A former Royal Marine from Kingsbridge has been taking part in a fundraiser in aid of the Royal Marines Charity.

Gary Turner spent nearly 12,000 days in uniform as a Royal Marines musician and later a Royal Navy Logistics Officer, serving on operations around the world.

But in 2020, after returning from deployment in the Gulf, his life changed dramatically.

Exhausted and seriously unwell, he was taken to hospital under blue lights and diagnosed with COVID-19.

What followed was years of long COVID, burnout and undiagnosed PTSD that affected not only him, but also the family who supported him through it.

Gary said: “I found myself in hospital exhausted, seriously unwell, and facing the reality that I could no longer carry on.”

Determined to return to normality, he started a new post as Officer Commanding Logistics Operations at RNAS Yeovilton in early January 2021.

Just six weeks after discharge, Gary was responsible for 90 people and three quarters of a billion pounds worth of aircraft stock.

In retrospect, he says, he returned to work too early and spent over a year medically downgraded attending recovery courses at Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) Stanford Hall.

During this time he also started supporting South Western Ambulance Service with the delivery of new ambulances and volunteering as a Community First Responder and Military Co-Responder.

Unfortunately Gary was not recovering and in October 2024 was sent back to DMRC for complex trauma recovery and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).

“My moods were low, my patience short, and frustration often spilled over,” he said.

“For nearly five years, my family had lived with tension and uncertainty.”

“Just weeks before I was due to leave the Service, a decision made because my family and I could no longer cope with the demands of forces life, I received a phone call.

“I was told that because I had handed in my notice, I would not be able to access the recommended EMDR therapy and would instead have to go through Op Courage.

“When I approached the Corps family, everything changed.

Gary says that the Royal Marines Charity did not just listen. They acted.

They funded EMDR therapy for both him and his wife.

To thank them Gary is in the process of completing 11,993 rehabilitation exercises which equals around 150 repetitions every day along with some other larger challenges, finishing at the Mountbatten Festival of Music on Saturday, March 21.

The exercises come from the Stanford Hall programme that began his recovery.

Ending the challenge at the Festival, where he once performed, marks what he calls “a line between service and recovery.”

“This challenge is about giving back and shining a light on the reality that mental injury is often invisible,” he said.

He hopes the fundraiser will ensure veterans and families receive timely support. “When help comes too late, the cost is paid at home. Every contribution helps someone begin to rebuild, "he added.

To support Gary’s challenge visit: https://tinyurl.com/3ccfxnuu