Summary of Andrew J. Balaam's Bush War Operator

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview:

#1 The heat in the Rhodesian desert was intense. It was not long before all the feeling in your arms was lost as the straps bit deep into your shoulder muscles, cutting off the blood supply.

#2 The patrol leader and several other sergeants were hunched over the map, trying to find water. It was getting dark, and we were making one last attempt to find water before it got too dark to continue.

#3 We were lost in the hottest, driest country in Rhodesia. We had no water, no radio communication with headquarters, and we had no idea where we were. We had arrived at the trees en masse, like a bunch of drunks, hope written over our blistered faces.

#4 I had lost all sense of time and feeling. I was just an animal trying to survive. I was in fact a lot better off than many of my comrades, who had lapsed into a semi-coma.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669379065

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on Andrew J. Balaam's Bush War Operator

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The heat in the Rhodesian desert was intense. It was not long before all the feeling in your arms was lost as the straps bit deep into your shoulder muscles, cutting off the blood supply.

#2

The patrol leader and several other sergeants were hunched over the map, trying to find water. It was getting dark, and we were making one last attempt to find water before it got too dark to continue.

#3

We were lost in the hottest, driest country in Rhodesia. We had no water, no radio communication with headquarters, and we had no idea where we were. We had arrived at the trees en masse, like a bunch of drunks, hope written over our blistered faces.

#4

I had lost all sense of time and feeling. I was just an animal trying to survive. I was in fact a lot better off than many of my comrades, who had lapsed into a semi-coma.

#5

The Chewore Wilderness Area is famous for its vast herds of buffalo, abundant rhino, lion, leopard, elephant, and most types of African wildlife. It is an untouched area, except for the occasional hunting camp and game ranger’s house.

#6

I was on a patrol with the Rhodesian Special Air Service when we came across a sleeping rhino. I was deciding what to do next when I heard a snoring-like sound coming from the tree under which the rhino was standing. I could not believe my eyes.

#7

The first body I saw was that of my troop sergeant, who had died from a gunshot. The sight of the gaping hole and the blood was all new, and all frightening. The fact that the dead person was my friend did not help.

#8

The hours of darkness passed slowly. A deep silence fell over the camp, broken only by the sobbing of the man involved in the accidental shooting. As the night progressed, the shooter became more and more difficult to control, wanting to kill himself one minute and the next asking his God for forgiveness.

#9

The incident that set the pattern for my career in the Rhodesian army happened in 1972, while I was serving with Support Group RLI. We were training in Shamva when an explosion occurred, and I was thrown to the ground by the