John Matthews

British Army Infantry

Growing up in Heywood, just outside Manchester, John Matthews always had an interest in the military. Inspired by the Armed Forces from a young age, he joined the British Army at 19 and went on to serve for eight years as an Infantryman.

During his military career, John took on a variety of specialised roles including Platoon Radio Operator, Sustained Fire Machine Gunner and Mortarman. His service saw him deployed across the world, gaining valuable experience in demanding and challenging environments.

In 2019, John deployed to Iraq on Operation SHADER 9, where he provided training and support to Kurdish Peshmerga forces in their operations against ISIS. He later served as part of the UK's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting Mobile Testing Units and the deployment of NHS Nightingale Hospitals. In 2021, while serving as part of the Regional Standby Battalion, John was held at readiness as part of Operation PITTING, supporting the withdrawal of civilian and NATO personnel from Afghanistan. Alongside operational deployments, his Army career also took him across Europe, Norway, Kenya and Cyprus for military exercises and adventurous training.

After leaving the Army in 2022, John faced one of the challenges many veterans experience when transitioning into civilian life – the loss of purpose and direction that comes after leaving a structured military environment. While he had already begun working within the transport industry as a Class 2 driver, he knew that gaining his Category C+E licence would open up greater opportunities and improve his earning potential.

At the time, John's wife had recently lost more than 70% of her vision due to Multiple Sclerosis and was no longer able to work. Wanting to provide greater financial stability for his family, John began looking for ways to progress his career.

After hearing about Veterans into Logistics through a friend in the industry, John reached out for support. Within less than a week, Veterans into Logistics had arranged his Category C+E training and helped him begin the process of gaining his new qualification.

John successfully achieved his Category C+E licence through the programme and was supported throughout the process by the Veterans into Logistics team. The support did not stop once he had passed his test. The team continued to assist him with employment opportunities and regularly checked in to ensure he was progressing well in his new career.

Today, John is employed as an HGV Driver with Royal Mail. The increased earning potential and stability that came with his new role have helped take a significant weight off his shoulders, allowing him to provide for his family with confidence while enjoying a fulfilling career within the logistics sector.

Reflecting on his journey, John says the biggest benefit of Veterans into Logistics was not only gaining a new qualification, but also having access to opportunities that would otherwise have been difficult to achieve due to the cost of HGV training. He believes the programme has genuinely changed his life for the better and encourages any veteran considering a career in logistics to take the opportunity and get involved.

John's story is a powerful example of how the right support, combined with determination and hard work, can help veterans build successful and rewarding careers after military service.