May 5, 2025
On today's podcast, I speak with Australian special forces 2nd
Commando Regiment
veteran Andy Steele. Andy had a decorated career that included
deployments to
East Timor, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and also serving in the domestic
counterterrorism
team.
Andy joined the army at the age of 17. Andy marched into 4RAR in
2000, he went on
selection at 17.5, making him one of the youngest to successfully
pass the
Commando selection and reinforcement cycle. During this
conversation, we discuss
the impact of being the team commander during the tragic live fire
training incident of
Mason Edwards that still weighs heavily on Andy. We spoke of the
loss of one of
Andy’s close friends, the late Cameron Baird VC MG. Andy was on the
ground in
2008 when Jason Marks was killed, a day Andy said he was lucky to
survive himself.
For more about that day, go back and listen to episode 81, Jordan
McCallum, and
episode 100, Craig Hamburgers recollection of that day. After Andy
discharged from
the Army, he went contracting in Afghanistan and around the
world.
Andy talks about how faith has helped him find peace and purpose
after service,
This is a raw, honest powerful two-part episode. A true story of
resilience and
redemption.
Presenter: Adam Blum
Guest: Andy Steele
Editor: Kyle Watkins