‘Radio-Medicine‘ by GreenZone Hero. Every combat veteran has a story to tell, we want to hear it. Every combat veteran has unique capabilities, we want to utilize them. Every combat veteran has the ability to overcome disadvantages, we want to empower them. Every combat veteran has the power to heal, we want to educate others. All Music excerpts used by permission.
Episodes
Thursday Jun 06, 2019
Thursday Jun 06, 2019
Simon Kirby was born in East London, England. He was the son of restaurateurs. At the age of 15, Simon left school and at 16, joined the the British Army as a light-infantryman in the Royal Green Jackets Regiment. His first combat tour came in 1979 in Tyrone County, Northern Ireland. His unit was tasked with intercepting IRA patrols crossing the border, conducted with long-range and chopper-borne patrols. After that initial tour, and over the course of the next two years, Simon was stationed in Germany and also completed the US Army's Air Assault School at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. At the age of 19, he attended the British Army's NCO Cadre School where he was awarded the regimental batten, given to the top student. At that time, Simon was the youngest person in regimental history to earn such an award.
Simon's second combat tour came at the age of 20. In 1981, he deployed to West Belfast during the height of the troubles there. That deployment proved costly for Simon's unit. He lost three of his close friends in an enemy ambush. It was not long after that he would return to the civilian world, leaving the army after serving his Country for five years.
Simon eventually made it to the United States (a dream that he had during a break from his Ft. Campbell training while visiting Florida). Currently, Simon owns a very successful holistic-natural-food restaurant, Simon's Coffeehouse, in Sarasota, Florida. He is the father of two children, enjoys cooking, meditation, yoga and sailing the Caribbean (when time permits).