James Jensen (OH 2002)

James Jensen (OH 2002) vividly remembers moments before going into the Year 10 History exam, watching the horror of September 11 unfold on the TV in one of the house rooms. He had always been interested in the ADF but watching these unimaginable attacks, he harboured a deep conviction that he needed to serve his country.

James commenced at the Australian Defence Force Academy and Royal Military College in 2003. He served in the Infantry in Townsville for a few years and held leadership positions while deployed to East Timor and Afghanistan.

However, he had a greater desire for adventure as well as wanting to push himself more. When James joined the Army, a friend gave him a book on the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) which inspired his ambitions to apply for this elite unit. He applied for the SAS in 2010 and successfully passed the selection course. During his 14 years in the unit, James was deployed six more times, including twice more to Afghanistan and Iraq. He filled various roles within the SAS and by the time he left was promoted to Patrol Commander. He thoroughly enjoyed his time in the Regiment, undertaking missions in challenging environments where teamwork was critical.

His most challenging yet rewarding deployment was to Iraq in 2017 in the war against ISIS. He was involved in the capture of Mosul, one of the biggest cities in Iraq. According to James, “it was a very difficult battle and I felt like I was truly helping to liberate a city. The people lived under horrific conditions and were treated incredibly badly.” James also assisted the medics in the casualty area undertaking lifesaving work on Iraqi soldiers and civilians. He is proud to have been involved in a part of history.

Serving in the ADF has been tough on his supportive wife of 5 years, especially when 2 of those years he was deployed. James proposed to his wife, and a week later was informed he was going to Iraq for 7 months the following week. Needless to say, for a short time he wasn’t very popular with her!

James credits Haileybury for his passion for leadership as he was House Captain of Castlefield. He now operates K6 Consulting, running leadership development training for organisations and teams.

Thank you, James, for your outstanding service to our country!