Major David Grebstad, CD was born, raised and educated in Dryden. He attended Albert Street School, Oxdrift Public School and Dryden High School, graduating in 1991. He was a member of 2072 Dryden Legion Army Cadet Corps.
Dave Grebstad at Tarnak Farms, south of Kandahar Airfield, 2002.
He first joined the Canadian Forces as an Artilleryman in the Primary Reserve with 116th Independent Field Battery, RCA in Kenora in 1990. He transferred to the Regular Force in 1999 as an Artillery Officer.
In 2002, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, then-Captain Grebstad deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan on Operation APOLLO. He served as an artillery Forward Observation Officer with C Battery, 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in support of the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Battle Group.
In 2014, in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, Major Grebstad was deployed to NATO's Allied Joint Forces Command - Naples in Italy as part of Operation REASSURANCE. While in Naples, Major Grebstad acted as a Land Planner in developing a contingency plan for the defence of south-eastern Europe.
At the time of writing Major Grebstad is employed as the G3-5 Operational Plans at 4th Canadian Division Headquarters in Toronto, but will be moving to work at the Directorate of Regional Plans at the Strategic Joint Staff at the National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.
He has served with the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in Shilo, MB as a junior artillery officer; at the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School in Gagetown, NB as an artillery Instructor-in-Gunnery; and at the 2nd Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in Petawawa, ON as Battery Commander, 'Y' Battery.
Major Grebstad is a graduate of the University of Manitoba (BA '96), the University of New Brunswick (MA '12) and the Royal Military College of Canada (MDS '13) as well as the Army Command and Staff College ('04) and the Canadian Forces College's Joint Command and Staff Programme ('13).
His wife, Colleen, is a Nursing Officer in the Royal Canadian Medical Service currently employed as the Commanding Officer of 32 Canadian Forces Health Services Centre in Toronto. At the time of writing they live in Etobicoke with their two energetic dogs.