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 a small unit up against a ferocious enemy in impossible conditions.For his repeated bravery Doug Beattie was decorated with the Military Cross. AN 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1741 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

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

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 is currently in his final tour of duty in Afghanistan before he retires in autumn 2008. Co-writer Philip Gomm is Westminster Correspondent for ITV News.

Customer Reviews

A compelling account of the Afghan conflict.
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.

Candid, honest and an awe-inspiring story
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.

Good but not excellent
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.