I grew up amidst extreme family violence and eventually left for good when I was barely 16 and left school at the same time with no qualifications. I didn’t know it then, but I already had PTSD. I fell in with a rough crowd and there was drugs and Hells Angels and some really sketchy stuff going on. Over the next three years I had a series of dead-end jobs and was angry all the time. I got into trouble quite a lot. Finally, when a female friend OD’d, it was a major wake-up for me. I joined the British Army in 1981 and realized right away that I finally had a family that I could trust. Oddly, I also became a Christian around the same time and know that God has guided me all these years. I put everything negative behind me and threw myself into being a soldier. I had a couple of great mentors over the years. I absolutely loved it all. I became an instructor in several specialized areas, including mountain warfare, small arms, and physical training. I worked hard on my profession and on my education. I was a Regimental Sergeant Major at 35, after 16 years of service. I was subsequently commissioned as an officer and retired this year at 60 years old after 41 years as a soldier. My last six years were at the rank of lieutenant colonel. I have farm with no mortgage, a wife who loves me, and two grown sons who are great men. It’s too easy to allow yourself to become a victim. It’s too easy to say, “I can’t.” With a little guts and determination, and by seeking good people (and in my case also God), you CAN have a fulfilling life with meaning and purpose!
You did great! A regimental sargeant major at 35! Wow. That took a lot of work and I'm sure you earned a lot of respect wearing those stripes at such a young age. A regimental sargeant major doesn't take crap from anyone under a lieutenant colonel. Glad you had great mentors. They can make the difference between success or failure. Glad you found a purpose and dove in and commited yourself. Us army lieutenant 1983-1986.
Strange, as when you research military records and or search online, 🤔 your name doesn't appear anywhere. Given the lofty rank of Lt Colonel and 41 years service, that's astonishing hey.
Hit the nail on the head with the 'bait' observation. That was op' Herrick from start to finish and my mate paid with his life. RIP LBdr 'Bing' Chandler.
True there mukka. Hearts and mind my arse. How many shuras did bosses attend that started with "right, well that's what lieutenant/captain such and such was like. We all agreed we would wipe the slate clean for us so let's talk about how we can build that wall/school/irrigation ditch and you tell us where the Terry's are keeping all their kit" The entire op was just attempts at keeping the "elders" thinking the officers were chocolate whilst they gave us dodgy int and we went out to be moving targets for their Taliban kids. Don't get me wrong, not all were wankers, but his many times would you be told of a huge weapons cache, only to find an older geeza with a lee Enfield rifle, a few mags of .338 and a couple of kilos of freshly cut and pressed opium which were couldn't even confiscate because it would upset the locals. I always think of some of the good we did, but it was RAF order from start to finish most days. Same shit with Iraq and Telic. I was part of the fusiliers who was at the cimic assault where we went though the whole of Telics ammo budget in a week. Also later on lost a close mate of mine l/cpl Barber a.k.a haircut at Al zahar during another ropey patrol in a convoy of warriors and a couple of snatches. Regardless of the reason we went, every Man that went and fought, whether they flew back TriStar or C-17 repatriation, were lions and will never be forgotten. Sorry for the post hijack mukka
Its crazy seeing how our soldiers are treated in Britain after they fought for the liberties we take so freely today. Am trying desperately to earn a lot of money to buy a building in Liverpool called the Prince of Wales Hotel. I want to do it up and use it as a centre for homeless soldiers with PTSD. Not only giving them psychological support but give them a way of trying to fit back into society. Tired of seeing so many homeless soldiers on our streets, with no love or support.
My old man was in the RCAF bomber command there was no campaign medal struck for them even though thousands were slaughtered ,probably because of Dresden . When asked how he felt about being treated badly he said " If I could not take a joke I would not have joined "
@@rolandhawken6628 That isn't easy. I've noticed a lot of ex service people have no love and support around them when going through such heavy scenarios. I believe those that have the love and support of family around them are truly blessed. And what I'd like to say to these ex service men and women, that regardless of your current scenarios, their are members of the public who love, respect and admire everything you've done for our country.
Compartmentalism, the ability to lock away different things into different parts of the mind, home is home, work is work, loss is loss, they each have their times and their places. But more importantly, to be able to switch each off when needed, and to allow the bad to drain away while the good remains.
It was the unknown war Ireland...served there in 88-89 south Armagh..crossmaglen, barruki sanger etc , border patrols and observation posts Romeo 21 and the Golf towers. newry fork hill bessbrook mill qrf ,operations company .. stays with me still to this day ..I was 19 I'm now 55 with ptsd ...but I will say this ...I was proud to serve there ...even though I suffer still I wouldn't change a thing ...I salute you 👊
It’s so hard and heart wrenching to listen to the analysis from these warriors. All these conflicts are either unjustified, illegal or greedy. These young men have been used and abused by politicians who would never send their own sons to war. The first steps to A better world is to recognise a bad deed and call it out for what it is. This guy got through with sheer grit and determination. I know I sound like a pacifist but sometimes not fighting is the answer, instead of fighting for the oppressor.
I agree with you up to a point, beyond which I think we have to recognise at least one or two problems with this argument. First being the legacy of our past has created complex and deeply set social systems of beliefs and values which are ingrained and difficult to redirect. Connected to that is the main problem really which is that while some people might be keen to embrace pacificism, some will not and will in fact most likely take advantage of those who have. Sad but true.
