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Ep 028: Sgt Joe O'Connor - British Army Veteran
Manage episode 340730494 series 2798427
Joe joined the British Army as a Regular soldier in 1981 and after leaving in 1988, he rejoined as part of the Territorial Army (Reserves) in 1994. He served for a combined length of 15 years with the Corps of Royal Engineers.
In this episode Joe talks about a life changing incident at 14 years old, which invigorated him to join the Royal Engineers. Plus he talks about what it was like being posted and living in Germany during the 1980s, and the reasons for leaving the Regular Army in pursuit of new challenges.
Joe also shares the rejoining process and becoming part of the Territorial Army (Reserves) which lead to him specialising as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Engineer. He goes on to share a second life changing incident, which happened during his selection course for Special Forces.
Watch Episode on YouTube:
Part 1: youtu.be/7VAeBpLs_QY
Part 2: youtu.be/dv6Skhyhfcs
TikTok:
tiktok.com/@militaryveteranspodcast
Instagram:
instagram.com/militaryveteranspodcast
Twitter:
twitter.com/MilVetPodcast
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/military-veterans-podcast
Merchandise:
milvetpodcast.com/merch
Message at the beginning of the recording is from your host Gav, giving you information on how you can support the show through Patreon.
Supporting monthly would help the show record future episodes and help with the upkeep of the show.
£5 a month will give you access to bonus recordings, where Gav and the guest chat about things that don't make it into the main recording.
Thank you.
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. Growing Up (00:03:36)
3. Joining the British Army (00:12:15)
4. Phase 1 & 2 Training - Gibraltar Barracks (00:15:48)
5. 25 Engineer Regiment - Osnabrück (00:26:42)
6. 23 Engineer Regiment - Osnabrück (00:29:24)
7. 24 Field Squadron (00:33:11)
8. 1st Transition Back to Civilian Life (00:37:50)
9. Joining the Territorial Army (Reserves) (00:45:27)
10. 101 Engineer Regiment (EOD) (V) (00:48:10)
11. Army Diver (00:57:59)
12. Special Forces Selection Incident (01:04:26)
13. 2nd Transition Back to Civilian Life (01:14:08)
14. Final Thoughts & Advice (01:24:22)
77 episodes
Manage episode 340730494 series 2798427
Joe joined the British Army as a Regular soldier in 1981 and after leaving in 1988, he rejoined as part of the Territorial Army (Reserves) in 1994. He served for a combined length of 15 years with the Corps of Royal Engineers.
In this episode Joe talks about a life changing incident at 14 years old, which invigorated him to join the Royal Engineers. Plus he talks about what it was like being posted and living in Germany during the 1980s, and the reasons for leaving the Regular Army in pursuit of new challenges.
Joe also shares the rejoining process and becoming part of the Territorial Army (Reserves) which lead to him specialising as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Engineer. He goes on to share a second life changing incident, which happened during his selection course for Special Forces.
Watch Episode on YouTube:
Part 1: youtu.be/7VAeBpLs_QY
Part 2: youtu.be/dv6Skhyhfcs
TikTok:
tiktok.com/@militaryveteranspodcast
Instagram:
instagram.com/militaryveteranspodcast
Twitter:
twitter.com/MilVetPodcast
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/military-veterans-podcast
Merchandise:
milvetpodcast.com/merch
Message at the beginning of the recording is from your host Gav, giving you information on how you can support the show through Patreon.
Supporting monthly would help the show record future episodes and help with the upkeep of the show.
£5 a month will give you access to bonus recordings, where Gav and the guest chat about things that don't make it into the main recording.
Thank you.
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. Growing Up (00:03:36)
3. Joining the British Army (00:12:15)
4. Phase 1 & 2 Training - Gibraltar Barracks (00:15:48)
5. 25 Engineer Regiment - Osnabrück (00:26:42)
6. 23 Engineer Regiment - Osnabrück (00:29:24)
7. 24 Field Squadron (00:33:11)
8. 1st Transition Back to Civilian Life (00:37:50)
9. Joining the Territorial Army (Reserves) (00:45:27)
10. 101 Engineer Regiment (EOD) (V) (00:48:10)
11. Army Diver (00:57:59)
12. Special Forces Selection Incident (01:04:26)
13. 2nd Transition Back to Civilian Life (01:14:08)
14. Final Thoughts & Advice (01:24:22)
77 episodes
All episodes
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