Captain David Blakeley was Second in Command of the elite British military unit the Pathfinders, also known as "The Ghost Platoon". He led the most audacious mission of the Iraq War, commanding a patrol on a mission deep behind enemy lines - subject of the forthcoming book, Pathfinder, to be published by Orion in May 2012. Prior to that he was amongst the first British soldiers operating in Afghanistan post 9/11, working with Afghan Warlords and irregular forces.
At 21 years of age David was promoted to be the youngest Captain in the British Army, going on to serve in Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. He has taught and presented at military seminars, and was chosen as the British Army representative for a series of NATO 'Partnership for Peace' programmes. After a serious injury on a mission behind enemy lines he was told that he would be invalided out of the military, and began the long process of physical rehabilitation at Hedley Court. He left the military in 2006, but not before regaining full use of all his limbs and 100% physical fitness.
Since leaving the military he has worked as a consultant to TV and Film companies. He has also worked on a number of high profile computer games including the latest 'Alien Verses Predator'. He has also fronted a number of masculine advertising campaigns including Harley Davidson. He is attached as the lead presenter to a number of TV format shows in development.