I went from depot to rear party, turned 18, to Derry. Did 4 tours. Enjoyed it. Soldiering skills were tested and honed. Lost mates, lost bits of mates. Banner is a forgotten conflict. I remember patrolling in South Armagh and noticed that 2-strand barbed wire suddenly turned into 3 strand. The 3rd strand was in fact a trailing antenna for a 1000lb mine. It wasn’t the biggest incident I experienced on Banner, but it was one in which I had so much time to absorb everything. We were being ‘pinged’ (it was an RCIED) and we had ECM. So someone’s frantically trying to detonate it. You do nothing out of the natural. Mention it at debrief to intelligence officer. Also, another odd experience, lifting off in a Lynx from BBK, the mill got mortared from a flatbed. I saw some lads fall and noticed for the first time that some portacabins had blue flashing lights like on old panda cars. There was nothing I or we in that Lynx could do but get dropped off on patrol as planned. A good mate of mine who I was in COP with on an earlier tour (Fermanagh) had life threatening injuries that ended his career. He was SF material many of us thought. And yet I don’t think I was ever happier. I’ve never got my head round that. My last tour, the regular army and SF on Banner were so stretched we had senior toms (salt of the earth) being pulled out to work in a different TAOR and replaced with TA bods. TA aren’t like the Reserve. It was an absolute shambles taking these poor clueless sods out in places like XMG. So it’s nice hearing Ollie recounting things that us mortals can relate to. 👍
OLLI & Billy Billingham were the best of that core team in the SAS show… very cool customers & operators .. level headed & strong to the core. Just no BS…. Honest & quiet.
Ollie, always scared me on SAS TV show, I find him the scary, quiet intimidating one - the one you know that if it kicks-off is gonna the one to follow - fantastic insight and story that Ollie and I never really thought of that task or goal as a mind managment tool quite like that, but you figured it out being in NI/bandit country - just like painting coal. I am an over thinker, dwelling has been my enemy, but analysis and viewpoints help me in my day job and in other things that I like to do. Very wise words, and often the journey is as important as the destination.
Happy that he is talking about his experience in NI. What most people do not understand that the total fatalities accrued from Iraq, Afganistan and even the London bombings, doesn't even come close to half way of the amount of deaths sustained by the British Army during the NI era of conflict. No where near halfway.
@@billyBob-yi4km it's a variation of a quote from Socrates. "It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable"
I'm ex 42 commando royal marines and this man's name is spoken with the utmost respect he's extremely humble and a true gentleman just don't cross him not that I've ever met the man but I've hered the stories from oppos who have served alongside him including my father who apparently knew him very well served with him in northen Ireland and the gulf
That was the beauty of the British army. You had the ability to go through your NCO courses, but you also had the ability and opportunity to go sideways. What I mean is started as a fusilier, but thanks to Hollywood dreamed of being a sniper. Now when I joined you had to have had 3years clean service (no fighting, arrests and definitely no trips to Colly lol). So I didn't go out on the piss as much and just "soldiered", excuse the pun through. This got me noticed by my CO who said he wondered why I was keeping my nose clean, not that it was a bad thing, but us rifleman were notorious for having the monkeys (red beret brigade) on our cases. When I said why, he said that if I went for my lance jack stripe, he would get me on the SSC. Long story short, I passed my lance corporal course, and true to form he put me through sniper selection, and after passing both sections I became a fully badged sniper. However on the course, one of the instructors noticed that I was a stickler for detail. One exercise had us building an observation point and watching a staged main supply route. In my note book I didn't just write down the vehicles and number of men and weapon types. But I wrote things like if they were laughing and joking, who was smoking, where they went for a piss, what they were drinking. This then got me flagged by the recce troop at 29 signals. When I got back from Telic assisting the Mercians I then got asked if I wanted to try out for recce patrol, which I did and passed and finished off my career there. So from soldier/rifleman, sniper to recce signaller calling in drone strikes and BDA's I had quite the career. My advice to any youngun these days. If there not sure what to do after school. Given the forces the basic 3 years and see what you think, you might just make the best choice of your life
Thabk you for your service. I enrolled in army officers training in college to make sure I had a job after I graduate instead of being lost and "finding myself." I also wanted to have a better resume than being a captain of the broom ball team on my dorm floor. I also believed the crap from corporate recruiters saying that they want soft skills, real leadership, record for taking on added tasks and discipline. So i figured that completing my college degree and completing my officers training and getting my commission with honors would show such soft skills. WRONG! As much as I hated my 3 wasted years at the hell hole in my assignment, I learned a lot, mostly from the negative experiences. I really do think that a few years in the military is good for many young people to learn discipline, working with people, taking orders and completing an assignment, and how to treat people. But the military isnt for everyone and as much as we beat proper leadership into our officers and NCOs, the great amount of power given to commanders corrupt certain people and they use it in a most negative manner.
Really exellent segment. The ups and downs of the military life. I served 17 years and 50% was some failures, injuries, divorce etc you know its not all gung ho.
Being born and raised through the 😅troubles in Northern Ireland I can honestly say that people outside of my country/army really don’t know how dangerous it was! As I child we always told not to touch objects in hedgerows through fear of it being a device! I lived in the countryside I was quite lucky to not be in the thick of it, but I used to see helicopters fly over my house regularly and my father knew where they were going! They were going to a neighbouring republican village that they knew had IRA support. Make no mistake the IRA were very switched on! They are an army! Backed by the late Colonel Gadaffi with weapons/C4 they had the tools to take the fight the British Army. The SAS/SBS have mentioned in books that the IRA were the deadliest most organised enemy they have faced.
