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Out of Action
Out of Action is the sequel to the best-selling One Man's War in the Rhodesian Light Infantry. Part 1, "War," chronicles Chris Cocks' final 16 months of combat in the Rhodesian bush war, as a stick leader in PATU, the Police Anti-Terrorist Unit. It is a time of unbelievable cruelty as the part-time white reservists battle overwhelming odds, without air support and . . . without a future. Part 2, "Peace," recounts the author's painful adjustment to life as a civilian -- a 15-year odyssey in the embryonic state of Zimbabwe. It is an intensely personal journey in which the author pulls no punches as he describes his clumsy attempts to come to terms with the new dispensation of black Africa and himself. It is a ,cri de couer, the story of a young man, brutalized by war, who seeks escape in alcohol and drugs, and who, in the process, causes immeasurable pain and suffering to those around him. These too are the casualties of war. Ultimately, through, it is a story of hope, of a man's triumph over his own demons.
310 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2008
7 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Chris Cocks
7 books7 followersI was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (part of the Federation of Rhodesia & Nyasaland) in 1957. The Federation collapsed in 1963 and Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence (from the UK) in 1965. The country became Rhodesia and the "Bush War" started in 1966—the Chimurenga, or war of liberation, conducted by ZANU / ZANLA (Mugabe) and ZAPU / ZIPRA (Nkomo). I grew up in a land of sunshine clouded by growing war clouds, as colonialism was facing ts death throes.
In 1976 I was conscripted for my national service, and ended up serving 3 years in the Rhodesian Light Infantry. Then 18 months with PATU, the Police Anti-Terrorist Unit. A ceasefire was declared in December 1979 and came to power in the newly independent Zimbabwe in April 1980.
For the next 20 years I drifted, moving eventually to South Africa in 1996. I finally found my place in the world in 1999 when I stumbled into publishing. In 2015 I moved to the UK.
In 1976 I was conscripted for my national service, and ended up serving 3 years in the Rhodesian Light Infantry. Then 18 months with PATU, the Police Anti-Terrorist Unit. A ceasefire was declared in December 1979 and came to power in the newly independent Zimbabwe in April 1980.
For the next 20 years I drifted, moving eventually to South Africa in 1996. I finally found my place in the world in 1999 when I stumbled into publishing. In 2015 I moved to the UK.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 22, 2021
This is Chris Cocks' sequel to Fireforce, and picks up almost immediately after the end of that book. It covers the time from 1979 up to approximately twenty years later, encompassing his adjustment to civilian life, interspersed with semi-military service in the local Police Anti Terrorist Unit (PATU), and the demons he faced along the way as he tries to transition from war veteran to civvy, none of which is helped by the painful transition of Rhodesia to Zimbabwe Rhodesia to Zimbabwe.
The writing is much more polished than Fireforce, although there are many more grey areas in the narrative. Fireforce was essentially a military memoir told by a grunt on the front line, and it was done very well. With Out of Action, the reader is faced with the brutal reality and injustices of the Rhodesian establishment's mentality, and how that was implemented on the ground. Cocks' narrative pulls no punches with his delivery of the events. With Fireforce, you could respect and admire the Rhodesian military prowess and actions, although they could have done with a touche more discipline over their dope use. With Out of Action, the establishment behind the military leaves a sour taste in your mouth, and this hits home even more as Cocks tries to justify what he does and did.
In another time, another place, Cocks would definitely be diagnosed with PTSD. As it was, he was chucked on the scrapheap and left to fend for himself. It was almost inevitable that it would end in tears, many tears.
It is to Cocks' great tribute that he has come out of it still standing, and one can only imagine what successes he would have made of life if a, he hadn't stayed in the RLI after his national service was up, or b, the right support had been there when he did eventually leave the army.
This is an enthralling book, all the more powerful for it being a memoir. It takes you on a journey from one world view to another, in the same way that Born on the Fourth of July did.
