What do you think?
Rate this book
A Time for Courage: and other military stories
A collection of 12 stories created using a wide spectrum of scenarios. Military experiences can be funny, heart-breaking and, everything in between.
This anthology is a blend of my personal experience and knowledge together with specially created pieces to highlight the highs and lows of service life.
These tales can be enjoyed equally by those who have served and, those who have never donned a uniform.
Humour, fact, fiction, and fantasy are used to portray service in theatres as varied as Vietnam, Northern Ireland, Ancient Briton, the Persian Gulf, Africa, and elsewhere.
This anthology is a blend of my personal experience and knowledge together with specially created pieces to highlight the highs and lows of service life.
These tales can be enjoyed equally by those who have served and, those who have never donned a uniform.
Humour, fact, fiction, and fantasy are used to portray service in theatres as varied as Vietnam, Northern Ireland, Ancient Briton, the Persian Gulf, Africa, and elsewhere.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 29, 2016
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 20, 2017
This is a rather lovely collection of short stories from Tom Benson. I have read several of Tom's novels and indeed other short story collections from this author but I have to say. I enjoyed this collection more than the other short stories I have read. I think perhaps it is because this is a man who spent much of his life in military service,clearly proud of that service and it shows on every page. The result is an authentic mix of the sometimes funny, often touching, perhaps no more so for me that in the story Thank's dad, and always enjoyable collection of short stories that I can highly recommend. Short stories are always a challenge for me as I usually feel there is something missing as though the writer is some kind of frustrated novelist. But Tom Benson is an accomplished novelist in his own right and there is no frustration here. Instead what you get is a simply lovely way to spend a day, as I did reading stories of courage that will send you back to look for more books from Tom Benson
December 16, 2017
Of all the short story collections the author has written this is by far and away my favourite. Tom Benson has drawn on both his imagination and his considerable length of service to craft a poignant collection of short stories across a variety of military theatres. Unusually for a short story collection, not a single story here disappointed or fell even slightly below the high standard of every other.
Throughout this collection, Tom Benson has applied meticulous attention to authentic military detail but not to the point of overkill as to confuse the non-military reader. As anyone who has served will know, the army and other services practically speak another language with all the acronyms, slang and other assorted colourful phrases, but the author's clever use of dialogue and context give all the slang and military terminology clear and obvious meaning thus ensuring the non-military is never left confused or wondering at certain words.
The opening story is a real 'lump in the throat' one of courage and self-sacrifice but it is immediately contrasted by the side-splittingly funny satire of the second, one that any military wife (or husband for that matter) will immediately identify with but its razor-sharp humour it cannot help but appeal to all. In the third, the author takes a somewhat personal trip down memory lane in a way that we can all relate to from some time in our lives when we were determined to prove our doubters wrong. Others in the collection highlight much of the military ethos of courage and protecting the weak and vulnerable but still providing the reader with a captivating story, and in the case of Photographic Memory, a real 'punch the air feel good factor. In The Odd Couple we get a glimpse into some of the more covert activities of 'The Toubles,' bringing back painful memories for some of real events that mirror some aspects of the story. Another thing I liked about this collection was its sheer variety; from modern-day Afghanistan and Northern Ireland right back to the 2nd Century, from Jungle warfare to covert missions in the desert, from the sadness of a family torn apart from being on opposite sites to the sort of comradeship that transcends family that can only be formed with those you would die for and they for you. One story that is particularly pertinent to modern times is that of Walking Wounded; with today's modern medicine and better field facilities, many more servicemen and women are surviving the sort of injuries only a few decades ago would have spelt certain death. The downside to this, of course, is that we have a whole generation of soldiers returning from conflicts having to face and cope with life-changing disabilities, and it is easy to understand the increased cases of PTSD in many such people. In the Walking Wounded we see the beginnings of one such man's journey in finding a reason to look to the future with some hope, and with an unusually heart-warming twist too.
