JOHN Oddie grew up on a farm watching air force jets as they flew overhead, sure that there was more to life than what existed within his barbed wire fence.
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Thirty-five years later, Air Commodore John Oddie looks back on an extraordinary career in the Australian Air Force and has much to share about his experiences in aviation, peacekeeping and disaster operations.
John has held a variety of roles throughout his career with a broad range of responsibilities.
John was involved in operations in Sinai in 1982, the Gulf War in 1991 and was also Deputy Commander of Australia's Middle East operations.
"I've had leading roles and led operations to evacuate Australians from Cambodia and support peace progress in Bougainville," John said.
John also worked as the first-response commander in the aftermath of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.
John was confronted by the scene he found before him when he arrived in Medan, the capital of the North Sumatra province, the day after the tsunami had struck Indonesia.
As part of the first-response team, John's role was to relay information and communicate with the Australian Government about the situation and identify resources to be provided such as helicopters and health services.
"It was devastating, like a dragon had torn the cities off the earth and just dragged them into the ocean."
John explained that even in the face of such shock and devastation, his job was to assess the situation and make a decision about how best to proceed.
"It was devastating, like a dragon had torn the cities off the earth and just dragged them into the ocean"
- John Oddie
"In those moments I can act and do the things that are necessary...you just have to lock away all the emotions and feelings and just get to them later when there's time.
"The job demands it of you.
"You have to do your job and it's my choice to do this.
"I'm a volunteer so that's okay, but when I get home and I'm sad, well that's okay too."
John has written a book about his personal and professional experiences, Flight Command, which also offers insight to the lives of military personnel.
"I've gained a lot of insight into how military service people and their families feel," he said.
"I thought it needed to be put into writing."
John said there was a lot about military service and what it entails that some members of the public may not be clear on, or hadn't considered.
"Many military personnel have served for between 30 and 40 years.
"Some have been to Afghanistan up to seven times and raised their families in that time too."
John said children who grew up with one or both parents in the military could have found it a difficult and confronting experience.
"Usually both parents wouldn't be deployed at the same time, but one could be deployed soon after the other got back," he said.
John's own son was only three years old when he was deployed to the Gulf War in 1991, first at RAF Odiham in England for training and then the RAF airfield base at Gutersloh in Germany.
John sympathised with the partners left behind after their spouses have left for service.
"You can guarantee that's when there's going to be some sort of crisis at home, and the partner is left to deal with it alone," he said.
"The car might break down, the air-conditioner fails, the fridge stops working. It all happens when the wife or husband leaves.
"All the while they've got the uncertainty in the back of their minds about whether their partner will be okay - it's stressful for everyone involved." John said he felt his wife had less uncertainty to deal with, as she had her own experience of what military life was like.
"I'm fortunate that my wife is also in the military and she understands what it's like. At the same time, she understood the risks I was going into and was aware of how bad the bad days could be."
More recently, John has worked as a Deputy Commander in Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot providing support to troops on the ground.
John said his role in Afghanistan also included responsibilities for ships at sea, addressing issues of arms smuggling and piracy.
"Some of the ships we came across had been attacked and commandeered by pirates. Maritime can be quite ugly, it's a tough job," he said.
Those who would like further insights to the life required of senior military personnel can buy John 's book, Flight Command, which is available in print and as an e-book.
