What is my USP in the Survival World?

It's been a crazy year right,

A Change of Career

My change in career direction began whilst performing in the play Soldier On, which we took on tour to Toronto in December of 2019. During the two week run many of the cast and crew were struck down by a mysterious flu like virus, the virus kicked my ass and had me laid up in my Toronto apartment for a few days. Now I consider myself fairly fit, healthy and robust but if this virus kicked me then it could have potential to kill elderly and infirm.

I was working in London in Film, TV and Theatre and as you all may be aware these sectors took a massive hit due to COVID lockdowns and the need for social distancing. I found myself furloughed in the spring and along with relocating back to East Anglia set about supporting the NHS through the Veterans response organisation OP-React.

Now in a state of limbo I set about figuring out what I most enjoy about my career so far, I love the great outdoors, I love the camaraderie and professionalism of the Military and I love to talk. My time instructing recruits was the best part of my Military service and seeing these people going on to succeed as a result is priceless.

The Job Search

I returned to my new home in North Norfolk, opened my laptop and logged in to Linkedin. I filled out the job search criteria of my dream job and clicked the search button. Seconds later a job with the RAF Robson Academy of Resilience popped up, the job was as a SERE trainer with Tri Service Aircrews learning how to fly. As I get older I am more open to the idea of fate and with this job appearing first in my job search I simply had to give it a go.

The job sounded exciting and my diverse background which included serving in hostile environments in the military and as a civilian, being arrested and detained in shocking conditions, surviving a near death incident, recovering from that, working as a coordinator for international disaster response company and appearing as a fugitive on the hit Channel 4 TV show Hunted, I though I would give it a go and apply (yes I've been a busy boy).

A month later I was offered the job, A further two months passed and I finally received the vetting for my new role and a start date. Walking back in to the clothing store to receive uniform that I had handed in 10 years earlier was strange yet empowering. It justified all of my experience to date, the uniform even fitted in the same way it had ten year previously. I was back in the family and it felt amazing,

The next 8 weeks was a bit of a beast, 6 of which I spent in the woods and forest relearning how to teach military personnel and learning the formalities of Permissive Land Survival, my new Core topic of instruction. I loved the challenge and came away thoroughly trained ready to give back to an organisation that I felt had already really invested in me.

But what is my USP?

I had done a great deal of research and there are some amazingly knowledgeable survival instructors out there. Some are ex SAS, some are celebrities who have achieved amazing physical feats of endurance, some are subject matter experts in specific areas.

But what about me? the armless ex soldier turned bodyguard, turned actor, turned god knows what. I had spent the last 7 years following my injuries going through a transition, A search for identity, trying to put back together a life thrown in to chaos in that desert in 2013, I had to hit rock bottom mentally as well as physically over the last 7 years to reemerge to where I am now.

I am extremely lucky to be a member of BLESMA The British Limbless Ex Serviceman's Association. My friends and colleagues in the charity have filled me with inspiration since becoming a member and I have also been extremely privileged to be a part of the Making Generation R "Resilience" Programme, which takes Veterans stories and delivers a vital package of Resilience.

Resilience yes that is my USP!

I watch other Survival instructor deliver in amazing style and showing brilliant skill and dexterity, feathering sticks, building traps, constructing shelters and many other intricate tasks. What takes them tens of minutes can take me hours with my one hand.

The realisation that I am not going to be a highly skilled dextrous aesthetic trainer was quickly learned, I am more of a fumbled hodge podge in my demos but I get there in the end. Its been this resilience to the smaller things that has gotten me through this crazy journey I have been on so far.

Psychology of Survival

There has been one area of instruction in this amazing field of training where I have felt truly in my element. Delivering a lesson which gives the student gritty insight in to how resilient the human can be in the face of extreme adversity.

I am extremely lucky to have all of those BLESMA colleagues, who's stories I can fall back on to deliver what I think is the ultimate underpinning lesson which we deliver. But this lesson doesn't just help a pilot ditched at sea ar in the desert, it helps all of us through any of life's challenges we may face.

Have a Happy and Prosperous 2021 every one

See you all in the new year

Warmest regards

Kirk