In 'The Afterlife' the author once again uses mostly his personal experience to round off the collection, giving the reader some brief comparisons of his life since leaving the army with that of a younger man who has never served and through it we see just why so many ex-servicemen refer to themselves as such rather than simply accepting their post-service 'civilian' status.
Overall, a thoroughly entertaining collection that will not only entertain but give the non-military reader some rare insights into military service. For others, again it will entertain but also bring back memories, some good, others not so maybe, but if nothing else, for me personally they remind me how very much I have to be thankful for still being in a position to read such stories when so many others are not.
Throughout this collection, Tom Benson has applied meticulous attention to authentic military detail but not to the point of overkill as to confuse the non-military reader. As anyone who has served will know, the army and other services practically speak another language with all the acronyms, slang and other assorted colourful phrases, but the author's clever use of dialogue and context give all the slang and military terminology clear and obvious meaning thus ensuring the non-military is never left confused or wondering at certain words.
The opening story is a real 'lump in the throat' one of courage and self-sacrifice but it is immediately contrasted by the side-splittingly funny satire of the second, one that any military wife (or husband for that matter) will immediately identify with but its razor-sharp humour it cannot help but appeal to all. In the third, the author takes a somewhat personal trip down memory lane in a way that we can all relate to from some time in our lives when we were determined to prove our doubters wrong. Others in the collection highlight much of the military ethos of courage and protecting the weak and vulnerable but still providing the reader with a captivating story, and in the case of Photographic Memory, a real 'punch the air feel good factor. In The Odd Couple we get a glimpse into some of the more covert activities of 'The Toubles,' bringing back painful memories for some of real events that mirror some aspects of the story. Another thing I liked about this collection was its sheer variety; from modern-day Afghanistan and Northern Ireland right back to the 2nd Century, from Jungle warfare to covert missions in the desert, from the sadness of a family torn apart from being on opposite sites to the sort of comradeship that transcends family that can only be formed with those you would die for and they for you. One story that is particularly pertinent to modern times is that of Walking Wounded; with today's modern medicine and better field facilities, many more servicemen and women are surviving the sort of injuries only a few decades ago would have spelt certain death. The downside to this, of course, is that we have a whole generation of soldiers returning from conflicts having to face and cope with life-changing disabilities, and it is easy to understand the increased cases of PTSD in many such people. In the Walking Wounded we see the beginnings of one such man's journey in finding a reason to look to the future with some hope, and with an unusually heart-warming twist too.
In 'The Afterlife' the author once again uses mostly his personal experience to round off the collection, giving the reader some brief comparisons of his life since leaving the army with that of a younger man who has never served and through it we see just why so many ex-servicemen refer to themselves as such rather than simply accepting their post-service 'civilian' status.
Overall, a thoroughly entertaining collection that will not only entertain but give the non-military reader some rare insights into military service. For others, again it will entertain but also bring back memories, some good, others not so maybe, but if nothing else, for me personally they remind me how very much I have to be thankful for still being in a position to read such stories when so many others are not.
January 19, 2018
The broad width of Tom Benson’s craft seems endless; here he speaks not only from his own personal experience, but from a variety of military personnel, a beret full of engagements. The reader gets to be immersed in conflicts on an emotional level and indeed we feel the full spectrum, the pathos and the heroism. Some of these stories were soberingly touching, others thrilling, laced with irony and a touch of good barrack room humour, a requisite trait to get through unbearable situations.
A thoroughly enjoyable collection of tales, and I look forward to reading more of Mr Benson's military adventures.
A thoroughly enjoyable collection of tales, and I look forward to reading more of Mr Benson's military adventures.
November 17, 2020
Brilliant read.
What I liked is the way Tom puts his Army service into play in this book of short stories.
One or two of them I would liked to have lasted longer.
But nevertheless a blooming good read which I can highly recommend.
What I liked is the way Tom puts his Army service into play in this book of short stories.
One or two of them I would liked to have lasted longer.
But nevertheless a blooming good read which I can highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews