Alex Lloyd interviews 2nd Commando Regiment veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, Heston Russell.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. This is the first episode of Season 5, our 207th podcast, and our 102nd veteran conversation. In all that time we've brought you stories from World War II to the modern era. Today's chat is with a Special Forces veteran of the 21st century conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Heston Russell.

We recorded this episode on the outdoor balcony of Heston's Sydney apartment, so if you hear any background noise or ambience, that's why. We recorded outdoors because we also filmed this interview, which is a first for our podcasts. You can jump onto our YouTube channel to watch this chat with Heston. We will be doing a select number of video podcasts as the year goes on.

Heston Russell was an officer in the 2nd Commando Regiment. He already had a profile in the Australian community through his post-military career in the fitness world with Barry's Bootcamp. He rose to further national prominence in 2020, when an unnamed US soldier accused Heston's platoon of unlawfully killing a prisoner in Afghanistan. Heston counterattacked, speaking out on national media to strongly refute the claims. Since then, he's remained in the public spotlight, becoming a spokesperson for the veteran community in the lead-up to and in the wake of the Brereton report into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

Alex Lloyd spoke to Heston in February 2021 to learn more about the man behind the headlines.

Follow Heston @hestonrussell on Instagram and Facebook. You can also find "Voice of a Veteran" on social media, YouTube, your favourite podcast app and www.voiceofaveteran.org.

To see photos related to today's interview, visit our website - www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com - or follow us on social media: @lifeonthelinepodcast on Facebook and Instagram, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.