Captain L.W. van Heerden

2IC Headquarters Squadron

Captain Leon van Heerden was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and later immigrated to Canada. He began his service in the Canadian Armed Forces in May 2002 with the British Columbia Dragoons. In February 2007, he transferred to the Regular Force and completed his Royal Canadian Armoured Corps training at the Armour School in Gagetown, New Brunswick, before being posted to Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) in Edmonton.

During his early service with the Strathconas, Captain van Heerden served in several crew and leadership positions and deployed to Afghanistan. He also supported Operation PODIUM during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. As a non-commissioned member, he developed extensive experience in armoured reconnaissance and leadership, completing qualifications that included Armoured Reconnaissance Patrol Commander, Arctic Operations Advisor, Tactical Questioner and Close Quarter Combat Instructor.

Following his commissioning as an officer, Captain van Heerden completed Armoured Troop Leader training and returned to Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), where he served as a Troop Leader. He subsequently deployed to Latvia in support of Canada’s commitment to NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group. He later served as Adjutant of The King’s Own Calgary Regiment and deployed on Operation IMPACT as a Canadian liaison officer to Combined Joint Task Force–Operation INHERENT RESOLVE.

Upon returning to Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), Captain van Heerden served in several regimental and battle group appointments, including Tank Squadron Battle Captain, Headquarters Squadron Second-in-Command and staff positions supporting operations and logistics. In 2025, he returned to Latvia as the Administration Company Second-in-Command within the Canadian-led multinational brigade. His professional development includes the Army Operations Course, Leopard 2 Crew Commander Gunnery, LAV 6.0 Crew Commander Gunnery and French-language training.

Promoted to his current rank in March 2021, Captain van Heerden is presently serving as a Squadron Second-in-Command with Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) in Edmonton. He is married to Marta van Heerden they have 4 children.