West Sussex Gazette

Reflecting on a career dicing with death

- Phil Hewitt Group Arts Editor

Ex-Special Forces soldier and best-selling author Jason Fox is taking on a new expedition with his first-ever UK tour.

Life At The Limit will see Jason deliver first hand the remarkable story of his daring exploits in a distinguis­hed career as an elite operator in the UK Special Forces (SBS) and beyond.

Visiting 30 towns and cities across the UK, Life At The Limit includes a date at Worthing’s Assembly Halls on Sunday (February 27).

From gunfights, hostage rescues, daring escapes and heroic endeavours that defined Jason’s service, to a very different battle that a waited him at home, Life At The Limit will present a chronicle of operationa­l bravery, adventure and courage on and off the battlefiel­d.

“I think it just all stemmed from early on when I first joined the Marines and I suppose I was my own worst enemy ,” Jason says.

“I was wanting a life of adventure and I was looking for a way to get out of trouble by going into the military and that’s what first sparked off this life of adventure, I guess, and how it became my life.

“My family was alright about it. They were very supportive. My dad was in the Marines and I suppose I could have gone off the rails. I was young and impression­able and easily led and it just gave me the life and everything that I wanted back then.

“I was 16 when I joined. I don’t know how you survive but a lot of it comes down to listening to what you have been taught in your training but there is also a sprinkling of luck which gets you through.

“But the teaching is important. It’s more a mindset really.It’s about embracing the moment and living in the moment and not worrying about what might happen but also just being profession­al.”

Jason can’t say when he was the closest to getting killed. It happened so many times.

“There were lots of gunfights and weird situations with bullets flying all around but I do think it’s about being diligent and I think being diligent has to be your coping mechanism.

“I left the services when I was medically discharged in 2012. I had done 20 years and I had PTSD. It was difficult to begin with, that transition from the military life.

“It was pretty hard. I knew for about three months before that I was going to leave, but I had done 20 years so it really was quite a quick transition.”

As for the PTSD: “I would say that I am fixed. I’m a big believer that you can fix it. It is something that is manageable even though it is invisible.”

Ɍ Tickets via wtm.uk

 ?? ?? Former Special Forces soldier and now author Jason Fox
Former Special Forces soldier and now author Jason Fox

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