Haha , the Taliban would wipe the IRA out within weeks , Iraq Afghan northern Ireland all deadly in their own ways but don't lie to yourself the IRA was not some super human force they were human , I get it your Irish and want it to sound soooo hardcore ect but reality is different
Top end words from top end bloke, I am x rct who completed p company, 2 tours ni and one Bosnia, mission driven, target driven, couldn't give ya better words of motivation or advice,.... British SF, British army, top of the pile
I can relate to his story,I joined navy 17,ganges,fricking brutal spent a year in junior camp ,saw a team mate hang himself in the cassie,he couldn't take it anymore. Was a wake up call, I decided to pursue my dream,so I went to main camp for another year,closest thing to hell,I said to myself you bastards aren't cracking me,I went on to do diving and demolition training, was a blast.i had a superior,record,up to 9 yrs hindsight I should stayed in but got side tracked, I guess that's what happens when you meet a women.cheers tc
If I remember right the checkpoint car bomb was carried out by a man whose family were being held at gunpoint by the IRA and would be killed if he didn't go through with it, sick bastards. That aside his comments about having an objective to everything he did in life is spot on. I didn't and as he said I was often a victim of circumstance, really wish I had the same outlook back then.
I served in Northern Ireland with 40 Cdo and 45 Cdo in South Armagh and Enniskillen and it was not a war and never was. It was a counter insurgency operation.
My uncle served in northen Ireland. He was stalked by the ira, shot at. Shit like that. Pretty tough Rip Uncle, and all those who died during the troubles
Yes and NI put me off staying in the Corps back in 72 after I had done my 9.. (did 2 tours in Borneo + Aden) left to be a copper in Exeter…and years later being a cop in Canada…no regrets..happily retired in Spain now and will NEVER go back to live in the UK again..an amazing country run by stupid politicians..
Joint special forces started in the early nineties. They all start at Hereford, then jungle, then continuation training, combat survival/escape and evasion. At the end of that they go their separate ways. SBS head to Poole to do their swimmer canoeist selection
A lot of young men are drawn into wanting to join the army... It's a kind of fairy tale story, like they want to portray in the adverts. "Be the best... join the army "... In reality it's nothing but hell.! I thought about joining myself when just left school, but I thought to myself... fuck that.! I realised I wouldn't be able to take any orders from anyone.! The real me was anti-establishment and all it stood (stands) for. My philosophy... be yourself... don't grow a fuckin beard cos your mate has one.!... Don't wear designer this n fuckin that cos you feel pressured into being with the in crowd!... People like me are classed as "The black sheep of the family" as in don't upset the applecart.! But I call people who fall for this crap Sheeple or migrating wildebeests.! Just be your true self!... Be you!...
Who cares what u did? U didn't join, no one judges u for that. Yet u seem to judge others for joining. You're a hypocrite on your own personal philosophy. "be your true self!" indeed...
@@longdongsilver59 No, all Peter is saying, before he joined, he realised he was an individual,because the first thing you lose in basic training, is your individuality, the army is always much harder for a non-conformist
@@alexlanning712 I understand the point he’s trying to make regarding individuality but you can still be an individual and be in the military, especially the british military. Orders have to be followed because without a chain of command any military falls apart without it. Everyday self proposed “non-conformists” pay their bills, do what their boss says, stop at a red light even though no one is there. We all conform & obey to some degree depending on how you want to define it to fit your argument. I think the fact that the majority of ex-soldiers i’ve met are the embodiment of the individualistic traits that peter prides himself on might suggest otherwise to their “conformist” nature
Ollies book is really good. As are the other boy's we all know he works with. there's no push, becomes stagnant. You fken hate it because your bored out youre scull. Sorry I mean from experience. Why not keep the boy's who train at the start together. Do you know what happened to that chimp her cub?
A British soldier booting something and saying we need to find more of these - heads in helmets. Total bollocks. Funny that I was in NI at the same time. Same IRA incident that happened. Wasn't any Coldstream's in country as I remember, certainly not in South Armagh. RM (45) supported us as reaction forces, very well . We held the close incident, with a few Black Watch (who were advance to take over from us). Only RM that came into the checkpoint were the chefs, they were absolute rock stars. 45 were digging in on the golf course above us. Faugh A Ballagh
Hi I’m an ex coldstreamer serving at that time me and my friends do not recall such a sizeable incident I was 1bn we were in west Belfast late 88 into 89 Our 2nd Bn were in south armargh in 91 Maybe he got the unit wrong There are 5 guards regiments
@@markriley2733 Yep, between the time the Coldsreams were in country. It was a time of change as one of the times 3Bde established, from just 8 & 39. There weren't any Guards units in South Armagh at that time, could of been in other parts of 8 or even 39. The Black Watch were the resident Bn at Palace. ARB was 45, mill area were Gunners, Newry B Coy of 2 Irish Rangers
@@MichaelKng-fk5jk indeed the only similar incident around that time involved the light infantry so not sure if he just has a bit of brain fade like we all do 🤣. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballygawley_bus_bombing
@@markriley2733 That's not what he's on about. I respect what Ollie's done but, he'd call anyone out same as the rest of us. A British soldier talking about British Soldier's heads rolling around on the ground is unthinkable! He gets the units wrong. The situation wrong. He might of been junior at time and not really knowing what was going on. He would of remembered digging in on the golf greens though. No RM apart from 2 chefs (they were immense guys! Sleeping alongside their cookset, from us wandering in cold and wet they had brews straight out and egg banjos thrown out as fast as they could, nothing bothered them, apart from them looking after us they didn't have any other priorities, they were very clear on that. Something the RM's did better than any other unit in my opinion) no unit entered the immediate area, that was left to us and supported by the Black Watch CQMS and one of his who searched the destroyed part of the point. 2 Signals came in and rigged a phone line. The one fallen, Ceril, was looked after by our own and very quickly taken away with respect.