The writing is much more polished than Fireforce, although there are many more grey areas in the narrative. Fireforce was essentially a military memoir told by a grunt on the front line, and it was done very well. With Out of Action, the reader is faced with the brutal reality and injustices of the Rhodesian establishment's mentality, and how that was implemented on the ground. Cocks' narrative pulls no punches with his delivery of the events. With Fireforce, you could respect and admire the Rhodesian military prowess and actions, although they could have done with a touche more discipline over their dope use. With Out of Action, the establishment behind the military leaves a sour taste in your mouth, and this hits home even more as Cocks tries to justify what he does and did.
In another time, another place, Cocks would definitely be diagnosed with PTSD. As it was, he was chucked on the scrapheap and left to fend for himself. It was almost inevitable that it would end in tears, many tears.
It is to Cocks' great tribute that he has come out of it still standing, and one can only imagine what successes he would have made of life if a, he hadn't stayed in the RLI after his national service was up, or b, the right support had been there when he did eventually leave the army.
This is an enthralling book, all the more powerful for it being a memoir. It takes you on a journey from one world view to another, in the same way that Born on the Fourth of July did.
June 1, 2024
Well I don’t mind saying this book was a massive disappointment for me. I read the author’s Fire Force and while there were moments he came across as a self absorbed douche it did not detract from an overall excellent book. Alas that was not the case here. Pretty quickly it is established the author is a drunk and a dope fiend who only gives a shit about himself. From shooting and killing his dogs badly (they suffered because he is a dipshit nincompoop), to killing seven black men for being out after “curfew” 20-25 meters from where they were allowed to be. His inability to hold a job or be successful at any line of work (see dope fiend turd) is not even remotely a shock or surprise. His marriage crumbles (good for her getting away from this scumbag). In yet another stunning I am a complete douche revelation, he puts his house and property up as collateral on some hair brained speculation scheme that results in his wife and kids losing their only place to stay. By the end of this whiny autobiographical turd I was rather disappointed the author did not expire along the way. If you are intrigued by self absorbed douche then by all means this is the book for you.
June 18, 2021
Absolutely amazing novel by Chris Cocks. I read Fire Force prior to this and he does a fantastic job of keeping you absorbed and engaged in the story. The beginning is a bit slow but the build up and seemingly arbitrary bored brutality of end war and post war life sucks you in. I can see parallels between then and now. It’s a rarely shown insight into the civilian world in a post war country. There are dozens of intensive novels from the perspective of soldiers fighting a war but this is one of the few novels of the experiences afterward, especially considering it’s from the side that lost.
November 20, 2020
A very real, brutal account of how war can be so damaging. A great insight into the mind of a young soldier facing his demons. I know many men, including my own family members, suffered similar trauma in this awful time.
August 23, 2021
Cocks story part 2
Chris continues his story of life in Rhodesia from the point he leaves the army and becomes a member of the police reserve. Cocks tells it very much as it was the violence the racism and the effect it had on a generation. Well worth a read
Chris continues his story of life in Rhodesia from the point he leaves the army and becomes a member of the police reserve. Cocks tells it very much as it was the violence the racism and the effect it had on a generation. Well worth a read
July 26, 2012
This is a remembrance by a man who clearly has led a difficult life in many respects. Similar to his friend Goss Condon from Fireforce, Cocks proves that he can do many things, but his own demons often get the best of him.
The book chronicles in two parts his final year in combat in Rhodesia. It picks up essentially where Fireforce left off and occupies a majority of the book. He discusses his attempt to transition to civilian life, which is much hampered by his compulsory service with the Police Anti-Terrorist Unit, and the action he saw during that time. The book is written in the same sparse, self-effacing, but eminently readable format as Fireforce and foregos flowery prose or self-pity. It is a frank account of how he struggles to deal with the actions of his military career and the actions he is still expected to commit against the backdrop of a dying regime, as well as his retreat into alcohol and drugs that began during his days with the RLI. As said by others, he sugar coats little and honestly admits some of the horrible things he has done.
