Task Force Helmand: A Soldier's Story of Life, Death and Combat on the Afghan Front Line - Rilegato

Doug Beattie

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9781847376442: Task Force Helmand: A Soldier's Story of Life, Death and Combat on the Afghan Front Line

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 1847376444 ISBN 13: 9781847376442

Casa editrice: Andrews McMeel, 2009

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In 2006 Doug Beattie of 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment was awarded the Military Cross for his part in recapturing the town of Garmsir from the Taliban. He was due to retire from the Army in 2007, but that was before his CO made a desperate plea: stay and do just one more tour. He couldn't turn his back on the men he had helped train, as they set off to play their part in what has been termed an unwinnable war so, in March 2008, he returned to Afghanistan. Within days of landing in Helmand the 42-year-old wondered what he had let himself in for. If 2006 had been hellish, then 2008 was off the scale. For six months Beattie led Afghan and British troops into repeated, exhausting battles with the Taliban. He took part in 50 major contacts and describes in detail the action-packed reality of life and death on the frontline. The chaos and ferocity of the war is brought to life with the utmost honesty and humanity by an exceptional soldier who describes the horror of seeing men and children die in front of him. There are vivid accounts of the chaos and aftermath of suicide attacks at close quarter, of saving lives in impossible conditions and the challenges of mentoring young soldiers and the sometimes wayward Afghan Army. The book offers extraordinary insight into a campaign which is involving ever larger numbers of British service personnel.

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Recensione:

When I arrived at Camp Bastion in the summer of 2006 there were just three names inscribed on its memorial to the lost. By the time I left for home, seven months later, the list of the dead on the cross, crafted out of spent 30mm cannon shells, had lengthened to 19. Since then, space on the memorial has become increasingly hard to find. As I departed Helmand last year for the third time the memorial was well on its way to 400...Someone wiser than me will conclude whether what we have done in Afghanistan has been for the better though, for what it is worth, I take pride in what we have done to build a more stable future for the citizens of this unfortunate country. One thing I know for sure: those who have imperilled their own safety for the benefit of others are the very best our nation has to offer . --The Times

L'autore:

Doug Beattie entered 1 R Irish as 17-year-old. He served as an NCO in Bosnia, an RSM in Iraq, and completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan before retiring from the British Army in autumn 2008. He was awarded the Military Cross in 2006. Co-writer Philip Gomm first met Doug Beattie in Helmand Province in 2006 while working for ITV News.

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