Vance McGrath was born in Calgary in May 1962. Fresh from high school he joined the Canadian Military in March 1981 and ended up serving for 27 years. He has been posted all across Canada and has also completed tours in South West Africa, Cambodia, Vokavar, Bosnia. Vance also did a brief tour in Afghanistan under a civilian contract. Upon retiring from the Military in September 2008, Vance moved to Lethbridge and drove truck for 10 years before fully retiring in Lethbridge where he lives with his wife, Brenda.