Steve Mathews fought with 1 Para in Iraq and went onto serve with the Special Forces Support Group. Steve explains all about the airborne brigade, the death of the military policeman at at Majar al-Kabir, how 1 Para almost jumped into battle, how the parachute course is run and his current work as a civilian security contractor in Iraq. We discuss the parachute course at Brize Norton including the skyvan and the old balloon jump, and what it like to work alongside the Special Air Force (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS) and training, tactics and weapons. Read 'Eating Smoke: One Man's Descent into Crystal Meth Psychosis in Hong Kong's Triad Heartland.' Paperback UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0993543944 Paperback US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0993543944 Support the podcast at: https://www.patreon.com/christhrall (£2 per month plus perks) https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-our-veterans-to-tell-their-story https://paypal.me/TeamThrall Sign up for my NON-SPAM newsletter and FREE books: https://christhrall.com/mailing-list/ https://facebook.com/christhrall https://twitter.com/christhrall https://instagram.com/chris.thrall https://linkedin.com/in/christhrall https://youtube.com/christhrall https://discord.gg/yqvHRUN https://christhrall.com