From Army Boots to Security Badges

At just sixteen, Peter enlisted in the British Army and joined the Royal Green Jackets infantry regiment. Staying within this regiment for three years, Peter later left the army for two years before ultimately rejoining at twenty-one as part of The Staffordshire Regiment. Serving for a total of 24 years in Infantry regiments, Peter’s role took him to Iraq and Bosnia, completing tours abroad in Africa, Canada, and America, with times when he even lived abroad in Cyprus and Germany. 

Throughout his twenty-four years in the armed forces, Peter had access to a wide array of progression opportunities. Having started as a private soldier in specialist weapons and rifle companies, Peter later moved to a transport support platoon, and within a few years, he was promoted to Lance Corporal and then Corporal with management and personnel oversight duties.

In the later part of his career, Peter moved within the Regimental police, where his role involved helping to run the detention centres where forces personnel might find themselves for failing to follow everyday orders or more serious infractions, and the regimental team would help to correct these behaviours. These individuals would be at a crossroads in their careers; depending on the severity of the infraction, it would determine if the individual would then be further sent to the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) based in Colchester for further time to be served. With soldiers only able to serve up to 30 days in these detention centres, his team had a short amount of time to try to get through to these individuals to help correct these behaviours so that when they move on, these individuals have had a positive impact through the experience.

Peter found this phase impactful, reflecting, “You don’t realise what soldiers get up to. At the end of the day, they are still human beings, they just wear a uniform, and can get in trouble just as easily as any civilian.”

The shift from a regimented military lifestyle to civilian life can be tough, which is why many veterans, like Peter, find themselves in security roles that align closely with their military training. With synergies between skills for the forces and security work, it is clear why there is such a natural path for individuals just like Peter to utilise skills he learnt in the army in practice at the Trust. With the regimented patrols, clear structure, and ability to respond to spontaneous situations, these military-instilled skills can be applied daily, such as remaining calm under pressure, following procedures, and managing unpredictable situations, making veterans like Peter an ideal fit for roles in healthcare security.

This methodology of thinking and natural understanding between soldiers and forces personnel is an area that Peter particularly misses, as deep bonds, camaraderie and friendships are formed within these high-stress environments and are “for life, not just whilst serving, you take these friendships to your grave with you and beyond”.

Outside of this ‘world’ and because of the years of strict and regimental practices, forces personnel can struggle to build these connections with civilians. Alongside this, mental health remains a challenging topic, particularly as those who haven’t served don’t fully understand the complexity and realities of life in the forces. As a result, tough conversations are easier with others who ‘get it’. Peter shares, “Civilians don’t understand us, we have a different sense of humour, we are very well disciplined. Soldiers are very blunt and say it as it is, and we get the job done, there is no messing around”. This difference in mindset can make it difficult for ex-forces personnel to form connections with those who haven’t served. As Peter explains, “when you start training, they take all the civilian out of you to turn you into a soldier, but when you come into the civilian world after a long time, there is no way of turning you back into a civilian”.