True Blue Conversations - Damien Silva - Distinguished Service Medal - Australian Army Combat Medic

On this special episode of True Blue Conversations, we sit down with Australian
Army Combat Medic veteran and Distinguished Service Medal recipient Damien
Silva. This man has faced some of the most confronting moments of Australia's war
in Afghanistan.From the chaos of the battlefield to the split-second decisions that mean life or
death, Damien opens up about serving as a combat medic alongside some of
Australia's elite soldiers. He reflects on the night in 2009 when he fought to save
Mason Edwards from the 2nd Commando Regiment after he was critically wounded
in an MRE pre-deployment in Cultana, South Australia — a moment that would stay
with him forever.

Damien also takes us inside one of the darkest chapters of the Afghanistan war: the
2010 Black Hawk helicopter crash that claimed the lives of three Australian soldiers
and seriously injured many others. He speaks candidly about treating the fallen, the
emotional toll carried by medics, and the burden of being the person trying to hold
everything together when tragedy strikes.

This is a raw and powerful conversation about service, sacrifice, trauma, mateship,
and what happens after the battlefield goes quiet. It's the story of a man who stood
shoulder to shoulder with Australia's finest in their darkest hours — and carried those
memories home and found purpose long after the dust settles from the battlefields.
This is raw; it's in your face and a must-listen for all veterans and first responders.

This is True Blue Conversations, honouring those who serve and remembering those
who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, LEST WE FORGET.

Presenter: Adam Blum
Guest: Damien Silva
Editor: Kyle Watkins