I don't know nola, and can't really comment in his particular case, but I think many people would be surprised at just how many and varied the opportunities are that life throws at some people within a relatively short space of time.
As to the specific life choices he has made, those are his own, and I would say they are remarkably typical amongst people with his back ground. I have several former instructors who are ex-SF, elite infantry, bodyguards etc, who have been to extraordinary places, developed real competence in a remarkable number of things, and who ultimately have settled for a life making much less money than they could with their skills. These are guys who have made major bucks running close protection gigs for huge global companies in the various hot-spots current and past. Their stories are incredible, and they've been shot, stabbed, blown up, fragged, and all the rest of it. In the end though, after varying amounts of time, they've all wanted just to settle down to a quieter life, with some property, some friends, travel on their own terms, good food and a predictable schedule. They have left hundreds of thousands of pounds on the table to do so. Many of the sorts of opportunities and accomplishments/qualifications nola mentions are similar to those my mentors have themselves, and many of them follow on fairly naturally from them. (For example, many UK Para Reg guys join the Legion specifically to go do crazy stuff).
There may be some artistic license involved in nola's post, I don't know, and perhaps even a few modifications to preserve anonymity, but I found it an enjoyable and informative read with an overall ring of truthfulness and experience in all the details that mattered.
As to the specific life choices he has made, those are his own, and I would say they are remarkably typical amongst people with his back ground. I have several former instructors who are ex-SF, elite infantry, bodyguards etc, who have been to extraordinary places, developed real competence in a remarkable number of things, and who ultimately have settled for a life making much less money than they could with their skills. These are guys who have made major bucks running close protection gigs for huge global companies in the various hot-spots current and past. Their stories are incredible, and they've been shot, stabbed, blown up, fragged, and all the rest of it. In the end though, after varying amounts of time, they've all wanted just to settle down to a quieter life, with some property, some friends, travel on their own terms, good food and a predictable schedule. They have left hundreds of thousands of pounds on the table to do so. Many of the sorts of opportunities and accomplishments/qualifications nola mentions are similar to those my mentors have themselves, and many of them follow on fairly naturally from them. (For example, many UK Para Reg guys join the Legion specifically to go do crazy stuff).
There may be some artistic license involved in nola's post, I don't know, and perhaps even a few modifications to preserve anonymity, but I found it an enjoyable and informative read with an overall ring of truthfulness and experience in all the details that mattered.