Meet Dave Lassam

Dave Lassam joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1978 as a recruit medic and went on to serve nearly 39 years in uniform. Rising from medical sailor to Medical Administration Officer, he built a career defined by leadership, courage, and calm under pressure.

He has revived heart attack victims, been first on scene at car accidents, served aboard HMAS Melbourne during the rescue of 99 Vietnamese refugees, and led medical teams through some of Australias most critical operations - including the evacuation of Australians following the Bali Bombings. He also commanded an Australian medical contingent aboard the US Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy during its first humanitarian deployment to Southeast Asia.

Dave Lassam Lieutenant Commander, RAN (Ret)

Behind the medals and missions lies a personal battle. Diagnosed with PTSD and prostate cancer, Dave was forced to retire in 2016 due to ill health.

Written at the urging of friends and shaped by decades of service, this memoir is a powerful account of duty, resilience, and survival -on the frontlines of crisis and within the quiet battles that follow.