Dusty Wentworth

The Quiet Discipline Behind True Strength I’ve worn the uniform. I’ve stood in that peculiar space where you're expected to be both unyielding and understanding, aggressive and empathetic — sometimes within the same hour. As a former infantry soldier, I learned quickly that emotional control isn’t about suppression. It’s about timing and precision. In a war-fighting phase, the mission demands aggression, obedience, and absolute clarity under fire. Fear must be acknowledged but overruled. Focus must be total. But the battlefield isn’t always about bullets and barricades. Sometimes, it’s about broken buildings and broken trust. In the stabilisation phase, you shift from warrior to mediator. You listen. You calm tensions. You build bridges with people who, days before, may have seen you as the enemy. It requires empathy, restraint, and patience that most civilians never associate with a soldier. Nowhere is this duality clearer than in peacekeeping operations — Bosnia being...