Work issues👎🏽 Income 👎🏽MH👎🏽 Housing 👉🏽👎🏽

Kia ora. Brisbane Based Kiwi/Kangaroo

Kiwi veteran. Ten years military — Timor days.

Another ten in the PMC world — mostly Iraq, with Afghanistan, Afreakah and a few other places thrown in.

Then ten years serving Queensland in state government.

The last decade?

High-level occupational violence on the daily. Leading teams into situations most people are trying to get away from.

I could handle dangerous people on the daily in physical way. What got me was the intended blue-on-blue from within.

I was targeted, bullied and deliberately provoked by civilian subordinates.

Eventually, I reacted. Did the haka — verbal and pūkana only.

Stood down.

Before I’d even had a proper opportunity to give my account, explain the warnings I’d received or put the bullying history on the table, I felt I’d already been judged.

Thirty years of service, training and experience — and suddenly I’m the problem.

The organisation I’d given a decade to turned its back when I needed support. Left me on the battlefield alone.

Now? Anxiety through the kin roof. Still trying to get clear answers about my health.

WorkCover denied.

Leave exhausted.

Insurance dragging.

Legal fees mounting.

Facing giving up my unit and living out of my car.

I spent years helping keep other people safe.

Now I’m trying to keep a roof over my own head.

Some of the people happy to rely on my backbone when things got ugly couldn’t find theirs when I needed them. CIVI’s, never really likes them anyway.

Yeah, bro. That’s me.

Still here. Still a grunt. But fark, even grunts get tired. Oh and the actual reason why o was stood down is because I used my outside voice inside and hurt the his/hers bully’s feelings….