
Leading Special Forces Selection, Media Battles, and the Fight for Veteran Suicide Reform | Ep. 285 | Pt. 3
From Mike Drop by Mike Ritland
April 3, 2026 · 1h 12m
About this episode
Heston Russell discusses his journey as a combat veteran, including his experiences with sexuality and veteran support systems in Australia and the U.S.
Former Australian 2nd Commando Regiment officer and combat veteran Heston Russell opens up about his personal journey, including coming to terms with his sexuality while serving, family reactions, and the cultural differences in veteran support between Australia and the United States. He details his exchange posting with the 75th Ranger Regiment, a later deployment to Iraq in a joint special operations planning role, insights into high-level interagency operations, and the challenges of transitioning out of the military. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Guest: Heston Russell
Topics covered
- veteran support
- military transition
- personal journey
- sexuality
- interagency operations
Keywords
- 2nd Commando Regiment
- 75th Ranger Regiment
- Iraq deployment
- veteran suicide reform
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Australia, the United States, Iraq
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