Soldier Boys

Road Warriors in Afghanistan

What are you three favourite 3 war movies and why?
1. My favorite is Cockleshell Heroes, a fact-based film made in the 50s about a small section of Royal Marines engaged on 'Operation Frankton'
: a raid on the Harbour at Bordeaux from where the Nazis were effectively controlling the English Channel. This was one of the bravest acts of WW2 and only 2 of the original 12 who actually went up the river returned. 
 

2. Full Metal Jacket is a bit of a cult movie just for the training alone and Gunnery Sergeant Hartman's quotes are legendary.
 

3. The Boys in Company C is one of the less well-known war films about Vietnam and I like it because the Yanks don't actually win in this one. It features R. Lee Ermey as the drill instructor again and it has great humour in adversity. Contrary to popular belief from my soldiers, i'm not old enough to remember the Vietnam war, but these grunts took a right shoeing every day and whether you agree with the war or not, these guys deserve respect.
 


What are you three favourite war books and why?
1. Dont Cry For Me Sgt Major – a massive tribute to the bravery of the soldiers who went to the South Atlantic in 1982, this book, above all others I have read, captures the humour uniquely used by squaddies when in the shit.


2. Having Been a Soldier – this is the autobiography of Lt. Col. Colin (Mad Mitch) Mitchell. He was a soldier and leader of men who took great personal risk and was villified on return from Aden for some of his actions, to the extent that his Battalion was disbanded. A great read and insight into his thoughts.
 

3. Dead Ground (Infiltrating the IRA) by Raymond Gilmour – I picked this book up when i was in Belfast and read it in 2 days. The kind of bravery someone like Gilmour showed cannot possibly be understood by 90% of the population; the punishments that would have been forthcoming had he been caught would scare the shit out of a Honey Badger.



What was your scariest moment as a active soldier?

Probably in the first Gulf War in 1991, when scud missiles started to come in and we had to get our respirators (gas masks) on for the first time for real, only to find when i put it on that my mate Kenny had taken the cannister off the side 'for a laugh' so i was still breathing in the outside air. Good job the Iraqi missiles were about as accurate as Christian Nade.



Name three ways to combat boredom during services?

The thing is, everyone has PSPs, iPods and all sorts of electronic gadgets now, so they can watch films and play games etc. Boredom is not as much of a problem as when I joined up. In those days you read a book or gambled. Squaddies will find new ways to gamble at every opportunity, the loser will have to make the brews or run naked round the desert, that kind of thing. The games can be as simple as thowing stones at a Coke can or Spoof.



What was your principle reason for becoming a soldier?

It was so long ago I can't remember. It was something I always felt that I was drawn to: maybe it's the big kid in me, when everyone else grew up and stopped running about with sticks for guns playing war, I wanted to keep the game up. I don't do so much of the running about bit anymore mind, I do remember watching the Falklands on the telly when i was 15 and going straight to the careers office to try and join up. So maybe it was Maggie's fault...

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