Captain Douglas Ricardo Beattie MC is chiefly known for his exploits as a soldier. "Born in barracks" in 1965, his father was a warrant officer in the Royal Ulster Rifles. The family settled in Portadown when he was 10 following the cessation of his father's regular service but saw Beattie Snr enlist into the Ulster Defence Regiment shortly after. His exploits in Afghanistan earned him the Military Cross and following his return he published the first of two books, An Ordinary Soldier, which became an immediate best seller in the United Kingdom and propelled him into the public eye.