Will is a Soldier On Ambassador and an ex-serving member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP). He is now the Founder and Coach of MAKING MEN, a private Facebook Group aimed at supporting good men everywhere.
“As Defence and First Responders, the code we live by involves courage, mateship, sacrifice, and endurance,” Will says. “When something breaks inside us and we can no longer perform that code – our jobs – we are often challenged to find other meaning and direction in our lives.”
After eight years in the ADF and 17 years in the AFP, Will was diagnosed with chronic PTSD in 2017 and experienced firsthand the need to have the right support. By sharing his story, Will hopes to help and support others to get the right support. Will did not believe for one minute that he would ever be diagnosed with PTSD. He had helped mates through it in the past but never felt he would be susceptible.
Then within a very short space of time in late 2017, Will was faced with the reality of PTSD, and this started to affect every aspect of his life: work, family, health, and physical fitness. Through this, Will had the support of a few good mates who had been there before. Without the right support, it is a very difficult process and easy for a person to fall off the radar into helplessness.
By joining Soldier On, Will hopes his story can help others and he can become a conduit of support if they ever find themselves in a similar situation. If he can help one person through his story and experiences, he says, then it has been successful. We are thrilled to have Will a part of the Soldier On family.