James Swan, a hereditary chief of the Ahousaht First Nation in British Columbia, will be serving in Afghanistan.

Swan, 44, volunteered to join the Canadian Forces. He has been training for the past three weeks.

"I wanted to do something a little bit more than being in the reserves,'' he told the Canadian Press. "I had a good discussion with my wife first.''

Swan, seen on the right in the photo, is known as Uu-Kwa-Qum. He is a Manhousaht chief, one of the three tribes that make up the Ahousaht First Nation.

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Hereditary chief of First Nation heads for war in Afghanistan (CP 3/2)