For me as an Australian I struggle to understand how any ordinary English man or woman can accept within their soul that there is a difference between your dominance over Northern Ireland and the Iraq's genocide of the Kurds
Northern Ireland was a legal agreement between Southern Islands and UK. At the time and still today there are many Irish people who wanted to remain with uk . At the time it resolved an awkward issue .
@jamesfern I'm Welsh, with an Irish mother. I grew up in the 70s and 80s with the IRA bombing the UK. In the 90s I met an ex (and repentant) IRA member who described being in the IRA as being in a gang, you had to join to survive. The NI problem really started in the early 1700s when the British shipped a load of Scottish protestants to Antrim to cause division in NI and to try to take it over. The numbers of protestants swelled and the British (for many years) perpetuated the division. The British government created the problem as a means to subjugate the Irish peoples. NI violence was a problem created and maintained by the British government, who then 'solved' it. I don't agree with terrorism, but people were trying to rise up. Incidentally, and interestingly, a lot of American money went to supporting the IRA in the 20th Century. The IRA were terrorists who hurt a lot of ordinary people and families. It's interesting, sad and complicated.
![SBS soldier reveals the trap we all fall for [Ollie Ollerton]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ah1lTHS6hu8/mqdefault.jpg)
![SBS soldier reveals the trap we all fall for [Ollie Ollerton]](/img/tr.png)
Full Interview - ua-cam.com/video/C5mr5A_zyII/v-deo.html
Mulligan Brothers Merchandise- www.mulliganbrothers.com
I grew up amidst extreme family violence and eventually left for good when I was barely 16 and left school at the same time with no qualifications. I didn’t know it then, but I already had PTSD. I fell in with a rough crowd and there was drugs and Hells Angels and some really sketchy stuff going on. Over the next three years I had a series of dead-end jobs and was angry all the time. I got into trouble quite a lot. Finally, when a female friend OD’d, it was a major wake-up for me. I joined the British Army in 1981 and realized right away that I finally had a family that I could trust. Oddly, I also became a Christian around the same time and know that God has guided me all these years. I put everything negative behind me and threw myself into being a soldier. I had a couple of great mentors over the years. I absolutely loved it all. I became an instructor in several specialized areas, including mountain warfare, small arms, and physical training. I worked hard on my profession and on my education. I was a Regimental Sergeant Major at 35, after 16 years of service. I was subsequently commissioned as an officer and retired this year at 60 years old after 41 years as a soldier. My last six years were at the rank of lieutenant colonel. I have farm with no mortgage, a wife who loves me, and two grown sons who are great men. It’s too easy to allow yourself to become a victim. It’s too easy to say, “I can’t.” With a little guts and determination, and by seeking good people (and in my case also God), you CAN have a fulfilling life with meaning and purpose!
You did great! A regimental sargeant major at 35! Wow. That took a lot of work and I'm sure you earned a lot of respect wearing those stripes at such a young age. A regimental sargeant major doesn't take crap from anyone under a lieutenant colonel. Glad you had great mentors. They can make the difference between success or failure. Glad you found a purpose and dove in and commited yourself.
Us army lieutenant 1983-1986.
Well done
Strange, as when you research military records and or search online, 🤔 your name doesn't appear anywhere. Given the lofty rank of Lt Colonel and 41 years service, that's astonishing hey.
Great story....you should be proud of yourself......from a nobody like myself,I doff my cap to you...
@@paulwilliams2663 i see a few mitties in the comments,,,,
Hit the nail on the head with the 'bait' observation. That was op' Herrick from start to finish and my mate paid with his life. RIP LBdr 'Bing' Chandler.
True there mukka. Hearts and mind my arse. How many shuras did bosses attend that started with "right, well that's what lieutenant/captain such and such was like. We all agreed we would wipe the slate clean for us so let's talk about how we can build that wall/school/irrigation ditch and you tell us where the Terry's are keeping all their kit" The entire op was just attempts at keeping the "elders" thinking the officers were chocolate whilst they gave us dodgy int and we went out to be moving targets for their Taliban kids. Don't get me wrong, not all were wankers, but his many times would you be told of a huge weapons cache, only to find an older geeza with a lee Enfield rifle, a few mags of .338 and a couple of kilos of freshly cut and pressed opium which were couldn't even confiscate because it would upset the locals. I always think of some of the good we did, but it was RAF order from start to finish most days. Same shit with Iraq and Telic. I was part of the fusiliers who was at the cimic assault where we went though the whole of Telics ammo budget in a week. Also later on lost a close mate of mine l/cpl Barber a.k.a haircut at Al zahar during another ropey patrol in a convoy of warriors and a couple of snatches. Regardless of the reason we went, every Man that went and fought, whether they flew back TriStar or C-17 repatriation, were lions and will never be forgotten. Sorry for the post hijack mukka
Very true sadly.
