Greg Bruce was born on All Saints' Day and educated in Adelaide, South Australia. He attended Rose Park Primary School and Norwood High School. He acquired his medical degree from Adelaide University in 1970 and moved to New Zealand for his intern years immediately after graduation.
He remained in New Zealand to train in orthopaedic surgery and completed his last two years of training in the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in London, England. He then returned to an academic position in Sydney, Australia. Later, he moved into private practice.
He was recruited into the Royal Australian Air Force specialist reserve as an orthopaedic surgeon in 1988, and this led to the ten overseas deployments that are the subject of this book. He reached the rank of group captain and retired in 2013.
Honours and awards received during his service include Membership of the Order of Australia (MBE).