Andy Mcnab
Forum
Pages: 1 ... 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 ... 297
>>By briwriter (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 01:59)
Briwriter i wasn't in F-Troop i was in the normal mundane green army...I can't remember seeing them with pina coladas.... no just warm stims from the choggie shop.... AIB I'll translate that tommorrow, I'm cream crackered at the moment...!!
>>By geo (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 02:04)
i look forward to the translation geo, have a great night
>>By briwriter (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 02:06)
For any interested yanks, there's a special on Discovery Wings channel right now (8pm eastern) on HALO training. First 15 minutes has been good so far.... those of you in later timezones may be able to catch the whole thing.
>>By Majorette (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 02:20)
Sounds brilliant Majorette, wonder when we will get it on discovery wings in the UK... Though the idea of parachuting doesnt thrill me, the older i get.
>>By briwriter (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 02:37)
just had a look on discovety wings theres a programme on tomorrow called freefall warriors, not sure if its the same programme majorette was on about, but its on at 18.00pm
>>By briwriter (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 03:04)
Bloody good show Nem. That was it. By Jove you got it. The fake SAS book was The Nemesis File. Never read it myself. Did you?
Hey Boyo. Just between you and me, a C-130 babe's the optimum roll on/roll off hook-m-up, push-m-out, and drop-m-off flyby beaut. Ask the loadmaster to hook up her stockings or drop her knickers and it shall be done in two shakes of the old slapper's buttocks. That goes for ADC, CDS, and LAPES of man and equipment when need dictates. Ever seen the winch in action?
A real flygirl then Geo, and good and hot on your Charlie Delta Foxtrot Zulus then if you just got your license. I lied through the girlfriend's lipstick smudge. I really got hairy legs and hairy armpits. Reckon that's my happy pill. Smudging the old lipstick. Thinking on it tho, who needs a happy pill with all the happy pill pushers giggling hereabouts. When that is they aren't moulting and sulking about falling out of the sky with clipped wings.
I read Dark winter and thought that was it for Nick Stone. Over and out! Best solution because if Andy McNab goes on writing Nick will get to be too much like a Claude van Damme super character hero.
Ah well some SAS men just don't know how to retire gracefully and curb their tongues.
>>By flygirl (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 03:05)
briwriter-
yep, that's the one: HALO Freefall Warriors. Very interesting program. It actually turned out to be a two-hour special. Makes you realize exactly how hard this stuff is. There was one goldenboy who seemed to get everything right on the first try, but for the most part all the guys had difficulties at first. These were US Spec Ops guys (Green Berets, Rangers, SEALs, Air Force Spec ops, etc).
One thing that struck me- they said one of the differences between a novice and an expert skydiver is that the expert steers with his legs during freefall whereas a novice tries to steer with their (less effective) arms. I seem to remember a similar principle in SCUBA diving where novice divers try to paddle left and right with their hands while experienced divers keep their hands clasped together or by the sides of their legs.
Well, on that random note, I'm turning in for the night. Later!
>>By Majorette (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 04:37)
<<Ah well some SAS men just don't know how to retire gracefully and curb their tongues.>>
Gawd, you said it flygirl. Don't you just hate people like that? They never know when to quit. They just keep going and going and going............ even when they've lost all credibility with their audience. Pathetic, really.
>>By Majorette (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 04:41)
I read Dark winter and thought that was it for Nick Stone. Over and out! Best solution because if Andy McNab goes on writing Nick will get to be too much like a Claude van Damme super character hero.
wow a relevant point at last and a good one i have to agree
>>By Nemesis2842004 (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 10:19)
To Majorette
Because I fly
I laugh more than other men
I look up an see more than
they,
I know how the clouds feel,
What it's like to have the blue in
my lap;
To look down
on birds,
to feel freedom in a thing called
the stick
Who but I
can slice between God's
billowed legs,
and feel then laugh and crash
with His step
Who else has seen the
unlimbed peaks?
The rainbow's secret?
The real reason birds sing?
Because I Fly,
I envy no man on earth,
save another pilot.
