Brothers In Arms
Geraint Jones (Pan MacMillan)
Any military book written by someone who has experienced war first-hand, and especially if that someone were an ordinary soldier, will always have that extra edge to it, along with tons of kudos. Don’t get this writer wrong; there are many great examples of books written by high-ranking officers, but it’s the infantryman, at the bottom of the ranking structure and hierarchy most worth hearing out. He or she is the person on the ground and in the battlefield, whilst high-ranking officers seldom are.
Geraint Jones was an infantryman in the Royal Welsh before he left the army. Full of banter and army terminology (four-letter swear words aplenty), Brothers In Arms has many raw details of what it’s like to be on an operational tour in Afghanistan and Iraq. It then continues onto the damage that war wreaks upon those that serve there. More often than not, whether that be days, weeks, months or years later, it manifests itself as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This book deals with those dark and desperate times either once the conflict is over, or when the army career is, and normal life resumes as a civilian.
Brothers In Arms is not for the faint of heart, but don’t let that put you off. One can hope that the main thing which does put anyone off is the thought of war itself, as it is not like playing a video game. Top marks for this book, from one ex-soldier to another. CARL MARSH
Price: £12. Info: www.panmacmillan.com