Real-life reads
Soldier’s triumph over tragedy; Kiwi queen of romance
Losing o a close friend in the line li of duty and suffering a debilitating injury, battle-weary Kelly Whittle returned home a broken woman until a royally inspired sports competition set her on the road to recovery. Injured and struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder after experiencing harrowing events while serving in Afghanistan, the former army medic knows that those competing in this month’s Invictus Games are in for a life-changing experience. “It’s hard to put into words the t importance of the games,” explains e Kelly, 34. “Once you go g to an event and see others in the same situation, you feed off of one another. It enables you to find different avenues to help heelp yourself.” yourself.
Now an army sergeant at the Joint Forces headquarters in Wellington, her life has been transformed by the power of the international sporting event started by Prince Harry four years ago. As the New Zealand team co-captain, she’s looking forward to helping others.
“I didn’t think I was senior enough or good enough for the role,” Kelly says. “But I guess management saw me as being able to mentor the newbies on the team.”
Born and raised on a Southland farm, it was during a brief stint working at a rest home in Gore that she applied to join the army at age 17 because she was bored.
After working for St John Ambulance as a teen, she opted to join the medical corps and immediately took to military life. Enjoying the various overseas assignments, and forming close bonds and friendships during her first decade in the army, the patrol medic’s life would never be the same again following a six-month deployment in troubled Afghanistan.
The servicewoman badly damaged the cartilage in her hip after twisting awkwardly as she struggled to pick up a wounded Afghan soldier. It’s an injury that’s continued to plague her years later.
Devastatingloss
But tragedy struck again and left deep psychological scars. Kelly’s good friend Jacinda Baker was killed after the Humvee she was travelling in struck a roadside bomb – she was one of five Kiwi soldiers who lost their lives in the deployment.
“I can’t put into words how devastating that was,” explains Kelly. “It still affects most of us who were there. We worked together at Burnham Camp for a number of years, and we were close both in New Zealand and on the other side of the world.”
Kelly returned home in late 2012, but it quickly became apparent she was experiencing difficulties coping with the traumatic events she suffered in Afghanistan. “I became angry and I would fly off the handle at the smallest thing. I suffered very vivid dreams and I’d have flashbacks.”
In 2013, she was diagnosed with PTSD. The army corporal greeted the news with an element of relief, realising there was an explanation behind her irrational behaviour.
Yet the most significant difference to Kelly’s postAfghanistan life came after a friend encouraged her to be part of the New Zealand team for the inaugural 2014 Invictus Games in London.
“It was one of the most incredible things I’ll experience in my lifetime,” she tells. “I remember having a photo taken with Prince Harry. He views you as a person – he’s a primo dude.”
Competing in a range of sports, and winning silver in the shot put and discus, were personal highlights for Kelly, but she also emerged from the experience with many other cherished memories.
“Looking at some of the competitors from America, Great Britain and Germany, and the injuries they’ve sustained, made me feel very lucky that mine are relatively minor,” she tells. “An American guy was throwing the shot and discus with no fingers. He was so determined to prove that he was not going to be defined by his injuries.”
Two years later, Kelly returned to compete in her second Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida. She went on to take the bronze in discus and recalls the thrill
of meeting many injured servicemen and women from around the world, including Afghan soldiers.
With her PTSD now largely under control, the former medic is a far cry from the person who returned from Afghanistan in such a fragile state six years ago. She’s even found love, marrying her “rock” Emma last year.
“She’s been incredible,” explains Kelly of the army captain she met three years ago. “If I’m struggling, she knows something is not right with me. Apparently, I have this funny tic when something is going on in my head. We have never felt disadvantaged being a same-sex couple in the military.”
Competing in her third games in Sydney, Kelly plans once more to take part in shot put and discus, and may try several other new sports.
“Invictus gives you a whole new view and purpose in life,” she adds. “It is a priceless experience.”