Mercenary Mum: My Journey from Young Mother to Baghdad Bodyguard by Neryl Joyce Read Free Book Online Page A

fascinated by everything they said. They announced that they were going to start a new MP platoon, which was to be filled with army reserve soldiers. I knew it was for me. From the moment they showed up in their MP vehicles, tactical belts and bright-red berets, I’d known it was for me.
    I begged Corporal Hudson to let me do some on-the-job training with them. He spoke to the MP commander and organised for me to stay with his crew for a few days while they conducted an MP exercise. I was to leave immediately. I packed up my kit in about two minutes flat and carried it over to their vehicle. Sergeant Hanes introduced himself as the MP section commander. He would be the one looking after me while I trained with them. The MPs were keen to have me, as they were always short on staff, and were eager to meet a prospective addition to their new platoon.
    Over the next three days, I learnt about traffic control points, prisoner of war facilities and how to conduct a route reconnaissance. The MPs gave me basic lessons on handcuffing and ASP baton use. I loved every second I had with them. I knew that it was the corps I was destined to join. As a woman in the army at that time, I just wasn’t able to join combat-related corps. However, as an MP, I’d be able to see and do many things that most women in the reserves wouldn’t.
    My mind was made up: I was going to apply for a corps transfer to military police. The dental staff had no choice but to recommend the move. I was going nowhere as a dental assistant. Sergeant Hanes provided a favourable report for the time I’d worked with them in support of my application. Before I knew it, my paperwork was signed off and my interviews and testing for the corps were complete. It was time to kiss my dental service goodbye – the next time I came to Brisbane for my army service, I would be going to the MP training school.
    *
    I returned to Cairns to start a university degree. I got a part-time job at Woolworths and moved into a tiny unit. I loved that little studio apartment and the freedom it afforded me. During my uni breaks, I would fly down to Brisbane for my army reserve training as a member of the MP. I had to work hard to balance the demands of my studies with those of my job, but my life was great. I had everything going for me.
    It’s funny how when you’re on a good run you think things are only going to get better. You don’t stop to think that things can go wrong. Why should you? But it doesn’t take much to derail someone’s life. It could be a car accident, or tripping down the stairs, or a bout of illness. For me, it was falling in love for the very first time.

IT WAS LOVE at first sight. From the moment I saw him I was smitten. His name was Joe. How could I have possibly known that Joe was destined to destroy my soul? I was naive and stupid. There’s no other way of explaining it. I was a young woman with minimal experience with men. The only thing I knew about relationships was what I had learnt from my parents. I always believed the best about people and never once considered that someone might mean me harm.
    Joe was a Maori, and handsome, athletic and funny. He loved his sport and was extremely loyal to his family and friends. Joe had an identical twin brother, Paul, who happened to be gay. They looked completely different: it was hard to believe they were brothers, let alone twins. Paul was well groomed and always looked immaculate. He plucked his eyebrows, sang in drag and had a lovely, kind heart. If he hadn’t been gay, then he definitely would have been the better twin to date!
    Joe and I started living together shortly after we’d started seeing each other. I never actually asked him to; he just sort of moved himself into my flat. Joe worked as a cleaner at a luxury resort. He made beds, cleaned bathrooms and occasionally worked as the pool boy.
    When Joe moved in, I was surprised to learn that he smoked marijuana. Every day after work, he would come home