James Francis Truscott was born in Brisbane on 26 May 1956. He is the second, and middle, child of Meta Frances and Allan Truscott. Truscott graduated from the Duntroon Royal Military College in 1977. He served in many different regiments of the Australian Army, including the Special Air Service Regiment. Truscott was a member of the 1988 Australian Bicentennial Everest Expedition. He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his organisation and participation in this expedition. Truscott married Colette Paula Lawless in 1984; the couple had four children between 1986 and 1991. In 2000, Truscott left the Australian Army and and entered business as a crisis management consultant, eventually creating Truscott Crisis Leaders based in Perth, Western Australia. Truscott died suddenly on 28 April 2021, aged 64.