Black Ice: The double amputee who wants people to stop existing and start living
How I Got Here is a new series from BFBS Forces News, focusing on the transition from the military to civvy street. We've spoken to veterans whose military careers have come to an end, either by choice or through a life-altering event. As people who have been there and done that, they offer invaluable advice for those considering leaving or who need some support right now.
Warning: Some of the details in the article and video may be upsetting for some readers.
When Trooper Corie Mapp of the Household Cavalry Regiment woke up in Selly Oak Hospital in February 2010, he didn't know why his boots felt so tight.
Little did he know that two weeks before, on 31 January 2010, he had been in an IED explosion so fierce that it almost ended his life and left him a double amputee.
When asked if he wanted to speak with his wife and sister, in his confused state of mind and thinking he was still in Afghanistan, he responded with: "What the hell are you doing in this s**thole?"
Three years later, he was representing Great Britain at the European Championships in sitting volleyball and is now the reigning overall World Cup and European Champion in Para Bobsleigh, as well as a multiple World Cup and World Championship medallist.
But how did he get here?
Titanium Three-Three
After growing up in Clifton Hall, Barbados, Mr Mapp joined the British Army in 2005, much to his mother's pride.
"My mum said that when I was born, she asked God to make me a man of service", he told BFBS Forces News.
After completing basic training and joining the Household Calvary, Mr Mapp deployed to Afghanistan with 3 Troop, C Squadron in October 2009.
In January 2010, he was traveling in a CVR(T) Scimitar light tank with the callsign Titanium Three-Three and drove over an IED.
The explosion threw him 20 feet away, resulting in him losing both legs below the knee, a broken jaw, a severely injured hand and a punctured lung.
He has no memory of the incident, saying: "The last thing I remember is asking my crew commander if he wanted me to lower my seat so they could traverse the gun."
He woke up a couple of weeks later in Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham.
Against the odds, Mr Mapp took unaided steps on his prosthetic legs within a month, returned to his regiment within two months, was promoted to Lance Corporal and remained in the army until 2013.
However, after returning to Windsor, despite feeling he was fitter than his non-injured colleagues, he was aware his role would have to change due to his injuries.
He felt he had so much to offer the British Army and was disappointed when they assigned him to becoming a tailor.
He said: "The old adage of caging a lion is exactly what I felt."
Support from the military community
When it comes to his transition to civvy street, Mr Mapp speaks with a great deal of gratitude about the opportunities that came his way, including being able to 'cherry pick' job opportunities.
He also benefitted from the support of a captain, who was assigned to support him as he sought to build a life outside the military.
However, when it came to choosing a civilian career, he says he chose poorly.
Like many veterans, he decided to choose a career that would give him that same sense of belonging he felt in the military. However, when talking about this phase of his life, his regret is so severe it looks like it pains him.
He won't reveal who he worked for but, he says, choosing to work there was the "worst decision" he'd ever made.
He said: "It showed me that civilian life is very fickle, it's just really the worst."
It was at this moment that Mr Mapp paused to reconsider what he was saying.
Like the positive person he is, he gathered himself to find a way to encourage others, saying that not everyone will have the same experience as him.
Today, he has found an MOD job where he works with military personnel who are much more encouraging.
He said: "I'm around soldiers and my days are good, you know?
"The guys I work with now, I trust them and I think you've got to be able to trust someone in life outside of your family otherwise it'll be a very miserable existence for you.
At the same time as transitioning into a civilian career, Mr Mapp was also rising up the ranks in the world of sport for injured veterans, and it's this experience, together with finding a more supportive work environment, that has really transformed his post-military life.
Affectionately known on the international bobsleigh circuit as 'Black Ice', he captained the winning team in county championship disabled cricket, competed in sitting-volleyball at the Warrior and Invictus Games and once he was introduced to bobsleigh by Help For Heroes, discovered he was a natural mono-bobsleigh pilot.
Mr Mapp's World Championship victory in February this year made him the first British male to be a bobsleigh World Champion since Tony Nash and Robin Dixon in St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1965.
The veteran is now in the early stages of trying his hand at coaching, having coached at the British Army Bobsleigh novices camp in October.
Men, we need to talk
Mr Mapp is keen for other veterans to find something they're passionate about and to never be afraid to start over.
If something doesn't go your way, try not to see the end result as a failure.
Instead, view it as a chance to learn that you "can rise again from the ashes" just like he did.
He wanted more from life and so he fought hard to complete the goals he set for himself.
You fought valiantly for your country, now it's time to fight for yourself and surround yourself with people who encourage you to strive for more.
This is what Mr Mapp wants for you.
He also wishes men would talk more about their emotional struggles.
He said: "I really desperately want men to feel comfortable enough to talk [and] find someone to talk to.
"Find something to do that that gives you the endorphins that helps you to enjoy your life.
"In life, we will hit bumps, in life, we will hit life-changing circumstances but we don't have to allow those things to define the person we become."
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