Afghanistan Veteran to Tom Holland's Bodyguard: My Story | DEEP 

Absolutely, time well spent listening to this gentleman. He is THE role model the young should aspire to, not the people he protects.

The most remarkable veteran I’ve ever heard. Superb podcast. I hope his mum’s okay. She did so much to help her son. I did 4 tours of Op Banner between 1978-1990. One as COP which is gadgety ‘hard routine’ surveillance. I didn’t adjust to civvy st at all. Lived briefly on the Isle of Dogs. Gravitated towards veterans on a downward spiral. Alcohol, violence. But I went to university. Got an Hons degree in philosophy. (A mate in my regiment who could have gone to Sandhurst but signed as a tom to piss his parents off read stuff to me : Dostoyevsky, Coleridge, Shakespeare. He triggered something in me that led me to study.) And that helped me address some inner sense of worthlessness. Not the army’s fault. That came from my upbringing. Still not adjusted or suited to civvy st, I left the UK in 2008 to live and work (forestry maintenance) in rural France. Learning a second language was also attractive to me. I’m retired now. My closest army muckers have either committed suicide or ended up in prison. I wish this inspirational ambassador for the Royal Marines all the best for the future.

As an ex Marine Corps combat veteran, there is so much I can relate to. I joined the Marines and was commissioned in 1968 because of the challenge and desire to become a better man. Many of my fellow students thought I was crazy. I really like this guy. He is a very insightful gentleman. Eleven of sixteen suicides is appalling and my heart goes out to him and his mates. We lost three pilots of twenty five to suicide after the war and some to alcohol. I couldn’t get very close to my fellow Americans.

What a genuine honest open guy.

Thank you for your service , an honest and Frank appraisal of the good and the bad.

I thought his understanding of his possible insecurities against his need to better himself was very insightful . It’s a good balance that makes you take a step back from time to time and check yourself.

Fantastic interview could listen to him all day

A wonderfully articulate young man, who has lead a fascinating life, a survivor of the dark side, he took the high road, fought hard and succeeded to remain kind of heart in showing others the way back into the light. Impressive human and I enjoyed this immensely! 🙏

Wow! What a very interesting interview! Grounded, Humble, honest, engaging very powerful! Thank you!

Super interesting guy and a joy to listen to his stories.

Man this guys awesome. Helping people is one of the best ways to feel better yourself. It can seem so hard and impossible when you're trapped in your room with endless negative thoughts for company, but tey to focus on someone else not yourself and do what you can to help them. I don't know if I know of a better way ❤

Amazing interview and thank you for your service

Didn’t expect this to hit me like it did. (Positive way) from a vet to another thank you brother.

Wow this hit like I didn't expect, great interviewee, very inspiring 👏👏

Oh wow, well done Junior ❤

Interesting that a lot of your story resonates, I’ve often wondered why I simply can’t stop the desire to learn and to find a sense of service in what I do. I think it’s something built inside many people who join up, there is a reason to escape, or a sense of adventure that needs filling.

11 people in 16 months is shocking

I remember the day I left the Army after 10 years they say it's like the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders, well, the day I left it was just that, that relief, that freedom but tinged with a sadness that my family was behind me and they would just carry on without me, then the booze them the depression, we all know the story from here on.

What a great interview! Lost a good mate a year ago, ex Royal Marine, natural causes….but I’m always interested in listening to blokes who have been down that path. We, (me and my mate) are 20 years older than this wonderful fella but wow, what an interesting and inspirational man!

Huge respect… and love for this gent🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🇳🇿

Awesome guy Bless him thanks so much sharing part of youre life just awesome❤❤❤

I’m a North Londoner who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s with Irish parents. I’d love to see stories from people and there would be thousands and thousands of them who had the problem of feeling English and at the same time Irish during the Troubles. I now live in Australia and I’m still not quite sure if I’m English, Irish or Australian, probably a bit of each but which bit?

Wasn’t what I expected, was good! Very pleasant and humble guy intelligent too! He said We are accountable for our Words and Deeds most people have heard that. What stood out He mentioned something you don’t normally hear, that We are Accountable for our Thoughts as well! Because our thoughts become our Words and words determine our actions good or bad! Enjoyed it!

This guy has great energy.

Such an articulate man

I really enjoyed this. Excellent stuff and good luck, Royal.

A really good speech,very down to earth& honest! A very interesting & unassuming character!

Wow. Well done. Excellent interview. Thankyou Craig, for your service while in as well as after. Powerful example of humility. Certainly helped this vet. God Bless!

I get the impression, based on my dad's stories of bar fights with the SAS compared to your description of the Royal Marines, that there is a strong distinction between the conduct standards of the SAS and the Royal Marines.

Great video and very revealing. It is not all brass buttons and shiny boots. This bloke is a survivor, childhood, military veteran, and then back into the urban jungle that is civvy street.

Great content!! can't wait to see what's coming next! 🥳🥳🥳🥳

This is a great channel, glad I’ve found it.

