Major Scotty Mills was the highest-ranking black officer in the history of the Royal Marines and served his country for 32 years.
His dedicated and highly decorated service saw him fight in four war zones, spearhead the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and lead the physical training of all 6,500 of the UK’s commandos.
While serving as a Sergeant in 40 Commando, Scotty was tasked with leading a team of Royal Marines in one of the most critical operations of the Iraq war.
It was to take control of the region's oil flow to prevent another ecological disaster like the one caused by Iraqi President and dictator, Saddam Hussein in 1991.
The stakes were high, and Scotty and his men were among the first to set foot on Iraqi soil as part of a coalition force of 330,000 troops.
“It was the only do or die mission I ever did,” he said.
Just before boarding the helicopter that would take them into enemy territory on March 20th 2003, a senior RAF officer approached Scotty and told him that he’d assessed his chances of success at around 20 percent.
“I took this to mean that we had about a 20 percent chance of surviving the day, which wasn’t the greatest news you’d ever have was it,” Scotty continued.
Despite the grim odds, Scotty prepared Charlie Company of 40 Commando for the mission that would play a pivotal role in the success of the coalition's objectives.
They were the first 150 on the ground out of the 330,000 troops from 18 different coalition nations.
"Charlie Company broke down into three troops, three helicopters and there was a troop of Marines in each one along with a small contingent of US Navy Seals and an analyst. “said Scotty.
“The idea was that there were three helicopters with the same configuration that would all fly in together and hopefully we’d have three bites of the cherry and get the analyst to a point where they’d take control of the flow of the oil by plugging a computer in."
“It was a huge operation and imperative that we took control of the flow of the oil.”
“You will remember that back in 1991, Saddam Hussein had set alight to the oil fields and caused an ecological disaster, so this was getting real.
“We closed the troop in, linked arms and stood there together and I said: ‘No-one gets left behind in a sandy shallow grave in Iraq and if one goes down, we all go down.’
“It was one of those moments where we knew that we trusted and we took responsibility for each other and had each other’s back."
As the helicopters touched down 40 Commando were imidiately engaged in ferocious firefights, which started the invasion for the entire Iraq war.
“It was one of those chaotic moments and I only really ever see that in my mind replayed in slow motion, almost feeling like you’re running in jelly,” he said.
“As we went forward we had to clear five potential enemy buildings and the final one was where the analyst got into position, plugged in the computer and took control of the flow of the oil into the northern Arabian Gulf.
“40 Commando Royal Marines were awarded a battle honour that day for the first ever night-time helicopter assault into a foreign land.
“It’s something that I remain so supremely proud of.”
Scotty’s career in the Royal Marines took him to many dangerous places, but his experiences in Iraq remained some of the most defining moments of his life.
Beyond the battlefield, Scotty also trained Gold medal-winning athletes, has broken a World record, has worked with England’s football team, carried the Olympic flag, dined with the queen and in 2018, received the Most Inspiring Serviceman award from his good friend, Gareth Southgate.
Looking back on his journey, Scotty reflects on the path he could have taken had he not joined the Royal Marines.
“As a young person, I was going down the wrong path, making poor decisions,” he said.
But the discipline, purpose, and brotherhood of the Marines changed his life for the better.
Scotty now uses this to help others as a profound performance expert and has since written a book ‘Never Give In.’
It draws on his personal experiences from his remarkable life with advice and insights to provide his 12 Commando Rules for Life that could help anyone do better and reach their targets.
