James O'Connell, born in Merseyside, where he still lives, enlisted in the Parachute Regiment in 1979.
In April 1982, after a posting in Cold War Germany and a tour of Northern Ireland, the call came to take part in the British Task Force to re-capture the Falklands. During the attack on Mount Longdon, James was shot in the face. A bullet passed through his nose, destroying his right eye, cheekbone and front teeth. Though he survived, five years of reconstructive surgery followed, and James left the army in 1985 as a result of his injuries.
Following the conflict, transition to civilian life was a difficult and James suffered from what was likely undiagnosed PTSD. He eventually met and married his wife Maureen, and they have two sons.
Since 2014, James has worked to get posthumous medals and memorials for Sgt Ian McKay and Cpl Stewart McLaughlin, and has travelled to the Falklands several times in order to write this book.