Tuesday 2 September 2008

In Foreign Fields: Heroes of Iraq and Afghanistan in their own words

I haven't read it yet myself but this sounds like a good read.

In Foreign Fields is a compilation of 25 gripping, astonishing and moving interviews with British medal winners from Iraq and Afghanistan.
They charged through ambushes, fought pitched battles which left dozens dead, saved injured comrades and rarely took a backwards step. Now they tell their own stories, in their own words.
Of the interviewees, twenty are soldiers, three are Royal Marines and two are serving with the RAF. One is female. Ten won the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross - the medal just below the Victoria Cross. Others won Military Crosses, one the Distinguished Flying Cross and one the Distinguished Service Order.
The book is not about the politics of either war; it is simply about the experiences of those, on the British side, who found themselves involved. Each 'chapter' begins with a few introductory paragraphs; after that, the medal winners themselves tell their stories, in their own words. They are, collectively, the most impressive group of people I have ever had the pleasure and privilege of meeting. [Dan Collins]