Such a top bloke, a real inspiration to young lads. Humble and genuine, huge respect to Ollie 👍
The very essence of a thinking man’s soldier
Thank you for service, you stepped up and this civvy from Birmingham is eternally grateful
Ollie talks a lot of sense, total respect, and thanks for helping to keep us safe.
Its crazy seeing how our soldiers are treated in Britain after they fought for the liberties we take so freely today. Am trying desperately to earn a lot of money to buy a building in Liverpool called the Prince of Wales Hotel. I want to do it up and use it as a centre for homeless soldiers with PTSD. Not only giving them psychological support but give them a way of trying to fit back into society. Tired of seeing so many homeless soldiers on our streets, with no love or support.
if u get it,drop me a line, i can help im from over the water, ive helped squaddies for years over here, good luck brother, follow your dream,,
@@bobmiller7502 Your a good man. And I'd appreciate any help and support, with this project as am sure other people would too. Thanks.
My old man was in the RCAF bomber command there was no campaign medal struck for them even though thousands were slaughtered ,probably because of Dresden . When asked how he felt about being treated badly he said " If I could not take a joke I would not have joined "
@@rolandhawken6628 That isn't easy. I've noticed a lot of ex service people have no love and support around them when going through such heavy scenarios. I believe those that have the love and support of family around them are truly blessed. And what I'd like to say to these ex service men and women, that regardless of your current scenarios, their are members of the public who love, respect and admire everything you've done for our country.
@@bobmiller7502 The Bob Miller? An honour, my mate.
Respect , from a South African Marine veteran '87 - '89
He has witnessed some horrific things. And it is etched on his face. And in his voice.
He's had some issues with alcohol. All the stuff he's seen drove him to drink but thankfully he found his way out of it.
Compartmentalism, the ability to lock away different things into different parts of the mind, home is home, work is work, loss is loss, they each have their times and their places. But more importantly, to be able to switch each off when needed, and to allow the bad to drain away while the good remains.
It was the unknown war Ireland...served there in 88-89 south Armagh..crossmaglen, barruki sanger etc , border patrols and observation posts Romeo 21 and the Golf towers. newry fork hill bessbrook mill qrf ,operations company .. stays with me still to this day ..I was 19 I'm now 55 with ptsd ...but I will say this ...I was proud to serve there ...even though I suffer still I wouldn't change a thing ...I salute you 👊
This is good accounting! serious story on how things really are, he's a legend for sticking at it and keeping on, all of em are, thanks for posting.
God bless this man he's really humble
It’s so hard and heart wrenching to listen to the analysis from these warriors.
All these conflicts are either unjustified, illegal or greedy. These young men have been used and abused by politicians who would never send their own sons to war.
The first steps to A better world is to recognise a bad deed and call it out for what it is.
This guy got through with sheer grit and determination.
I know I sound like a pacifist but sometimes not fighting is the answer, instead of fighting for the oppressor.
I agree with you up to a point, beyond which I think we have to recognise at least one or two problems with this argument.
First being the legacy of our past has created complex and deeply set social systems of beliefs and values which are ingrained and difficult to redirect.
Connected to that is the main problem really which is that while some people might be keen to embrace pacificism, some will not and will in fact most likely take advantage of those who have. Sad but true.
I went from depot to rear party, turned 18, to Derry. Did 4 tours. Enjoyed it. Soldiering skills were tested and honed. Lost mates, lost bits of mates. Banner is a forgotten conflict. I remember patrolling in South Armagh and noticed that 2-strand barbed wire suddenly turned into 3 strand. The 3rd strand was in fact a trailing antenna for a 1000lb mine. It wasn’t the biggest incident I experienced on Banner, but it was one in which I had so much time to absorb everything. We were being ‘pinged’ (it was an RCIED) and we had ECM. So someone’s frantically trying to detonate it. You do nothing out of the natural. Mention it at debrief to intelligence officer. Also, another odd experience, lifting off in a Lynx from BBK, the mill got mortared from a flatbed. I saw some lads fall and noticed for the first time that some portacabins had blue flashing lights like on old panda cars. There was nothing I or we in that Lynx could do but get dropped off on patrol as planned. A good mate of mine who I was in COP with on an earlier tour (Fermanagh) had life threatening injuries that ended his career. He was SF material many of us thought. And yet I don’t think I was ever happier. I’ve never got my head round that. My last tour, the regular army and SF on Banner were so stretched we had senior toms (salt of the earth) being pulled out to work in a different TAOR and replaced with TA bods. TA aren’t like the Reserve. It was an absolute shambles taking these poor clueless sods out in places like XMG. So it’s nice hearing Ollie recounting things that us mortals can relate to. 👍
Great interview & advice too..
SAS/SBS. THE best soldiers in the world
You forget SRR aswell. Special Recce Regiment
OLLI & Billy Billingham were the best of that core team in the SAS show… very cool customers & operators .. level headed & strong to the core. Just no BS…. Honest & quiet.
Ollie, always scared me on SAS TV show, I find him the scary, quiet intimidating one - the one you know that if it kicks-off is gonna the one to follow - fantastic insight and story that Ollie and I never really thought of that task or goal as a mind managment tool quite like that, but you figured it out being in NI/bandit country - just like painting coal. I am an over thinker, dwelling has been my enemy, but analysis and viewpoints help me in my day job and in other things that I like to do. Very wise words, and often the journey is as important as the destination.