The reference to wanting the be part of something better and bigger is what our general society is missing. Loved working with the Booties! ‘For the greater good, go I’.

excellent and inspiring interview!

This is interesting, I was taught old school - take that thought, put it in a bottle, put it on a shelf, lock it away and get on with your life. That served me well in life but I don’t drink or take drugs, to me that’s at the root of most mental health issues.

Great to hear someone that removes all the stereo type drama about being Veteran and body guard ,

Please do an interview with the British Mercenary Recruiter John Banks. Last time Italked to him he was living in Black Water. He is famous for recruiting mercenaries for the Zaire/Angola war and other ops. He's quite well known in the merc business (1970's-80's)

That was so interesting thank you...liked and subscribed 👍

Well done Royal

What a very interesting bloke. Bet he can tell some decent stories over a pint

This was a brilliant video but can you please add chapters so we can skip the spoilers at the start.

What a great guy, would so wish to know someone like that...

We all need a friend like Junior…! 👍

Well done Tom!

A deeply impressive man!

Just seen the little advert and was watching minuits with for three hours last night! And credidet lad bible! Subbing on that alone love from nottingham

Well done Junior, well done!!!👍🤜👏👏

PTSD was first recognised in men who’d been to war. Of course it’s been around forever (and women statistically suffer more). I can’t imagine the trauma you and your colleagues have been through. Mental health is health- and needs to be funded- and as you say it’s social relationships that are the key- as a social worker I find that true. I work with refugee women, many from Afghanistan - the story I hear is different from yours, but I wasn’t there like you were, and I get to hear their life stories in a very different way.

Thirty secs in to my first vid gonna check this channel out 👍

Great interview, like most of these guys you have interviewed, i got in to a little trouble when young, then got directed towards the military .. unlike them after pull ups and push ups and a quasi IQ test i got rejected (more than a few month in borstal apparently gets you an arms ban in the 80's) which led me on an odyssey of destruction and violence, screaming at society, that obviously got me prison time, where i really learnt to fight. do i feel negative what could have been because of that Saturday afternoon, when that recruitment officer screwed up my papers and tossed them across the table at me declaring he "couldn't touch me for 5 years", you bet ya, but iv had an interesting life since, ups and downs that's finally lead me in to the film and TV industry where iv worked on and with some big A stars, surrounded by some very talented young people, who i envy all the more on their direction in life. It took me a particular low point in my 20's to end up doing a runner from the law and be on the run for 5 years, to see the world, be away from the compony i kept, to change me. which makes me think how we should help a lot of these angry young men today, all it needs is to take them out of their surroundings and show them a bigger horizon, its why I'm a full believer in national service, i know the army don't want to be taking on the misfits of society but if only they did, the raw talent that gets thrown down the drain every year filling prisons and causing trouble.

WHY ! Are people like this not our Leaders ?

He looks like a film star

Nice work really cool content

Great mother mate! She really loves you.

Well said at the end mate, great interview

42 Commando. Yay! M Company, oh well never mind, at least it wasn't K Company.

Thank you! Great channel.

Subscribed

Marines in plymouth,,never boring😊

top man nice one

11:02. Truth

Need to get that barnet cut lofty! The lord of the rings look ain’t cutting it you honking turbo mega beefer!! All the best Royal. Nosher lol

Really good

I worked alongside Royal Marines (I was Tanks) and they were good lads. Though never understood why they always had their sleeves rolled up!! Hoofing

Shout out to Junior 🫡

So much I can relate to in this interview. I never got to do what I call a proper tour and for me the monkey on my back will always be that I feel like I didn’t get tested. Didn’t fulfill my potential. But on the flip side, I’ve seen a lot of the guys I knew that did and they’re changed. Not for the better. Lost more than a few friends to Iraq and Afghanistan. And when you’re out you’re out. It’s right to worry about the non serving as they get forgotten even by close friends. It’s not deliberate, you’re just not in the family anymore and you pick up years later when you’re on level ground. Meaning both non serving. It’s a very strange and difficult entity to live in or explain to civvis. The love I have for my brethren I would lay down my life for. My family on the other hand. That would be decided on merit

Good vid! 👍

What a champ.

Remember back in the late seventies the west supported , armed and trained the fundamentalists ; the people they now castigate for being fundamentalists

Wow…✌️

BZ’s Royal.

Mums eh….. they kick ass

Gerard Butler.

Running 30 miles with a dislocated knee. I'd say you're no use to anyone in combat after that..

He looks like a Lord of the Rings character. One does not simply walk in to Mordor.

Your da ur grandda ur great grandad ur greatgreat grandad ur great great great great great grandad could have told you that did he say we done are training in Irelnd

Spoken like a true bootneck 🤙

What do we say to the new generation that did the training did the service but missed the wars... Almost like a carpenter trained up to the standard but was never able to show his craft....

Untrue. Evil can take many forms and devios ways, it is no good mentioning bottom of evil, but that is just my opinion

I wanted to be asleep? Hmmmm cocaine may not have been the best option