Pete Dunning shares with us his journey from being a bored pub worker in Wallesey to a medically discharged ‘meaningful Marine’ after being posted to Afghanistan twice with the Armoured Support Company during the mid-2000s. Pete recounts his gruelling training for the Royal Marines and how ‘exhilarating and exciting’ it was to operate the Viking armoured vehicles during his two tours in Afghanistan. In May 2008, Pete was involved in an incident where the vehicle he was travelling in hit an IED, resulting in the amputation of both of Pete’s legs. He spent over seven weeks at Selly Oak Hospital where he underwent surgery on his spine and received skin grafts for his severe burns before being sent to Hedley Court for rehabilitation. Pete talks about his ‘stubbornness to get back up from this’, and it was his sheer determination that helped him walk again. Despite opting for medical discharge from the Royal Marines just short of five years of service, he is now focused on watching his young family grow and thrive. His account of the incident and the changes it brought to his life is inspirational. A story of great determination to adapt to a life post-injury.

Graeme Golightly attended a merchant navy boarding school before passing the Royal Marines entrance tests at sixteen. He was proud to complete the gruelling thirty-week training, one of fourteen to pass from a group of fifty-two. Posted to 40 Commando in Plymouth, he was deployed to the Falklands with Bravo Company and despite hopes for diplomacy, recalls the poignant moment the company prepared for war and secured Port San Carlos, stepping into freezing water weighed down with heavy kit and ammunition. Graeme remembers hearing there were white flags flying over Stanley and being tasked to take the surrender of the Argentinean military force. He went on to serve in Northern Ireland until illness ended his frontline role, moving to a desk position before transitioning to civilian life. Graeme remained deeply proud of his green beret, the perspective gained through service, and the lifelong camaraderie of the Royal Marines family.