A Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada native, Major-General Lewis MacKenzie spent thirty-three years in the Canadian military, serving at posts such as in Germany with NATO forces and nine tours as a peacekeeper in such areas as the Gaza strip, Cyprus, Vietnam, Egypt, Central America and Bosnia.

In 1990 General Mackenzie was appointed the Commander of the United Nations Observer Mission in Central America and in 1992 was appointed the Chief of Staff of the United Nations Protection Force in Yugoslavia. In May of 1992 he created and assumed command of Sector Sarajevo and, in spite of the war, with a contingent of troops from 31 nations, managed to open the Sarajevo airport for the delivery of humanitarian aid. As a result, General MacKenzie became the only member of the Canadian Forces to be awarded a second Meritorious Service Cross.

General MacKenzie retired from the Canadian Forces in March 1993. His book, "Peacekeeper, Road to Sarajevo", a personal account of his peacekeeping experiences, became a number one best seller in September, 1993. A two-hour documentary, "A Soldier's Peace," based on the book, has aired in over 60 countries and won a New York Film Festival award in 1996.

He holds Honorary Doctorates from St. Francis Xavier, Acadia and St. Mary's Universities. General MacKenzie is a member of the Board of Advisors of Canadian Special Olympics, and a board member of the Parkinson's Foundation of Canada.