Attack State Red by Col Richard Kemp & Chris Hughes
Attack State Red by Col Richard Kemp & Chris Hughes
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By Tom Powell. |  |
Sunday, 25, Oct 2009 02:28
Michael Joseph, out now.
In a nutshell...
A blow-by-blow account of the Royal Anglian Regiment serving in Afghanistan.
What's it all about?
This book is an account of the experiences of British soldiers fighting the Taliban in south Afghanistan, described by the insert as a 21st century Band of Brothers. The stories contained within its sleeves trace the experiences of the soldiers fighting in the Sangin Valley
Who's it by?
Attack State Red was penned by Colonel Richard Kemp, a former Commanding Officer of the First Battalion and COBRA, as well as having worked on the UK government's Joint Intelligence Committee. He is the highest-ranking officer to write about the conflict in Afghanistan.
It was co-authored by Chris Hughes, the Daily Mirror's security correspondent.
As an example...
The book opens with: "Sergeant Larry Holmes was exposed, isolated and alone. He knew he would soon be dead. But the intense, numbing fear he couldn't shake off was tempered by a deep feeling of frustration. He was a tough, aggressive infantryman and he wanted to hit back at his attackers - shoot them with his rifle, blow them apart with his grenades, get up close and thrust his bayonet into them."
What the others say
"This inspiring book, like the characters in it, is full of hope, courage and optimism. It is also a much-needed antidote to the scenes being played out week after week on our television screens of flag-draped coffins arriving at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire." - Daily Express
So is it any good?
I am sure this will act as the perfect stocking filler for men hoping to get an adrenaline kick from reading the pumped, aggressive and high-intensity narrative of this tome.
The name of the book itself gives a clue to its contents. Attack State Red is a term meaning an explosive entry on attack, no holds barred, throwing grenades and firing guns. This is an accurate description of the onslaught the readers are faced with when opening the book. There is no gentle introduction, no build-up - you are thrown right in. I felt as confused, bewildered and harassed as soldiers must feel when they are thrown head-first into unfamiliar terrain, facing an enemy they cannot fathom.
Readers are taken into the thick of the action and there is no time for wimps in this fast-paced page-turner that takes no prisoners. Coming up for air is a relief when you realise you're not stuck in a trench having bullets shot at you from every-which-way, but are actually sat in the comfort of your living room.
While based on true events and the interviews of over 300 soldiers, this book reads like fiction - you can imagine it having been written by Andy McNab. It is full of suspense, gore and the love that can develop between brothers in arms. But, while it often sounds exaggerated and sensationalised, readers are reminded, by the brutal accounts and sometimes-shocking photographs, that these are real people and their real and very terrifying experiences.
In this way, it offers a much-needed insight into the fires that rage many miles away on our behalf and it will hopefully open people's eyes to the consequences of the UK's foreign policy for those that fight for it.
Their bravery is unquestionable and it will join the ranks of much of the pro-army material coming to the surface at a time when we are being reminded these men and women are under-resourced and perhaps under-appreciated.
There is an agenda here though. While we are reminded that our boys are often teenagers fighting toe to toe against "hardcore Al Qaeda and Taliban warriors", we might forget that there are teenagers on the other side too.
What it makes me wonder is what are teenagers doing on a battlefield in the first place and what on earth are they really fighting for?
6/10
Zephie Begolo