An Ordinary Soldier: Afghanistan: A ferocious enemy. A bloody conflict. One man's impossible mission

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 1stBattalion 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.

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 completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan before retiring from the British Army in autumn 2008. He was awarded the Military Cross in 2006. Co-writer Philip Gomm first met Doug Beattie in Helmand Province in 2006 while working for ITV News.

Review :
Interview 'It had been a difficult period for Beattie when he spoke to The Bookseller. A 19-year-old soldier in his battalion, whose girlfriend is pregnant, had recently lost a leg after stepping on a landmine. And shortly before the interview, he witnessed a suicide bombing. "Only three days ago, a 15-year-old boy walked just short of our camp and blew himself up," he says. "It's just so futile for a 15-year-old to give his life in that way. The sights and smells...they will never leave you."' The Bookseller 25/7 'His gripping account of the two-week battle is exhilarating, bloody, moving and terrifying. But that's only half of an action-packed career...' News of The World 12/08 'I have no regrets about my Gulf War speech' Colonel Tim Collins reacts to Doug Beattie's comments Sunday Telegraph 19/10 ORDINARY SOLDIER by Doug Beattie 'Captain Doug Beattie of the Royal Irish Regiment is a man who neither minces his words nor flinches from action. "When I was 15 I shot my best mate in the head," starts the second chapter in this compelling memoir of an army life. In the previous two years he had buried his mother, who died of cancer and his favourite uncle, shot dead in a Loyalist feud. But Beattie is not a man who asks for sympathy. Instead, he sought redemption by following his father and two elder brothers into the British Army. His book has drawn controversy for criticising the famous speech by Colonel Tim Collins on the eve of the 2003 war in Iraq...many will not like having it knocked down. By contrast, Beattie says, "like most Ulstermen my language is straight out of the gutter". Yet it is this that makes this memoir such a riveting read...Beattie vividly describes the horror of killing' The Sunday Times 26/10 'Of the battalion of courageous tales to emerge from the Iraq and Afghan conflicts, this extraordinary account by an 'ordinary soldier' is one of the finest' Daily Mail 28/11 'We went there with ministers believing we were going to a country with borders and districts. They didn't fully understand the tribal concept of Afghanistan...[Afghans] don't see borders or boundaries and don't work to centralised government' Interview, Metro, 27/11 'Final Chapter: Veteran soldier Doug Beattie bows out on the battlefield which played host to his Military Cross-winning actions' Interview that the MOD tried to ban, Soldier Magazine Dec issue 'How do you tell your wife you bayoneted another man, or dropped a 500lb bomb on four wounded enemy soldiers, and then expect her to look at you as the same husband and father of two who went away?' Interview, Belfast Newsletter, Dec Issue 'Ambushed' 'After a nine-day battle, Capt Doug Beattie thought the fighting was over. Then he and his squad found themselves surrounded...' Interview, Nuts Magazine 05/01 'The book becomes an hour-by-hour and at times minute-by-minute account of the two weeks fighting in Garmsir alongside the Afghan government forces. It is not a book for the squeamish. From the opening pages -- describing the immediate aftermath of a suicide bomb attack -- onwards, the text is littered like the terrain of a war zone with body parts, spilt blood, violent language, military acronyms and all the stuff of recurring nightmares. Because of the immediacy of the narrative, it gives a remarkably true idea of the confusion and horror of close-quarter fighting. It also illustrates the dependence of ground troops on rapid air support and the difficulty of ensuring the accuracy of this...What singles out the quality and courage of officers such as Beattie is his determination to face whatever risks are involved for himself, rather than let others make fatal mistakes; as he says, "we need to be at the front, at the point of contact". I would not recommend this book to those with loved ones currently serving in Afghanistan. But An Ordinary Solider will not only give an idea, after their safe return, of just what they have been through, but also an insight into the spirit which has made the British Army what it is' Times Literary Supplement 8/5 'Captain Doug Beattie of the Royal Irish Regiment is a man who neither minces his words nor flinches from action. "When I was 15 I shot my best mate in the head," starts the second chapter in this compelling memoir' Sunday Times 17/5 'Moving from the desert into the Green Zone, which straddles the Helmand River, is like a scene from the Wizard Of Oz. The lifeless terrain of the desert (Kansas) giving way to the luscious colour of the Green Zone (Oz). The men fix bayonets, fully aware that the enemy might appear as close as 15 metres away. High levels of humidity and temperatures over 38C mean we tire quickly, so every opportunity is taken to rest. We get a call from intelligence that women and children are seen leaving the area. This is a combat indicator that we are about to be attacked. Appearing from nowhere, the enemy hits us with RPGs and small arms fire' 'Day in the Life of a Soldier', News of the World 19/7