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Product Description
Product Description
Doug Beattie was due to retire from the British Army in 2007, until his CO made a desperate plea: stay on for just one more tour. In March 2008 he returned to Afghanistan. But 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, bringing the chaos and ferocity of the war to lfe with the utmost honesty and humanity. Gripping and moving in equal measure, this searing and personal account from the author of An Ordinary Soldier is a war memoir of the highest possible calibre.
About the Author
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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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
With his second book, Doug Beattie once more captures the vivid details of life in combat. An innate honesty, compassion and humility underscore the many compelling descriptions of the horrendous circumstances in which he and his soldiers find themselves. As a commentary on the British Soldier you will be hard pressed to read something more current and relevant. To his credit, he does not try to solve Afghanistan's many crises, nor justify the Coalition's presence in that troubled land. This is simply a captivating account of a soldier's last operational tour, his last chance to serve his Regiment and pass on his hard fought knowledge to a younger generation.
If you are joining the Army, going to Afghanistan, or know somebody who has this book will give you some understanding of the everyday reality for some of those deployed on the ground and the often harrowing situations that arise. Besides the heart-pounding action are the sometimes visceral descriptions of casualties that so often pass as a brief by-line on a news bulletin or banded around the media as another statistic. His sensitive recollection of these events are both testimony to the man's character and the unpredictable horrors that confront our servicemen and women on today's battlefield.
In short, an epic book written by someone who is as far from an Ordinary Soldier as I can imagine.
If you are joining the Army, going to Afghanistan, or know somebody who has this book will give you some understanding of the everyday reality for some of those deployed on the ground and the often harrowing situations that arise. Besides the heart-pounding action are the sometimes visceral descriptions of casualties that so often pass as a brief by-line on a news bulletin or banded around the media as another statistic. His sensitive recollection of these events are both testimony to the man's character and the unpredictable horrors that confront our servicemen and women on today's battlefield.
In short, an epic book written by someone who is as far from an Ordinary Soldier as I can imagine.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Couldn't put the book down, absolute amazing.
Currently working in the Upper Gershk area and amazing how little has changed!
Currently working in the Upper Gershk area and amazing how little has changed!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Really well-written, with a nice line in laconic humour (when some office-based soldier comes out on patrol and has to use his gun: It's in the job description. etc). The book crescendos with some stunning combat descriptions near the end. The thing that will stay with me most, though, is where Beattie/Gomm take the reader through what exactly an IED does to the soldier who steps on it. Talk about harrowing.
It's also one of the rare moments when Beattie's anger really shows (except several times with the cowardly Afghan National Army). I guess that's his personality, but I felt the story could have done with more of a "villain" when there was such an embarrassment of riches: the idiot planners on the British side, the ANA, the Taliban.
But then giving more of an outsider's or observer's view clearly wasn't the brief Beattie/Gomm set themselves, and there are already several good high-level, broad-brush books by the likes of Patrick Bishop and Stuart Tootal.
And by giving such an insider's view, TFH does highlight the double insanity of the whole project: a) plonking down a few soldiers in the middle of a seriously hostile well-armed country with no hope in hell of winning the war in any sense of the word that we'd recognise, and b) Beattie going back to Afghanistan at all.
Why would he? Why did he? Read it and find out.
It's also one of the rare moments when Beattie's anger really shows (except several times with the cowardly Afghan National Army). I guess that's his personality, but I felt the story could have done with more of a "villain" when there was such an embarrassment of riches: the idiot planners on the British side, the ANA, the Taliban.
But then giving more of an outsider's or observer's view clearly wasn't the brief Beattie/Gomm set themselves, and there are already several good high-level, broad-brush books by the likes of Patrick Bishop and Stuart Tootal.
And by giving such an insider's view, TFH does highlight the double insanity of the whole project: a) plonking down a few soldiers in the middle of a seriously hostile well-armed country with no hope in hell of winning the war in any sense of the word that we'd recognise, and b) Beattie going back to Afghanistan at all.
Why would he? Why did he? Read it and find out.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
True Life Account of the Front Line in Afghanistan
Account of a soldier on the front line in Afghanistan. Fairly horrific accounts of the fighting, punctuated by moments of humour. Would recommend if you like books on the military
Published 7 days ago by Half Man, Half Book
Excellent!
Task Force Hellmand is an excellent account of life on the Aghanistan frontline. Doug Beattie brings to life some of the horrors of the Aghan war & he does this in an informative,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Niamh
Classic - A real tale
A great read and one that shows thats, whatever has been said in the past, our Political "elite" are not doing all they can to provide our troops with whatever they need. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. C. T. Territt
Task force Helmand
A great insight into the tough job going on, training Afghan forces as well as staying alive day in day out.
A superb read.
A superb read.
Published 15 months ago by pabest34
Excellent service
The book is as new, as described and priced very reasonably. Delivery was fast. Happy customer.
Published on 3 May 2010 by I. Bruntnell
Half and half
the title suggested a broader view of the conflict however it was very much one mans viewpoint. however that man's viewpoint was very interesting his experiences with the ANA were... Read more
Published on 1 Mar 2010 by Mrs. L. Lomas
Thoughtful and
Doug Beattie, with the help of Phil Gomm, has managed to write pacy and heart beat increasing accounts of the day to day combat British forces are engaged in. Read more
Published on 25 Jan 2010 by Mr. Angus P. Walker
Run of the mill
A decent read but sadly all these books coming out on Afghanistan are more or less the same story with different regiments and people.
Published on 24 Jan 2010 by P. Waller
gripping so far
mrs b got me this and a couple of others of the same ilk for xmas, i have only just started it so when i`ve finished i`ll update the review, but so far its a good read... Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2010 by P. barton
Brilliant read!
'An Ordinary Soldier' and 'Task Force Helmand' have given me a brilliant insight into war in Afghanistan. They are books full of tension, humanity and humour. Read more
Published on 27 Dec 2009 by I. McMahon
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