Damien Thomlinson - Without Warning: A Soldiers Extraordinary Journey

by Ray Martin

I first met Damo down at Perisher, riding a runaway snowboard like a mad thing taking on the mountain and anything else that got in his way. Getting to know Damien Thomlinson was about as tricky as opening a blizzardly cold VB on a hot Sunday afternoon. Getting to like him was even easier. There he was sporting a technicolour thermal top, a smile as big as Coogee Beach and a twinkle in the eye that was downright dangerous. He was clearly one of those blokes you would never dare, because hed probably do it whatever the dare.

Its a weird thing to say given the cards that life has dealt him lately but he still has the essence of an athlete, moving a bit like a football player whos done a hamstring and may be out for a month. Its no surprise to learn that the Icemans childhood was a cocktail of cricket, surfing, bikes, adrenalin and risk.

Im not handicapped, he laughed, I just dont have any legs.

(How he came to be named Iceman is a very funny yarn in itself.)

His surgeon Andrew Ellis told me that after the IED blast Damien was as close to death as you can get. I had met Dr Ellis, an army reserve officer, in the blood n gore of Aceh after the 2005 Boxing Day tsunami hit the Indonesia archipelago. (Hes not just a top surgeon but a top bloke, too.) I asked Ellis what Damos shattered body would have looked like in the dust and chaos of that wild Afghan night. Ellis paused for a moment then said thoughtfully, Like hed just been attacked by a mad axe-murderer. That seemed to answer my question.

Yet here was Damo not that long after having his body savagely chopped and broken scooting down the snow, falling over in a barrel of laughter and refusing to let anyone help him back on his board. (You could almost hear him muttering, Piss off, under his breath.)

Damien is the classic alpha male, always a commando in the beret that says hes bulletproof, an absolute army pin-up boy despite the fact that this elite soldier left the battlefield on a stretcher and has given away his dreams of ever being deployed again.

What makes this story so compelling is its honesty and its inspirational outlook, in which love finds a way, as Tin Pan Alley songwriters put it.

Its also a novel way to tell a story through not just the eyes of the main player, but also from the perspective of his parents, sister, surgeon, fellow soldier, coach, childhood mate and his devoted partner in recovery. Its quite a revelation and highly personal.

Damien Thomlinson never whinges or asks for your pity. Its simply not in his DNA. He just makes you wonder how the hell he survived his Afghanistan hell and its aftermath, with all the pain and prosthetics.

Still, it comes as no surprise to learn that while taking on everything from the glaring spotlight of 60 Minutes to the agony of the Kokoda Track (with the dad of a soldier-boy who never returned), this warrior tripped over his mounting anxieties, his misplaced guilt and the emptiness of what he poetically calls his self-destruct phase. Damien doesnt think its PTSD, but clearly stress and disorder were major speed bumps on his road to recovery.

I must admit that when reading his story, I felt a little guilty that although we kept in touch I didnt realise how badly Damo was travelling, especially in 2011 and 2012. Mind you, he worked hard at covering it up from all those who loved him. Thankfully, now hes opened that door.

This book is more than just a rollicking saga about a young hero, who without warning has had to beat impossible odds. Writing about the trauma I suspect has been great therapy for Damien an important part of his recovery. Its also been a journey of personal truth and reconciliation for everyone close to him. You cant go to the dark place he has been and not suffer some collateral damage.

Still, by any definition, Damien Thomlinson is a remarkable young bloke. Now hes come to terms with who he used to be, and how he got to where he is, get ready for the next exciting phase of his life. Because it will be exciting and exhilarating.

I am so glad Damo decided to tell his story so far.