Shoot To Kill by: Michael Asher
Publisher: Cassell
Autobiography
After the first book of his that I read this was a bit refreshing. The story is about the military groups he joined up after graduating high-school. No slacker here, he joined the paratroops right from the start. He had his eye on becoming a commissioned officer. Soon, however, his mind set changes and he wants to continue going through the ranks. You follow his training and first mission to Ireland.
Here he gives you a brief histrory of the Irish conflict as he progresses through the story. I remember reading of some of the events that he covers and took a part in. It is not a pretty story and there is nothing noble in its execution. Simply a story of soldiers who were wired to kill and then sent into a civilian area with civilian fighters.
He later joins the SAS and hones his killing skills further. The time of these events was from ’72 onward and I doubt if it covers one decade of his life. The Vietnam war was over for the US but Britain had its hot spots and interests. There was a certain wildness trained into the men and it reflected in their actions. At that time Political Correctness hadn’t yet manifested. It is a stark look at what men can become.
Don’t expect flowery praise and well turned phrases. It is a rough and gritty read. There is no character developement. Just a hodge podge of confusion and pain in a young man’s life. It was a much better read for me than “Get Rommel” but one shouldn’t expect to be entertained in the reading. It is, after a fashion, interesting.
Tags: autobiography, Ireland, military, paratroop, SAS
Thanks for the book report. I wish I had time for reading. That’s reserved for holidays. There’s always been some kind of almost romantic magnetism to joining the military. I’m not sure what the attraction is. Why do we love reading about it and watching movies about it? I guess the reasons differ for each person. A sense of sacrafice, obligation, duty, exploring the world, glory? From speaking to my relatives who have survived war, there is nothing about it that was good, other than the resulting freedom. I would go if there was a direct threat to my country. The problem now with these terrorists is, we’re not sure who or where exacly they are. There are no clear lines of confrontation. The enemy is cloaked within our own boarders. Like the Trojan Horse strategy. It’s a new day.