It’s his eyes. The eyes never lie, chico
I'm fascinated by special force personnel. It's a level I could never achieve. I'm just left without words.
Sometimes just takes one person to give you a nudge.
I’ve had that nudge a few times.
Give thanks every day to my old mentors. BZ fella, top Blade 💪🇬🇧
*"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." - C.S Lewis*
Great interview and fascinating insights, thanks for the post and thanks to Ollie for sharing his wisdom and experience. Much respect!
You're welcome my friend
Happy that he is talking about his experience in NI. What most people do not understand that the total fatalities accrued from Iraq, Afganistan and even the London bombings, doesn't even come close to half way of the amount of deaths sustained by the British Army during the NI era of conflict. No where near halfway.
Op Banner was the longest running operation in UK military history.
Wow thats amazing, thanks for sharing 🙏bieng spiritual & having faith(used correctly)is a great thing regardless of who we are..top man..😜
📍 *Isn't it just truly sad that most of us walk this planet Earth, being a fraction of what we are capable of being?*
Your comment has inspired me
Ive never looked at it from that view
It’s very important that you put your head into it and try to find your purpose in life and then chase it.
not really
@@billyBob-yi4km it's a variation of a quote from Socrates. "It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable"
......either way, in the end you die.
I'm ex 42 commando royal marines and this man's name is spoken with the utmost respect he's extremely humble and a true gentleman just don't cross him not that I've ever met the man but I've hered the stories from oppos who have served alongside him including my father who apparently knew him very well served with him in northen Ireland and the gulf
i was QRF in the early 80s in NI, on the heli. what a crazy time
That was the beauty of the British army. You had the ability to go through your NCO courses, but you also had the ability and opportunity to go sideways. What I mean is started as a fusilier, but thanks to Hollywood dreamed of being a sniper. Now when I joined you had to have had 3years clean service (no fighting, arrests and definitely no trips to Colly lol). So I didn't go out on the piss as much and just "soldiered", excuse the pun through. This got me noticed by my CO who said he wondered why I was keeping my nose clean, not that it was a bad thing, but us rifleman were notorious for having the monkeys (red beret brigade) on our cases. When I said why, he said that if I went for my lance jack stripe, he would get me on the SSC. Long story short, I passed my lance corporal course, and true to form he put me through sniper selection, and after passing both sections I became a fully badged sniper. However on the course, one of the instructors noticed that I was a stickler for detail. One exercise had us building an observation point and watching a staged main supply route. In my note book I didn't just write down the vehicles and number of men and weapon types. But I wrote things like if they were laughing and joking, who was smoking, where they went for a piss, what they were drinking. This then got me flagged by the recce troop at 29 signals. When I got back from Telic assisting the Mercians I then got asked if I wanted to try out for recce patrol, which I did and passed and finished off my career there. So from soldier/rifleman, sniper to recce signaller calling in drone strikes and BDA's I had quite the career. My advice to any youngun these days. If there not sure what to do after school. Given the forces the basic 3 years and see what you think, you might just make the best choice of your life
Thabk you for your service. I enrolled in army officers training in college to make sure I had a job after I graduate instead of being lost and "finding myself." I also wanted to have a better resume than being a captain of the broom ball team on my dorm floor. I also believed the crap from corporate recruiters saying that they want soft skills, real leadership, record for taking on added tasks and discipline. So i figured that completing my college degree and completing my officers training and getting my commission with honors would show such soft skills. WRONG!
As much as I hated my 3 wasted years at the hell hole in my assignment, I learned a lot, mostly from the negative experiences. I really do think that a few years in the military is good for many young people to learn discipline, working with people, taking orders and completing an assignment, and how to treat people. But the military isnt for everyone and as much as we beat proper leadership into our officers and NCOs, the great amount of power given to commanders corrupt certain people and they use it in a most negative manner.
bullshit
Good advice, I’ve said the same thing
dude wow what a story and that's the dream
Great interview. Strongly recommend his book “Break Point”. 👌🏼
Great respect for Mr.and SBS
🕊️🤝
Really exellent segment. The ups and downs of the military life. I served 17 years and 50% was some failures, injuries, divorce etc you know its not all gung ho.
Thanks for your honesty
Warriors we we are after undestnading how importent we are as warriors.
Being born and raised through the 😅troubles in Northern Ireland I can honestly say that people outside of my country/army really don’t know how dangerous it was! As I child we always told not to touch objects in hedgerows through fear of it being a device! I lived in the countryside I was quite lucky to not be in the thick of it, but I used to see helicopters fly over my house regularly and my father knew where they were going! They were going to a neighbouring republican village that they knew had IRA support. Make no mistake the IRA were very switched on! They are an army! Backed by the late Colonel Gadaffi with weapons/C4 they had the tools to take the fight the British Army. The SAS/SBS have mentioned in books that the IRA were the deadliest most organised enemy they have faced.
I was lucky born a few years after the good Friday agreement. Got told stories by my mum and other family that had grown up through it.
Haha , the Taliban would wipe the IRA out within weeks , Iraq Afghan northern Ireland all deadly in their own ways but don't lie to yourself the IRA was not some super human force they were human , I get it your Irish and want it to sound soooo hardcore ect but reality is different
Get yourself to Helmand or Basra in 2006/7 and see if you think the same lol ,
@@MICHAEL-wg2lh served in Iraq 05/06 still their today.
