They were like a band of brothers...
In 1983 Andy McNab was assigned to B Squadron, one of the four Sabre Squadrons of the SAS, and within it to Air Troop, otherwise known as SEVEN TROOP.
This is Andy McNab's gripping account of the time he served in the company of a remarkable group of men - from the day, freshly badged, he joined them in the Malayan jungle, to the day, ten years later, that he handed in his sand-coloured beret and started a new life. The links they forged then bound them inextricably together, but the things they saw and did during that time would take them all to breaking point - and some beyond - in the years that were to follow. He who dares doesn't always win…
‘Fantastic. Authentic. Couldn't put it down. The humour is very realistic and disarming and Andy gets right to the nuts of the realities of British Army life. I was pleased he didn't glamorise life in the SAS as a lot of authors writing supposedly factual accounts do, a lot of the 'boredom' aspects (especially in N.I) really get to grips with the reality of soldiering even in the Special Forces.
I was glad he focused on the characters, and the sometimes oddball mix that make up the regiment, and the personal issues they face on their exit, it really humanises what for many are seen as action heroes, but in reality have the same faults and issues as normal guys.
Andy manages to get you right in there alongside him, and tells an engaging tale you really feel interested in. Once I started I couldn't put it down and was reading well into 4am before I finally went to sleep.
This is a first rate SAS factual account, and anyone who is interested in the reality vs the bar room myths of life in the Regiment should definitely read it’. 5★ Amazon review
‘Great book, many real life revelations. I really enjoyed this book, which I would describe as a thorough account of the work of the Regiment and the effects it had on Andy and his comrades.
Having been in the military, (oddly my career started as a boy entrant at RAF Credenhill, where they Regiment are now based)
I can identify with the humour and lifestyle of these guys.
Andy does a good job of hammering home the point that the UK military falls short of the mark in caring for the mental wellbeing of those affected by battlefield trauma and that unlike the US military, it's not really recognised as a problem. The lads are simply expected to sort themselves out or get out.
That obviously needs to change.
Now would be a good time to invest in those with the appropriate skills, who preferably are from outside the uncaring military machine.
I'd say well done on an excellent piece of work’. 5★ Amazon review