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.