Broad, Dean

Dean Broad was born May 28, 1966 in Birmingham, England. He grew up in a working class neighbourhood there, attending school and doing all the normal things for a teenage boy in the 1970s – including getting in trouble on the odd occasion.  Dean recalls that school wasn’t his favourite, and he also recalls the trucks he got to drive alongside his father. Dean left school at 16 and went to work, but when the chance came he opted for the military.  It was a tradition that existed within the family, with his grandparents and great-grandparents playing roles in the two world wars. Dean went through the selection process, replete with written and physical tests, and his goal was the Royal Corps of Transport, where he knew he could get a trucker’s license. Dean offers a great step-by-step analysis of the recruitment and initial training process as the boys and men were turned into soldiers.  Dean’s deployments included a stint in Iraq, where he was attached to the Royal Engineers.  He recalls that they were following the advancing troops and dealing with the difficult realities left behind.  The time in Iraq was followed by Northern Ireland, another difficult time where Dean remembers that it wasn’t always clear who the enemy was. He was also deployed in the Second Gulf War, this time with the Royal Logistics Corps. Service with the Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiation and Nuclear Regiment also fit into this part of Dean’s career. Dean returned from that deployment – memorably. He went on to learn to deal with the realities of what he had experienced – and the consequent PTSD. Over time he adjusted and adapted to his new, civilian life, with his family helping him to get there.  Dean Broad was interviewed by Scott Masters and Global Veterans’ Stories Zach Dunn at his home in Cambridge, Ontario in May 2026.