Product Description

Chris Terrill is a man in search of his limit. He's 55 years old. He is not a soldier. He is being trained by the Royal Marines and he is going to Afghanistan. The only difference is that instead of a gun, Chris will be holding a camera and filming the whole ordeal for a major TV series. The Royal Marines Commando training base in Lympstone Devon, has a famous motto: '99.9 per cent need not apply'. Of those who start training, after a very tough selection process, nearly 50 per cent fail to make it through the most gruelling physical tests of any armed forces in the world in an eight month training regime. The elite who do eventually pass out are generally eighteen years old and at the peak of physical condition.But Chris Terrill is the exception: this book will tell of his heroic struggle to become the oldest man to win the coveted Royal Marines Commando Green Beret and enter the record books. And after six months of hell, what next? Chris will follow the raw recruits on a tour to Southern Afghanistan. He will tell the story in book and film of the fears and hopes of the youngsters as they are plunged into one of the planet's most dangerous wars in the outlaw mountain terrain of Helmand Province. He will tell of ferocious battles against the Taliban, of firefights, of jaw-dropping heroism, British sang froid and humour and tragedy as causalities are suffered - all from the unique perspective of a civilian who has achieved the ultimate accolade: to be accepted as an honorary Royal Marines Commando. "Commando" is a brilliant account of modern war on the front line.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41924 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

The Times
An intimate portrayal of a fierce environment

Daily Mail
An inspiration, to say the least.

From the Inside Flap
Chris Terrill is a man in search of his limit. He's 55 years old. He is not a soldier. He is being trained by the Royal Marines and he is going to Afghanistan. The only difference is that instead of a gun, Chris will be holding a camera and filming the whole ordeal for a major TV series.

The Royal Marines Commando training base in Lympstone Devon, has a famous motto: '99.99% need not apply'. Of those who do apply, a pitifully small section actually survive the six month training regime which involves the
most gruelling physical tests of any armed forces in the world. And the 10% of the recruits who pass out are generally eighteen years old and at the peak of physical condition. But Chris Terrill is the exception: this book will tell of his heroic struggle to become the oldest man to win the coveted Royal Marines Commando Green beret and enter the record books.

And after six months of hell, what next? Chris will follow the raw recruits on a tour to Southern Afghanistan. He will tell the story in book and film of the fears and hopes of the youngsters as they are plunged into one of the planet's most dangerous wars in the outlaw mountain terrain of Helmand Province. He will tell of ferocious battles against the Taliban, of firefights, of jaw-dropping heroism, British sang froid and humour and tragedy as causalities are suffered -- all from the unique perspective of a
civilian who has achieved the ultimate accolade: to be accepted as an honorary Royal
Marines Commando. War Cry is a brilliant account of modern war on the front line.

Customer Reviews

Great book best on the market
I picked up this book after seeing a few of the tv series episodes. I could hardly put the book downand read it in a matter of days. it is probably the best book of it genre on sale at the moment. For a young adult aspiring to be a Royal Marine it was further proff of why i have wanted to join from a child. An amazing insight into the lives and roles of royal marines and what to expect if you were to join.

commando
I recently read this book after watching the tv series, which I loved. As someone who is in the process of joining the Royal Marines this book was a great help as it highlights the standard of fitness required and proves that the training team at Lympstone really do want all recruits to pass the course despite appearing overly harsh-a useful point to remember when suffering in training. The book describes the 32 week commando course in detail and provides a very helpful insight into training especially advising you that Lympstone is just a short, unpleasant ordeal that has to be completed, leading on to a desirable career in the Royal Marines.

Commando
This book was a great read, I never put it down. I'm hopefully joining the Royal Marines next year and it was very interesting to get an idea of what the 32 weeks training is like. In my opinion the book is better than the tv series, which was also very good!