Nem. Unlike women we see the pitfalls of super hero figures and false impressions they give on evading death.
>>By flygirl (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 11:35)
Female civilians not in the front line is what I should have writ down. Them that's here and not ex military.
>>By flygirl (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 11:38)
Yawn ...... yadda yadda, must kill Nick .. yadda yadda .. * boring* Yawn, can anyone wake me when the topics are interesting again ? Ta mate ..
Retiring back in her hammock, dreaming of Nick Stone's new adventues
>>By Ninjawoman (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 13:15)
...and going....and going..... and going....
oh! thank you flygirl, that was beautiful. I've actually read that poem before (never with the last line "save another pilot" though, that was new to me. Was that your own personal contribution?)
Personally, I've always been partial to "High Flight" by Magee. It always leaves me welling up:
(excerpt)
"And while with silent lifting mind I've trod the high untrespassed sanctity of space, put out my hand and touched the face of God."
You pilots sure are a lucky lot. No doubt about it.
>>By Majorette (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 17:11)
Hi people,
Been lurking on you guys for some time now, just read one Andy Book up till now, Immediate Action. (borrowed from a friend).
How are his fiction books.
And what do all you girls find so great in his books, or is it more "the man" you're after ?
>>By spiketheprovo (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 17:58)
Okay, Geo, here goes nuffink.... :o)
(...if I'm too far off the mark, consider the source and enjoy the grins!...)
warm stims -- warm alcoholic beverage? (stimulant)
choggie shop -- not very pc, I'll bet! -- an ethnic group? (don't know which one tho)
cream crackered -- a cockney-ism of knackered?
>>By am-i-binned (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 18:16)
Welcome, Spiketheprovo...
In your quiet lurking, I'm guessing our 193 pages have given you a pretty good idea of what most of us think of AM's writing -- regardless of any gender predilection. And if you sought us out on the basis of just one book, I'd say he's had an influence on you as well! :o)
Most seem to think AM is best appreciated when read in publication order. Bravo Two Zero, while published first, is actually in sequence for you if you read it next, followed by Remote Control, Crisis Four, Firewall, Last Light, Liberation Day, Dark Winter, and (come November) Deep Black.
>>By am-i-binned (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 18:30)
AIB: almost there matey.
Stims, I think it comes from stimulant, not sure, but it's not alcohol, bottles of coke, lemonade etc, were sold from little booths around APC (airport camp), sometimes they were ice cold, other times piss warm....
choggie shop, above mentioned booth's and you're correct not very PC. a choggie is usually a coloured gentleman (indian or pakistani usually but in belize it was obviously the locals) running any sort of service shop for squaddies, be that tailoring, snack bar or normal convienient shop.... I've no idea if it comes from the good ol' days of the raj
cream crackered: knackered. cockney slang , so you're correctamundo
Flygirl 'Charlie Delta Foxtrot Zulus ' lost me there I'm afraid, when I said I've just got my license... well i haven't actually got it in my grubby little mits yet....thats how new a pilot I am... I'm waiting for it to be sent to me and not allowed to fly until i've got it, without an instructor that is.... actually I've just had to dash outside cos my instructor's just flown over my house waggling his wings at me... coincidence eh!!
>>By geo (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 19:26)
Forget the previous poster, it is the Man ;-)
Have a warm and happy reading weekend !!
>>By Ninjawoman (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 19:27)
Oh stop it geo ! My sides are splitting ! I like your writing, good humour.
Flygirl - "small world" - don't suppose that stretches to monkey spanking, eh !
Ninjawoman - "domestic goddess" - mmmm ! I like the sound of that !
Everyone appears to be in good spirits, talking of which, I'll be down the pub tonight.
Everyone have a good weekend and don't get too burnt !
Regards,
>>By Reginald (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 20:07)
Spike,
Welcome. Personally, I didn't like Immediate Action as much as the fictions. It was funny and interesting, but I find I need a thread to follow, rather than an arrangement of vignettes. In my opinion, Remote Control, Crisis Four, and Firewall are his best fictions, with Firewall taking first honors.
