Born and raised on Vancouver Island, Jake Olafsen of Campbell River first served with the Canadian Army Reserve and helped fight B.C. forest fires of 2003. From 2005-2009, Olafsen was a Royal Marine Commando who served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. In his memoir Wearing the Green Beret: A Canadian with the Royal Marine Commandos (M&S $32.99) he describes his eight months of rigorous training in England and Wales to become part of an elite military unit based in the United Kingdom, followed by his combat experiences versus the Taliban for six months in Helmand Province in 2006, with a return to Afghanistan in 2007. In 2009, he left the Corps and returned home to Vancouver Island to pursue a career in the international maritime security industry. 978-0-7710-6852-2

[2011 BCBW]