Task Force Helmand: A Soldier's Story of Life, Death and Combat on the Afghan Front Line

by Doug Beattie

In 2006 Doug Beattie of 1st Battalion Royal Irish Regiment was awarded the Military Cross for his part in recapturing the town of Garmsir from the Taliban. He was due to retire from the Army in 2007, but that was before his CO made a desperate stay and do just one more tour. This is Beattie's story of that one final tour.

Genres: Military Fiction, History, War, Nonfiction, Military History, Biography

368 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come...

[Oceana2602 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having like "An Ordinay Soldier" as much as I did, it was no question that I also wanted to read Beattie's second book about his second (and last) tour in Afghanistan. And I wasn't disappointed.

Beattie, once again, excels at finding and describing humanity inbetween all the horror and death. And I don't mean that in a seeing-the-flower-in-the-garbage kind of way. I mean the way he describes the situations he finds himself in and the people he meets, his thoughts and feelings in the light of the daily violence, the killing, the regret and sorrow at facing hurt children and the wrong, but undeniable thrill at killing the people who are trying to kill you.

I'd recommend this book as much as I recommended his first one. They are definitely both worth reading.

[Malcolm Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping, terrifying, honest, brutal: those are the first words that come to mind having finished this account of combat in Afghanistan in 2008. This narrative seemed all the more real to me, not because I've experienced anything remotely close to what Beattie recounts, but because I once knew some of these characters, especially the author. As a result, when I read each chapter's story of a particular contact, I could almost hear the voices and the accents of men I was once lucky enough to serve with. So that disclaimer aside, and having read a few first person accounts of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I can honestly say that Task Force Helmand is the most raw, unputdownable, heart-rending account that I can think of that describes infantry operations in Afghanistan of this century. Take for example the short chapter 'Killed in Action' that juxtaposes the dispassionate announcement of a soldier's death by a TV newsreader, sandwiched between economic headlines and the football results with the appalling reality of how that death occurred on the ground. I challenge any reader with a shred of humanity not to read it without feeling physically ill. I can hope that the scars - seen and unseen - that must have resulted from the actions Beattie describes have healed. Instinct suggests that is an overly-optimistic hope. Easy to read in one sense (the sense that keeps you turning pages) but extremely difficult in another, this account should be required reading for those who make the decisions to send our soldiers to war, for kids who think that combat is just like a video-game, for the Generals who fight for the money to buy the kit to protect the troops on the ground and help them win the fight, to the wives and partners who can't understand why the person who has come home has changed so irrevocably.

[Mark Speed · Rating 5 out of 5]

What marks this book out as different to one or two others from the Afghan war is that the author is a late entry officer - i.e. he's come up through the ranks, so he was a seasoned soldier with a couple of decades of experience. The fighting this man and his team faced was brutal, and it's a testament to their bravery and professionalism that they inflicted massively more losses on the Taliban than they received. In retrospect, it's sad to see that it was obvious the countryside (not Kabul) was never going to welcome a society based on education and equality, rather than one based on tribalism and tradition.

[Tim Corke · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always humbling to read these military accounts - aside from a general interest they are important to inform those not aware of the horror and terrifying front line stories.

Beattie’s account doesn’t hold back - it challenges the command, it questions the war itself - and brings the war in Afghanistan to life, with all the death and wasted life and deep resolve of the soldiers of the British Army.

[Jamie Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the true battles fought by a small group of soldiers. Outstanding!!!

[T.S. Flynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Previously the RSM of 1 Royal Irish, he then went on to become a LEO and return to his regiment. On the verge of retirement he gets persuaded by his CO to deploy to Afghanistan as a Company Commander for one last operational tour.
The books follows the role of the group he's assigned to as the work as mentors to the Afghan National Army.
Expecially focussing on the disparity between solfiers serving as UK troops and those serving as guides for the ANA - how the first get practicaly all the resources they want and the second get practically forgotten (and none of the resources they ask for).
An interesting account of front line soldiers in modern-day conflict where the front line is not obvious and where the job is not necessarily the one you've been professionally prepared for.

[Smoko · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great insight into the war in Afghanistan!!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Account of a soldier on the front line in Afghanistan. Fairly horrific accounts of the fighting, punctuated by moments of humour. Would recommend if you like books on the military