What Makes the Difference CIC

We serve veterans, first responders, and their families as they transition within roles or out of military and first responder careers into civilian life.

[What Makes the Difference CIC @MakesCic]

Our latest flyer, what we do and how we help. #veteranowned #whatmakesthedifference #business

[What Makes the Difference CIC @MakesCic]

@MarkOrmrod 9*9 tents, not fitting into the bag it came in.

[What Makes the Difference CIC @MakesCic]

@BritishArmy @marathonDsables Excellent effort. Well done all!

[👑 @Cairnlodge1]

"He was mentally scarred, but he fought bravely against it." — A fellow member of the SAS Association

There are wounds that medals cannot hide.

Former SAS Sergeant Davie Penman spent 12 years serving with the British Army, first in the Parachute Regiment and later with the elite Special Air Service (SAS). He deployed to Northern Ireland, the Balkans, Kosovo, and other conflict zones, building a reputation as a calm, dependable, and fearless soldier.

In 1999, during the Kosovo War, everything changed.

When a Hercules transport aircraft burst into flames after take-off, Davie survived the crash but refused to leave without his comrades. Amid fire, exploding ammunition and thick smoke, he helped drag a trapped soldier from the wreckage. The man's leg was catastrophically injured, yet Davie stayed with him until they escaped the burning aircraft.

His comrade survived.

Davie carried the memories with him for the rest of his life.

After leaving the Army, he struggled with nightmares, anxiety, and invisible injuries that no one seemed able—or willing—to understand. Years later, while protecting comedian Billy Connolly during a Comic Relief visit to Somalia, Billy's wife, psychologist Pamela Stephenson, recognised the signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. It was the first time anyone had put a name to the battle Davie had been fighting since Kosovo.

He would later speak openly about PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and the difficulties many veterans face after leaving military service. Through his memoir Shooting Straight, he hoped other soldiers would seek help before reaching the point he once did.

Friends remembered him not only as an exceptional SAS soldier but as a man of humour, intelligence, and quiet compassion.

In 2020, Davie Penman passed away in Thailand at the age of 56.

At his funeral, fellow veterans, Buddhist monks, and friends gathered as the Last Post echoed through the ceremony.

For those who knew him, he was more than a former SAS operator.

He was a warrior who never abandoned a comrade—and who spent the rest of his life fighting a battle that few could see.

Rest easy, Sergeant Davie Penman. Your courage on the battlefield and your honesty afterwards continue to inspire others. 🌺

#DaviePenman #SAS #BritishArmy #ParachuteRegiment #SpecialAirService #MilitaryHistory #Veteran #PTSD #NeverForgotten #LestWeForget

[ClarksonsFarm @ClarksonsFarm1]

Yes or no?👀

[What Makes the Difference CIC @MakesCic]

@eddiehallWSM Savage

[Veteran_MC 🇬🇧 🇬🇧 🇬🇧 @Veteran_MC]

22 years later..
GSW Iraq 2004...
I had one operation on the day I was shot. No after care, no physio, my wife cleaned and changed the wound until it was closed. The Military 'removed' the stitches (well, most of them), about 20 were left in under blood, under small flaps of skin. My wife also removed those.
Then we went on to persecution by the British government, I lost my 2 year job with BP and couldn't get work for over a year after the inquiry. I almost lost my family, I almost lost my life!!
On the 4th July 2026 I had another operation to remove the nerves that were enveloped in scar tissue. 22 years later.... It never stops !!!

[What Makes the Difference CIC @MakesCic]

@Posted_to_BAOR DSTL = Don't Sell This Lot

[Jane @JaneFranklin99]

The Garden of Remembrance @RNSubMuseum. Nearly 6000 British submariners who have died in service since 1901 are remembered here. Ten Royal Marines deployed from HMS Tuna in “Cockle” kayaks during 1942 to launch a commando raid on Bordeaux: “The Cockleshell Heroes”.

[🚨GULF WAR SYNDROME UK @davietweetsc]

TOO MANY PEOPLE PAID THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE TO KEEP US FREE. LETS NOT FORGET THAT.
#LestWeForget
#FREEDOM
🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[ClarksonsFarm @ClarksonsFarm1]

Repost!🙌🏼

[Britain's Lost & Living Pubs @Britains___Pubs]

Still not rebuilt:

Let us not forget the tragic tale of the #CrookedHouse, in Himley near Dudley, famously known as "Britain's wonkiest pub," which @VinnieSull1van. There, in an episode, we asked a few questions we noticed hadn't been asked. Originally built in 1765, its signature slant was caused by 19th-century mining subsidence. Though destroyed by a fire and subsequently and suspiciously demolished in August 2023, the owners were legally ordered by the South Staffordshire Council to rebuild it brick by brick. This has not yet been done. ⏳️

Kindly share and make others aware. Thank you. 🤝🍻

[Happy Captain @EODHappyCaptain]

This is not a story I’ve ever told here, but I think it’s worth telling.

A little over a decade ago, I was the NCO in charge of quarters in the barracks at EOD school. Due to their initial entry status in the Army, the Soldiers had nightly bed checks to ensure they were accounted for.

That night, there was a suicide in the barracks. I found him hanging in his closet, cut him down, and started performing CPR. I yelled for all the students who knew CPR to come out of their rooms. Three joined me. While they took turns, I called 911 and then the command.

We traded off for nearly 20 minutes until EMS arrived. Although we kept him alive, he later passed at the hospital.

In the aftermath, I submitted the three Soldiers who helped me for Achievement Awards; I was a SSG at the time. The Battalion Commander pulled me aside and asked if it was truly appropriate to give awards when the Soldier didn’t survive.

I told him the awards were for young Soldiers who stepped up when others didn’t: those are the type of people I want around in this career field. people who give it their all, regardless of the outcome. He agreed.

We don’t get to decide the circumstances, but we do get to decide how we react. A decade later, I’m still proud of those Soldiers for stepping up.

If you need help, reach out and get it.

[Matthew Modine @MatthewModine]

This Friday, June 26 marks the 39th anniversary of FULL METAL JACKET's theatrical release. REPOST by 6/29 for a chance to win this signed copy on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray! I'll pick one winner at random and announce next #ModineMonday! Good luck!

If you'd like to support the @FMJDiary project and exhibition, you can order a very limited + signed item here. First come, first served!

https://t.co/ddQmTgW0Tm

[What Makes the Difference CIC @MakesCic]

@Andrew__Manley @BucketsOf_Rain Anglo-Dutch wars. That was the 3rd Batt. know as the Ribs. From the Ribs of the ship.

[Paul Browning Photography @Paul__Browning_]

Few months ago a young lad called Toby messaged me on instagram and asked if I’d follow him back, I jokingly replied .. I will if you come and spend the day out in the field with me, rather than all this through the screen stuff.

He did it, his mum brought him at 5am to spend the day at @Bempton_Cliffs with me.. I used his little vlog camera to make him a video that he can share.

He is a little legend, with a foot ailment that made it difficult to walk or stand for long, with a true passion for photography and determination to spend the day with me, it was unreal.

He also had his dad’s old camera with manual focus and none of the gimmicks we all have in our silly cameras .

All these photos are his.
#wildlifephotography

[What Makes the Difference CIC @MakesCic]

@MarkOrmrod Every pay chack is a kings ransom.

[Katie Lam @Katie_Lam_MP]

The Government want to restart prosecutions of British veterans who served in Northern Ireland.

They say that we have to, because of the ECHR.

But if the ECHR means that we have to drag our veterans through the courts, what better argument can there be for leaving?

[Brian Wood MC @BrianWoodMC]

22 years ago today The Battle of Danny Boy.

What began as an ambush in Iraq became over 3 hours of brutal fighting ending in hand-to-hand combat.

To the men beside me that day — your courage and determination will stay with me forever.

Hermer & Shiner couldn’t lace are boots!

[What Makes the Difference CIC @MakesCic]

@rossthedonn Class

[What Makes the Difference CIC @MakesCic]

@Magnus_9_IOI @k1rallik Batman isn't a superhero. He has no superpowers.