the JRMCC.