@@stewarty28 o right what Reg ?
Stepdad did 3 tours of NI straight out of training, first 2 back to back. He's been out for 20 years and is still messed up to this day, PTSD and FND
Sad and unevolved that in this day and age when conflict arises that we cannot negotiate , speak and communicate instead of violence,
Top end words from top end bloke, I am x rct who completed p company, 2 tours ni and one Bosnia, mission driven, target driven, couldn't give ya better words of motivation or advice,.... British SF, British army, top of the pile
An amazing man
An amazing group of men
@@fredholmes6284 I think a lot of innocent victims would disagree with you
SAS/ SBS; all legends - loved the SAS Who Dares Wins show. Wayne Bridge has been the standout candidate so far for me... .
the last part is so true
So much hard work 💯💯💯
Very good watch
I can relate to his story,I joined navy 17,ganges,fricking brutal spent a year in junior camp ,saw a team mate hang himself in the cassie,he couldn't take it anymore.
Was a wake up call,
I decided to pursue my dream,so I went to main camp for another year,closest thing to hell,I said to myself you bastards aren't cracking me,I went on to do diving and demolition training, was a blast.i had a superior,record,up to 9 yrs hindsight I should stayed in but got side tracked, I guess that's what happens when you meet a women.cheers tc
If I remember right the checkpoint car bomb was carried out by a man whose family were being held at gunpoint by the IRA and would be killed if he didn't go through with it, sick bastards.
That aside his comments about having an objective to everything he did in life is spot on. I didn't and as he said I was often a victim of circumstance, really wish I had the same outlook back then.
Top man crack on stay safe 🙏
The past is seldom how we would have it, the future yet unseen, focus on the moment and the path will become clear
*If you don't sacrifice for your dream, your dream will become the ultimate sacrifice.*
If you saw this comment, *I hope you have a great day...* 🖤
What if I want to Dream of sacrifice within a Dream?
A person has always got to have a dream, even if in reality it's not realizable.
Interesting? I wonder where he served in NI. I served in 1990 too.
*"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." - Aristotle Onassis*
@@SeamanGR he blamed Jackie, and said she was a curse. You can see his point.
This relatively short video takes us deep into Double O's thought process. He really is a thinking soldier.
I like that fella.
The body uses the mind. Then the mind explains itself to the body.
I served in Northern Ireland with 40 Cdo and 45 Cdo in South Armagh and Enniskillen and it was not a war and never was. It was a counter insurgency operation.
Please no more background music
Per Mare Per Terram..... 👍
By Sea By Land
By Horse By Tram..
@2:30 na, definitely not windsurfing 😕
The music spoils this video, it's inappropriate. Why have it?
The truck bomb was actually a bomb driven by a proxy (innocent man) into the checkpoint.
Wish I had that conversation I left the force and my life has became a empty hole, -,,iknow that feeling you are bait.
.
We switch off the volume knob...no sound and no action.
Northern ireland
We used to call ourselves Figure Elevens when we were out on the ground. We knew we were there as come ons .
My uncle served in northen Ireland. He was stalked by the ira, shot at. Shit like that. Pretty tough
Rip Uncle, and all those who died during the troubles
Yes and NI put me off staying in the Corps back in 72 after I had done my 9.. (did 2 tours in Borneo + Aden) left to be a copper in Exeter…and years later being a cop in Canada…no regrets..happily retired in Spain now and will NEVER go back to live in the UK again..an amazing country run by stupid politicians..
There no such thing as purpose, there is only those that have it.
SAS or SBS ?? He says he went to Hereford which is SAS but the title says SBS
Marines Navy therefore SBS they train together more these days ... because ..
Money
A lot of training crosses over.
Joint special forces started in the early nineties. They all start at Hereford, then jungle, then continuation training, combat survival/escape and evasion. At the end of that they go their separate ways. SBS head to Poole to do their swimmer canoeist selection
@@DO-hz5yo Thanks for that. Never knew they were so integrated
we were, right?
Uncle was in Vietnam, I have great respect for servicemen and woman, but the poms should’ve never been in Ireland.
They dont want to be in Ireland - keeping two sides off each others throats and becoming a target for both. Thankless task.
see kay griggs , fletcher prouty
A lot of young men are drawn into wanting to join the army... It's a kind of fairy tale story, like they want to portray in the adverts. "Be the best... join the army "... In reality it's nothing but hell.! I thought about joining myself when just left school, but I thought to myself... fuck that.! I realised I wouldn't be able to take any orders from anyone.! The real me was anti-establishment and all it stood (stands) for. My philosophy... be yourself... don't grow a fuckin beard cos your mate has one.!... Don't wear designer this n fuckin that cos you feel pressured into being with the in crowd!... People like me are classed as "The black sheep of the family" as in don't upset the applecart.! But I call people who fall for this crap Sheeple or migrating wildebeests.! Just be your true self!... Be you!...
YOU do or you don,t next question
Who cares what u did? U didn't join, no one judges u for that. Yet u seem to judge others for joining. You're a hypocrite on your own personal philosophy. "be your true self!" indeed...
