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Bomber
Tony "Bomber" Bower-Miles was a young sapper in the Australian Army when he first went to Vietnam in the late 1960s. Land mines were one of the biggest threats faced by troops on both sides, and much of Bomber's work involved laying or clearing these terrible devices. He saw mates and colleagues killed and horribly injured around him, in a war that was confusing, terrifying and devastating to everyone that it touched.
He returned to Australia scarred, battered and unable to relate to a peacetime world. Alcohol became his way of escaping, and his life spiralled down into addiction and violence. He could easily have been lost - another vet unable to cope, another grim statistic put down to the tragedy of Vietnam.
But Bomber wasn't ready to let the war beat him after all these years. In 2001, he returned to South East Asia, putting his old skills to work in the dangerous job of clearing the millions of forgotten land mines that litter Cambodia. Starting from scratch, with makeshift equipment, Bomber established the Vietnam Veterans' Mine Clearing Team, an NGO with a difference - as those who fought now help others still suffering the consequences of the conflict.
Bomber is his story. Tough and uncompromising, it reveals the true face of war in all its brutality. But it also tells of redemption and humanity: a tale of real Australian heroism.
He returned to Australia scarred, battered and unable to relate to a peacetime world. Alcohol became his way of escaping, and his life spiralled down into addiction and violence. He could easily have been lost - another vet unable to cope, another grim statistic put down to the tragedy of Vietnam.
But Bomber wasn't ready to let the war beat him after all these years. In 2001, he returned to South East Asia, putting his old skills to work in the dangerous job of clearing the millions of forgotten land mines that litter Cambodia. Starting from scratch, with makeshift equipment, Bomber established the Vietnam Veterans' Mine Clearing Team, an NGO with a difference - as those who fought now help others still suffering the consequences of the conflict.
Bomber is his story. Tough and uncompromising, it reveals the true face of war in all its brutality. But it also tells of redemption and humanity: a tale of real Australian heroism.
- GenresWarMilitary Fiction
207 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 15, 2014
I received this book from a man who was in the Vietnam War, who faced some of what this book touches on and he told me it was an accurate representation of the time and that to me was all the recommendation I needed.
This book is a moving, true account of one man's trials and tribulations at war and back on the home front. It is funny, moving, whitty and will make you cry or want to throw up at least once throughout its pages.
This is definitely one for any history buff or an Australian who wants to learn about more first hand encounters. A great read!
This book is a moving, true account of one man's trials and tribulations at war and back on the home front. It is funny, moving, whitty and will make you cry or want to throw up at least once throughout its pages.
This is definitely one for any history buff or an Australian who wants to learn about more first hand encounters. A great read!
November 28, 2014
It was a ok, it got bogged down in some parts and dragged on but other than that it was good.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews