My motivation changes. I joint the Army because it was something I always wanted to do. That and a Binman. I wanted to scratch that itch. I wanted to travel. I wanted to fight. As a young solider it was promotion. The desire be top student on courses. The strongest on PT. The guy trusted with responsibility. As a commander is was respect. Gaining the confidence of your team. Showing others what your capable of. Now, 16 years later. Its stability. I'm married now, I have two small children. I need to provide for them.

I have served 16 years in the Army now. I have lots of experience gained though courses, exercises, operations and life. But, there is always something new. Something I've never done before. A new system, weapon, theory or problem. You can always learn something new, or improve something old. Don't be afraid to ask for help and always seek feed back. But remember feedback will not always be positive.

This course is known throughout the Army as being one of the hardest courses soldiers can attend. It is a 9 week course delivered in Beacon, Wales to train senior infantry soldiers in the role of a platoon sergeant on operations. I was the only non-infantry soldier on the course, with little to no experience in some of the subjects we would be covering. As the clear odd one out and representative of the Royal Armoured Corps, a positive attitude, the willingness to learn and humility allowed me to bond with my course-mates quickly. With their support and my determination, I achieved a top third placement and an above the standard grade (B+). My report highlighted the fact that as a non-infanteer I had out performed senior infantry soldiers.