Books About Being A Young Officer/Officer Cadet

In summer 2006 Helmand Province erupted into violence as NATO forces struggled to crush Taliban strongholds. For six weeks the Royal Irish Regiment and the Paras defended Sangin in the face of ever-mounting attacks. At this point young officer Patrick Bury was learning the trade of the infantry in the Brecon Beacons. Paddy had always wanted to be a soldier - a desire fraught with the contradictions of a complex history overridden by a 'warrior calling'. When he arrived in Afghanistan with 1st Royal Irish, he was surrounded by men oozing bloody combat experience. This was not Sandhurst. It was extreme violence and killing. Hades Four One was his callsign and the infantry mantra rang in his ears: 'To close and kill the enemy, in all weather conditions, in all terrain, by day or night.' Over six months, Paddy and his company dealt with over a hundred IEDs, of which 60 exploded on them, killing his comrades in the most vicious of ways and fuelling a sense of ever-growing dissatisfaction in the young captain. This powerful and thoughful first-hand account about the 'eternal truths of military life' places the reader in Paddy's boots, sharing every thought, ache, smell and taste of life on the frontline in Afghanistan. He describes modern warfare in a way that creates an understanding of the myriad complexities soldiers are faced with, the conditions in which they operate and the moral and emotional challenges they endure.

Local-womanizer wrote: »

Sorry, RIR, some reason I had the marines on my mind!

Jawgap wrote: »

There's "the Unforgiving Minute" by Capt. Craig M. Mullaney. It takes you through his time at West Point, Ranger School, as a Rhodes Scholar in Oxford (talk about the complete opposite of West Point!!) through to his service in Afghanistan.

I found it to be a good read.

There's also "Making the Corps" by Thomas Ricks (him who wrote "Fiasco" and "the Gamble" about Afghanistan and Iraq) - this one follows a platoon of Marines through basic training at boot camp, Parris Island, South Carolina. Good read, but as it was written in the late 1990s, perhaps a little dated now.

"One Bullet Away" is another one that follows an officer (this time a US Marine) through Quantico to Afghanistan - it goes over-the-top sometimes, but another good read.

Finally there's "All In" which is a study of General Petraeus - heavy going in parts, but I found it quite thought provoking.