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An Ordinary Soldier: Afghanistan: A Ferocious Enemy. A Bloody Conflict. One Man's Impossible Mission (Hardcover)

by Doug Beattie (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
RRP: £17.99
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; First Edition edition (6 Oct 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1847373763
  • ISBN-13: 978-1847373762
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 18,833 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

A riveting read...One of the strengths of the book is Beattie's description of working with the Afghans
--The Sunday Times, October 26,2008


Product Description

On 11th September 2006 - exactly five years after the attacks on the Twin Towers - a modern day Rorke's Drift was played out in the town of Garmsir, known as the Taliban gateway to Helmand Province. 40-year-old Capt. Doug Beattie of the 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment was charged with the mission to help retake Garmsir from the Taliban. His commanders said it would take two days; it actually took two weeks of exhausting, bloody conflict in which at times he would be one of only three men up against a ferocious enemy in impossible conditions. His wife thought he had taken a desk job - instead he was leading from the front, fighting for his life, trying to stand firm against an overwhelming onslaught. For his repeated bravery Doug Beattie was decorated with the Military Cross. This thrilling, modern war story is alternately shocking, thoughtful, even humorous, but always unflinchingly candid. Beattie never shrinks from portraying the horrors of war and his role in them, but the maturity of voice and heartfelt honesty sets this book apart from other military memoirs.A N ORDINARY SOLDIER offers an extraordinary insight into the mission in Afghanistan and, crucially, the relationship between British troops and the Afghans they serve alongside. Above all, it's Beattie's personal story of being what he modestly calls 'an ordinary soldier' - someone who balances being a loving father and husband with that of fighting in the world's most hostile place. It demands to be read.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling account of the Afghan conflict., 7 Oct 2008
By Peter A. Colwill (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
If I had to list my top ten war books this would be up there. Well written with well documented facts and accounts of fierce fighting that rate as one of the best ever written from this conflict. Certainly as good as Sniper one and eight lives down from the Iraq war this will find a place onto many book shelves to be read and reread.
Like so many war books this is not for the faint hearted.
I have just been told that Doug Beattie has cancelled his book signing date with waterstones in Colchester due to the numbers of soldiers coming back wounded and says he will show them some respect.
This should truly deserve our respect for them and for Doug.
Just for them....read this book. It will give all a true reflection of our boys, their commitment to the cause and why we should all respect that.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Candid, honest and an awe-inspiring story, 9 Oct 2008
By S. Roy (Luton) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Superb insider's account of life in the UK military inside Afghanistan that tells it how it is from a soldier's perspective - and ignore the modesty in the title - for truly this is no ordinary soldier but a heroic one. Written with a mature viewpoint that avoids cliche and sensationalism, this is a book that educates, informs, and brings home the reality of war in a way not often available in other media.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but not excellent, 26 Jul 2009
By A. Read - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: An Ordinary Soldier: Afghanistan: A Ferocious Enemy. A Bloody Conflict. One Man's Impossible Mission (Paperback)
Obviously Beattie's bravery or that of his colleagues is not in question here, and I certainly didn't put this book down in a hurry but I don't think it was written quite as well as other personal accounts of war that I have read. Whilst it remains a fascinating book, I frequently got a bit confused as to what was going on. There is a map of the area at the front of the book, and this helped a little but I think it could have been a little clearer - and perhaps there could have been maps specific to each day throughout the book?

Other than that, it's a good book, very readable and the kind of story that will stick around in your head. Personally, I just don't think it was quite as excellent as other reviewers do.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An Ordinary Soldier
A vivid, moving and unusual tale of professional soldiering and human understanding. It can help us to understand a little more about the trials and anxieties of the Afghanistan... Read more
Published 16 days ago by A. M. Jones

4.0 out of 5 stars If you enjoyed Ross Kemp's adventures, you will like this
I gave this book to my husband for holiday reading material, and he finished it in a few days (which is rather good actually). Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Pridham

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating account of one man's tour in Afghanistan
I could not put this book down His experiences at times were quite horrific as were the rest of his platoon. Read more
Published 2 months ago by carol carlo

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful insight into a chaotic war effort
A pithy, very moving and evocative account. A thought provoking explanation of how British troops are expected to operate in conjunction with local forces and those from around... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Antonia

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good,honest book
If you're after an action packed , honest, belter of a book from a guy on the ground in Afghanistan then get this book. Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. Tate

4.0 out of 5 stars An Extremely Good Read
I've never read this sort of thing before, but Doug Beattie had me hooked from the first page. Very well written. Made me feel like I was in the thick of it with him.
Published 2 months ago by Ms. J. C. Caswell

3.0 out of 5 stars An Ordinary Soldier
I dont know about him being an ordinary soldier, but it was certainly an ordinary read. For some reason i never fully got into the book, maybe it was the washing over of many of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by D. Summerfield

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm going to play devils advocate here...
I'm sure the man is a hero to a lot of people. He went up through the ranks and was commissioned Captain in his 40s. Read more
Published 7 months ago by P. Andrews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent account of the war in Afghanistan
A very real and candid account of the war in Afghanistan from a career soldier who has risen from the ranks. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ronnie Rosbotham

5.0 out of 5 stars This book stands tall amongst others in its genre
This is a great book. It tells the true story of how a handful of British troops assisted a larger group of Afghan soldiers and policemen to take an isolated Helmand town from the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Thomas Quinton

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