I'm an Aussie--same feelings as me in the late60's/early70's
@@longdongsilver59 No, all Peter is saying, before he joined, he realised he was an individual,because the first thing you lose in basic training, is your individuality, the army is always much harder for a non-conformist
@@alexlanning712 I understand the point he’s trying to make regarding individuality but you can still be an individual and be in the military, especially the british military. Orders have to be followed because without a chain of command any military falls apart without it. Everyday self proposed “non-conformists” pay their bills, do what their boss says, stop at a red light even though no one is there. We all conform & obey to some degree depending on how you want to define it to fit your argument. I think the fact that the majority of ex-soldiers i’ve met are the embodiment of the individualistic traits that peter prides himself on might suggest otherwise to their “conformist” nature
Northern Ireland was that bad?
How about not misquoting him on the thumbnail, ffs.
Top drawer lad there, i wonder if this next gen wokers will be able to fill these mens boots, something tells me they wont, god help/save the UK....
🌠👍
Ollies book is really good. As are the other boy's we all know he works with. there's no push, becomes stagnant. You fken hate it because your bored out youre scull. Sorry I mean from experience. Why not keep the boy's who train at the start together. Do you know what happened to that chimp her cub?
I would like to ask him “who started that war, and why” ? Should never ever have happened. So sad.
*were
We were bait.
Character
We “were” bait.
1989 5 killed Coldstream Guards when, where?
24th October 1990
That's not want he said or described. 1990 Coshquin PVCP vehicle borne IED Kings Regt.
None of your friends would have died if you would have stayed out of Ireland.
🇬🇧🇬🇧👍
Yes nothing would prepare you for N Ireland in the troubles
Well the SaS were nemesis, dunno wot the sbs were doing. Frankly didnt think they were a thing after the 80s,
@Blob B Thats cause boats dont paddle to fast
A British soldier booting something and saying we need to find more of these - heads in helmets. Total bollocks. Funny that I was in NI at the same time. Same IRA incident that happened. Wasn't any Coldstream's in country as I remember, certainly not in South Armagh. RM (45) supported us as reaction forces, very well . We held the close incident, with a few Black Watch (who were advance to take over from us). Only RM that came into the checkpoint were the chefs, they were absolute rock stars. 45 were digging in on the golf course above us. Faugh A Ballagh
Hi I’m an ex coldstreamer serving at that time me and my friends do not recall such a sizeable incident I was 1bn we were in west Belfast late 88 into 89 Our 2nd Bn were in south armargh in 91 Maybe he got the unit wrong There are 5 guards regiments
@@markriley2733 Yep, between the time the Coldsreams were in country. It was a time of change as one of the times 3Bde established, from just 8 & 39. There weren't any Guards units in South Armagh at that time, could of been in other parts of 8 or even 39. The Black Watch were the resident Bn at Palace. ARB was 45, mill area were Gunners, Newry B Coy of 2 Irish Rangers
@@MichaelKng-fk5jk indeed the only similar incident around that time involved the light infantry so not sure if he just has a bit of brain fade like we all do 🤣. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballygawley_bus_bombing
@@markriley2733 That's not what he's on about. I respect what Ollie's done but, he'd call anyone out same as the rest of us. A British soldier talking about British Soldier's heads rolling around on the ground is unthinkable! He gets the units wrong. The situation wrong. He might of been junior at time and not really knowing what was going on. He would of remembered digging in on the golf greens though. No RM apart from 2 chefs (they were immense guys! Sleeping alongside their cookset, from us wandering in cold and wet they had brews straight out and egg banjos thrown out as fast as they could, nothing bothered them, apart from them looking after us they didn't have any other priorities, they were very clear on that. Something the RM's did better than any other unit in my opinion) no unit entered the immediate area, that was left to us and supported by the Black Watch CQMS and one of his who searched the destroyed part of the point. 2 Signals came in and rigged a phone line. The one fallen, Ceril, was looked after by our own and very quickly taken away with respect.
No country treat their veterans properly.
I’m loving the story…EXCEPT FOR THE FUCKING NOISE!
STOP IT,
It isn’t needed!
For me as an Australian I struggle to understand how any ordinary English man or woman can accept within their soul that there is a difference between your dominance over Northern Ireland and the Iraq's genocide of the Kurds
The Kurds want independence but Northern Ireland doesn’t. Pretty simple really.
Northern Ireland was a legal agreement between Southern Islands and UK. At the time and still today there are many Irish people who wanted to remain with uk . At the time it resolved an awkward issue .
@jamesfern I'm Welsh, with an Irish mother. I grew up in the 70s and 80s with the IRA bombing the UK. In the 90s I met an ex (and repentant) IRA member who described being in the IRA as being in a gang, you had to join to survive.
The NI problem really started in the early 1700s when the British shipped a load of Scottish protestants to Antrim to cause division in NI and to try to take it over. The numbers of protestants swelled and the British (for many years) perpetuated the division. The British government created the problem as a means to subjugate the Irish peoples.
NI violence was a problem created and maintained by the British government, who then 'solved' it.
I don't agree with terrorism, but people were trying to rise up. Incidentally, and interestingly, a lot of American money went to supporting the IRA in the 20th Century. The IRA were terrorists who hurt a lot of ordinary people and families.
It's interesting, sad and complicated.
This put me off
the rest of your life could be a few seconds
The british have as much right to temporarily occupy the north of Ireland as they did to temporarily occupy the south free state of Ireland
Lol the Irish in the North WANT the British there. Looooooooollll
He said "We're bait", not some "we was kangz" nonsense. Why make him sound illiterate? Lol.
Tiocfaidh ár lá BRITS OUT
IRA got Roasted by British Military. Whos the Daddy? 😂⚔️👍
🇮🇪💪
whats with this gay music ???
actor