This Remembrance Sunday, Fraser Coleman (our Founder) and Scott Cox MVO, our Sergeant Major, stood alongside the Afghanistan Veterans Community in London, united in honour, reflection, and shared experience.
For both, the march carried a significance rooted in lived history. They served together. They went into their first firefight together. To walk side by side again, in remembrance rather than in battle, marked a moment of deep personal meaning.
Last year was the Afghanistan Veterans Community’s first year participating in the Cenotaph Remembrance Sunday Parade, with around sixty veterans and family members marching. This year, seventy-five walked side by side. A clear demonstration of what happens when community is nurtured, supported, and given space to stand together. Their presence represented remembrance, resilience, unity, and the power of shared identity.
Fraser Coleman and Scott Cox MVO, Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial
A Shared Mission
Fraser has been navigating life after service for over a decade. Scott is now on that journey, walking the same road many face when stepping out of uniform. It is a path that can be uncertain at times. Identity shifts. Purpose shifts. The world looks different, even though you remain the same.
The Ops Con was created to support exactly this process. We provide structure, training, professional development, community support, and real opportunities into meaningful careers. No one should have to navigate the transition out of service alone. The discipline, leadership, decision-making, and resilience built in service are assets in the civilian world. Our mission is to ensure they are recognised, understood, and utilised.
BBC coverage of the Remembrance Sunday Parade, AVC march past
The Afghanistan Veterans Community
The Afghanistan Veterans Community (AVC) exists to support those who served in Afghanistan, creating a space where shared experience is understood without explanation. The organisation provides connection, welfare support, remembrance, and a strong peer network for veterans and their families.
Transitioning into civilian life is often challenging. The belonging and camaraderie found in service is not easily replaced. The AVC offers a bridge built on understanding, trust, and shared identity. The AVC works across three central pillars:
Communicate
A digital-first community that connects Afghanistan veterans and signposts support, ensuring voices are heard and experiences are shared.
Commemorate
Representation at national remembrance events, ensuring the Afghanistan campaign and those who served are recognised and remembered.
Educate
Preserving the story of the Afghanistan campaign and its legacy within the national conversation and public understanding.
At The Ops Con, we deeply respect this work. We are proud to stand alongside the AVC, both in remembrance and in continued support.
Learn more: https://www.ukafghanveteranscommunity.org
Fraser, Jonny Ball (AVC Founder), Scott Cox
Our Commitment to the AVC
The Ops Con has pledged to donate 10% of all revenue to the Afghanistan Veterans Community. This directly supports their work in remembrance, welfare, and family support. It is a commitment rooted in respect, shared identity, and the belief that we must continue to look after one another long after deployments end.
When you become a member of The Ops Con, you are not just supporting your own growth and next steps. You are helping lift others in the community too. Your membership makes a difference.
Moving Forward, Together
Remembrance is not only about the past. It is about how we choose to honour those who served, by supporting those who are here now. By building community. By creating opportunity. By ensuring no one carries the weight alone.
We are proud to have marched alongside the Afghanistan Veterans Community this Remembrance Sunday and we will continue to stand with them, work with them, and build with them as we move forward.
By the Community, For the Community.
Fraser Coleman and his wife Alice with their daughter
Support for Veterans and Their Families
If you or someone you know needs support, you are not alone.
Find guidance, services, and organisations here:
Find support for veterans and families: https://www.gov.uk/support-for-veterans