Spoken From the Front - Real Voices from the Battlefields of Afghanistan

282 Pages·2009·1.18 MB·English

by  Andy McNab

Table of Contents
About the Author
Title
By the Same Author
Title Page
Copyright Page
Prologue
Acknowledgements by Andy McNab
Introduction by Andy McNab
Chapter 1 Introduction: Operation Herrick 4
Chapter 2 Introduction: Operation Herrick 5
Chapter 3 Introduction: Operation Herrick 6
Chapter 4 Introduction: Operation Herrick 7
Chapter 5 Introduction: Operation Herrick 8
Epilogue by Andy McNab
Glossary
Andy McNab joined the infantry as a boy soldier. In 1984 he was 'badged'
as a member of 22 SAS Regiment and was involved in both covert and
overt special operations worldwide. During the Gulf War he commanded
Bravo Two Zero, a patrol that, in the words of his commanding officer, 'will
remain in regimental history for ever'. Awarded both the Distinguished
Conduct Medal (DCM) and Military Medal (MM) during his military
career, McNab was the British Army's most highly decorated serving
soldier when he finally left the SAS in February 1993. He wrote about his
experiences in three books: the phenomenal bestseller Bravo Two Zero,
Immediate Action and Seven Troop.
He is also the author of the bestselling Nick Stone thrillers. Besides his
writing work, he lectures to security and intelligence agencies in both the
USA and UK. He is a patron of the Help for Heroes campaign.
www.andymcnab.co.uk
SPOKEN FROM THE FRONT
www.andymcnab.co.uk
Also by Andy McNab
Non-fiction
BRAVO TWO ZERO
IMMEDIATE ACTION
SEVEN TROOP
Fiction
REMOTE CONTROL
CRISIS FOUR
FIREWALL
LAST LIGHT
LIBERATION DAY
DARK WINTER
DEEP BLACK
AGGRESSOR
RECOIL
CROSSFIRE
BRUTE FORCE
SPOKEN FROM
THE FRONT
Real Voices from the Battlefields
of Afghanistan
Edited by
Andy McNab
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ISBN 9781409091363
Version 1.0
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First published in Great Britain
in 2009 by Bantam Press
an imprint of Transworld Publishers Copyright © Andy McNab 2009
Andy McNab has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
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ISBN: 9781409091363
Version 1.0
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Prologue
April 2008
Ranger Jordan Armstrong, The Royal Irish Regiment
I joined up to go to Afghanistan – just as our boys were starting to go to
Helmand province. I wanted to experience the fighting. I saw it as a
challenge. I knew before signing papers in the careers office that I would go
to Afghanistan. I had seen videos of the boys in Afghanistan. It definitely
looked mad but I still wanted to try it. I always got a nervous feeling just
thinking about it.
We flew to Afghanistan for my first tour on 25 March 2008. I had been
abroad once before – to the South of France for holidays and that was it. We
flew out from [RAF] Brize Norton [in Oxfordshire] to Kandahar. I was
thinking: This is it. I'm going to do whatever I have to do and hopefully I
will come back. I had butterflies when we were on the runway at Brize
Norton. I thought: I have a long six months ahead of me. My first
impression when I arrived in Afghanistan was of the heat and dust – and
how flat it was. It was flat in Camp Bastion. I'm an LMG [light machine-
gun] gunner. That is my weapon. I'm trained to fire it. I was in Corporal
Harwood's section. There were eight of us in it.
April 7 was a bad day. The ANP [Afghan National Police] came back
from a patrol to Sangin DC [District Centre]. We were supposed to go out at
the same time that they came back in – around three [a.m.]. But the FSG
[fire support group] boys were firing off Javelins [anti-tank missiles]. One
got fired and instead of going off into the distance it actually landed in the
camp [Sangin DC]. But it didn't explode so they cordoned it off. This meant
our patrol was delayed. It was good for us because we were then still at the
base to deal with a major incident.