The book is interesting in that it also surveys the issues and shortcomings experienced by those assigned to PATU, both in terms of equipment and experienced men, but how they continued to be an effective unit. The authors military experience makes it that much more interesting.
The second part of the book looks at his life following the end of the war and the creation of Zimbabwe. It discusses the difficulties he has finding permanent work, his failing marriage, and his continued bouts with drugs and alcohol. Again, Cocks makes no apologies for his behavior, but nor does he pretend that his decisions were anything other than his own. He relates the tragic endings of some of his fellow RLI "ouens" as well as his own quest to find his true calling in life.
Attached are a number of photos, though a majority are lent to the author from Tom Argyle of the RLI and Denis Croukamp of the RLI/Selous Scouts. They are, in the main, a bit less relevant than the photos included by Cocks in Fireforce, but still telling, and interesting.
My only main issues with this book, is, firstly, the openings to each chapter that jump forward to his time in the hospital in the 1990's before jumping back. It's unclear exactly what is going on with him there throughout most of the book, and even at the end one wonders if it would have been better served as an addition at the end and presented in the same chronological fashion as the rest of the book. Secondly, I could only hope that the book was longer, though at about 300 pages, it's certainly not short either.
Regardless, Out of Action (originally titled "Survival Course") provides a stark example of one man's horrors of war and its profound impact on the rest of his life, his outlook, and his capacities. One has a hard time liking the author at times, but the fact that he has written the words himself make it more powerful and easier to understand him. In the end, the reader is left with certainly a sense of gratitude about their own (perhaps sheltered in comparison) existence and gives them a new or renewed respect for the tribulations that many soldiers fight - even in times of peace.
The book chronicles in two parts his final year in combat in Rhodesia. It picks up essentially where Fireforce left off and occupies a majority of the book. He discusses his attempt to transition to civilian life, which is much hampered by his compulsory service with the Police Anti-Terrorist Unit, and the action he saw during that time. The book is written in the same sparse, self-effacing, but eminently readable format as Fireforce and foregos flowery prose or self-pity. It is a frank account of how he struggles to deal with the actions of his military career and the actions he is still expected to commit against the backdrop of a dying regime, as well as his retreat into alcohol and drugs that began during his days with the RLI. As said by others, he sugar coats little and honestly admits some of the horrible things he has done.
The book is interesting in that it also surveys the issues and shortcomings experienced by those assigned to PATU, both in terms of equipment and experienced men, but how they continued to be an effective unit. The authors military experience makes it that much more interesting.
The second part of the book looks at his life following the end of the war and the creation of Zimbabwe. It discusses the difficulties he has finding permanent work, his failing marriage, and his continued bouts with drugs and alcohol. Again, Cocks makes no apologies for his behavior, but nor does he pretend that his decisions were anything other than his own. He relates the tragic endings of some of his fellow RLI "ouens" as well as his own quest to find his true calling in life.
Attached are a number of photos, though a majority are lent to the author from Tom Argyle of the RLI and Denis Croukamp of the RLI/Selous Scouts. They are, in the main, a bit less relevant than the photos included by Cocks in Fireforce, but still telling, and interesting.
My only main issues with this book, is, firstly, the openings to each chapter that jump forward to his time in the hospital in the 1990's before jumping back. It's unclear exactly what is going on with him there throughout most of the book, and even at the end one wonders if it would have been better served as an addition at the end and presented in the same chronological fashion as the rest of the book. Secondly, I could only hope that the book was longer, though at about 300 pages, it's certainly not short either.
Regardless, Out of Action (originally titled "Survival Course") provides a stark example of one man's horrors of war and its profound impact on the rest of his life, his outlook, and his capacities. One has a hard time liking the author at times, but the fact that he has written the words himself make it more powerful and easier to understand him. In the end, the reader is left with certainly a sense of gratitude about their own (perhaps sheltered in comparison) existence and gives them a new or renewed respect for the tribulations that many soldiers fight - even in times of peace.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews