John served 5 years in the Australian Army as an infantry soldier amassing a range of skills, weapon and vehicle qualifications with ultimate aim of deploying to Afghanistan. Despite his continual efforts John's posting trajectory and a later leg injury meant he was overlooked for deployment, leaving him dealing with shame and feelings of inadequacy of a solider trained but not deployed to the battlefield.
John later made the decision to discharge from Army with minimal planning, training or transition assistance - fortunately landing security role along with a number of his former colleagues. In the years following transition John worked to piece together his identity and life direction working in fields as diverse as immigration detention, youth and disability work and now to study to pursue his passion of a career in paramedicine. As a proud veteran John has crafted his own identity and experienced remarkable personal growth and now looks forward to fatherhood and welcoming his first child.
If you've got a story of service to share, or feedback on Season 1 or 2 you can reach me at - matthew@serviceandbeyond.com
For more information on Soldier On's Gala Ball go to https://soldieron.org.au/national-gala-ball-2021/
