Colin Parker details his experience with PTSD as well as his tragic fall from invincible Coldstream Guard to being left for dead in the Middle East. Slaving away day after day at his foundry job pushed Colin to actualise his childhood infatuation with the Armed Forces and join the Coldstream Guards. This particular regiment had a violent and prideful reputation due to moulding their recruits to feel like nothing could hurt them, something Colin experienced first hand.  Colin initially found it exciting to be on the battlefield until he was surrounded by Middle Eastern tribals and gravely injured by their mortar fire, the two teenagers soldiers under his command at the time not making it. Laying in the crater thinking about his family one last time Colin was fully convinced he had died but miraculously he survived.  After the attack, Colin had to relearn how to walk and talk and was then medically discharged and forced to deal with his new found PTSD alone. Having to accept that the army viewed him as expendable was extremely difficult for Colin; he felt so small and powerless after being discharged, he had lost everything and they did not care. Due to the way the Coldstream Guard trained him Colin never believed he would suffer from PTSD, but now he was stuck constantly relieving the stress and fear from that day over and over. 

Tom Cromie’s free spirit sparked initial ambitions to be an RAF fighter pilot, but so did every other nineteen year old, so instead he joined the Royal Artillery as a soldier of the 231 Mortar Brigade. His story starts with the invasion of Sicily as a dispatch rider and Tom shares fond memories of practicing trick cycling on his motorcycle in quiet lulls. But his part in Sicily was cut short when a Bren Gun Carrier reversed over his leg, breaking it and sending him back home to England, not before, however, a remarkable moment in which he shared a cigarette with a terrified German who lay in the bed next to him in hospital. Tom then shares his memories of the D-Day landings as a field gunner, and recounts his lucky escape from almost drowning off of Green Beach. Another injury ends his part in the Normandy invasion and unable to return to his brigade, he eventually volunteered to be sent out to the Far East, ending up in India. Tom’s story is one full of character and gives glimpses of lightheartedness and humour into the terror of WW2 invasions.

Colonel Robert Stewart was born into a military family on July 7 1949. He followed his father's military footsteps and joined the British Army. After training at Sandhurst, he became an infantry officer in the 1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment. He served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Bob's time there was difficult, including being knocked out by a brick during a riot and losing six men in the Ballykelly bombing. During his career, Bob faced many challenges, from secret missions against the IRA to leading humanitarian efforts during the Bosnian War. His time in Bosnia was marked by the horrors of mass graves and minefields. In Bosnia, he faced the challenge of a peacekeeping mission under a slow-moving UN. After the army, Bob went into politics. His time as a soldier gave him a unique view on life and politics. His interview demonstrates his strong sense of duty and how war has a lasting impact on people.