#125 Ant Plater

Alex Lloyd interviews 2nd Commando Regiment veteran Ant Plater.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Former Special Forces operator Ant Plater served in the Australian Defence Force for 27 years, 17 of which were with the Commandos. He deployed to Somalia, Bougainville, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, served in the Tactical Assault Group-East, and was the counter-terrorism advisor to the Australian Federal Police. Today, he’s a high-performance consultant for the Canberra Raiders and an advocate for the Commando Welfare Trust. The 2nd Commando Regiment veteran spoke with Alex Lloyd about his journey to the army and Special Forces, some of his deployments, the idea of ‘tribe’, and being a leader at the tip of the spear. 

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

• #47 Bram Connolly

• #54 ‘H’ Vol I

• #97 Paul Cale

• #105 Damien Thomlinson

• #106 Greg Hopgood

#54 'H' Vol I

Alex Lloyd interviews 'H', a 2nd Commando Regiment veteran who deployed seven times to the Middle East.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with a former senior Special Forces soldier, thrice decorated for conspicuous service and valour. The 2nd Commando Regiment veteran known Wes 'H' Hennessey was a Warrant Officer Class One and served in the Australian Defence Force for 24 years. In the first instalment of a five-part conversation with Alex Lloyd, H described his journey to the army, training, his deployment to Somalia, the birth of the Commandos, his time in Timor, and the emergence of the Tactical Assault Group East.

After listening to this episode, listen to Volume II (Afghanistan 2006) and Volume III (coming home), then in Season 4, Volume IV (Afghanistan 2008) and Volume V (Afghanistan 2010). The first three of these conversations are in Season 3, and the next two parts were recorded a year later, for Season 4.