What do I find so great about his books? Well, I guess it's the raw, gritty nature of the story telling. It's unsanitized and unsterile. The Nick Stone character doesn't pretend to be a goody two shoes who always does the right thing. He's fallible. He's human. He's interesting.
As for the man (Andy McNab), I don't know the guy so I can't really comment. But I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't care who writes the books or the name that appears on them. As long as they continue to hold my interest, I'll continue to read them.
>>By Majorette (Friday, 6 Aug 2004 20:31)
Hi majorette,
i watched the freefall warriors documentry on discovery wings here in the UK tonight... It was fascinating, to see how they train..the fact that even before they attend HALO school, some have to wait years just to make the list, even though they are already in SF....really felt sorry for that ranger who had waited years to get on the course only to be turned away again.
It was interesting how that not only army but also air force and navy personel did the same course even marines.
it was an amazing programme and if any one gets the chance to see it well worth the hour, from reading.....
thanks agian and have a great weekend, and hope everyone is enjoying the summer weather.
>>By briwriter (Saturday, 7 Aug 2004 02:16)
It seems like we have quite the interesting mix in here now with (ex) service(wo)men, from different units in different corners of the world; USA, UK, Norway and Finland (did I leave anyone out?).
The internal rivalry between units has always existed, and always will.
Whoever you ask - whether it's a truckdriver from a logistics company, a loadmaster from a helicopter-squadron, a scout in a reccie squad or a scaley from a signals unit... They will almost always cling to the specific role and uniqueness of their particular unit, and defend it with beak and claws.
It's all a part of creating a sense of belonging and comeradery within a group of people who are doing the same thing.
What I find annoying as hell though, are all the wannabe's that are out there.
In that respect, I've come to produce a set of "guidelines" that should be applied to, and followed - by all service(wo)men:
1. Be a professional.
2. Solve the task you've been given to the best of your abilities.
3. Have a beer afterwards, change into civvies and shut the f**k up about whatever super-cool hot stuff you've done on your operational adventure.
Failing to follow the latter part of point 3, means that you couldn't resist trying to impress people with campfire-stories about what you did in point nr 2. This automatically compromises point nr 1.
You are therefore nothing but a wannabe....
>>By ortlieb (Saturday, 7 Aug 2004 06:22)
Thanks am-i-binned, Majorette and Ninjawoman (wow what a name) for answering.
So B20 it is, just ordered that one and Remote control. Hope it's any good. Now all I have to do is wait for the postman to deliver me those books.
What I find difficult to understand is why AM and other ex-SF members write about their regiment, their training, etc . Shouldn't these Regiments and their Operations, way of training stay as secret as possible. It should be a great Honour to be part of such an elite group, but why shout it out to the world and make money out of it.
As for Immediate ACtion, yes I did like the book that's why I ordered some more. He has that typicall english sense of humour. Gives good descriptions of what one experiences during battle, training, and how difficult it is to keep a steady relationship with your partner( unfortunately).
What's all this F-Troop business ?
Haven't read all the 193 pages yet
>>By spiketheprovo (Saturday, 7 Aug 2004 14:06)
Here, Here, Ortlieb
>>By Reginald (Saturday, 7 Aug 2004 14:34)
Much convo here whether info should remain secret, seems like especially the 'old' guys feel there way to much out in the open.
Here you can listen to AM:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/audio/35791000
/rm/_35791672_sas07_mcnab.ram
F Troop is explained again on page 192 Spike. (post by AIB, 14th from top)
>>By Lynn (Saturday, 7 Aug 2004 14:40)
Spike,
The question pertaining to revealing training methods etc. is really a question of whether the security of the regiment would be compromised by whatever's written in the books by AM et al.
After the Iranian embassy siege in 1980 Tony Geraty's book (don't know if I spelt that right) 'who dares wins', revealed a lot about the regiment and its methods, nothing that AM and the others have written is really new at all, it just puts the personnal aspect on to something that is pretty well known anyway.
And this personal aspect makes it interesting to read.... if the guys wrote, ' training was really really tough ' and left it at that then a. the book would be short of chapters and b. we'd be giving it, 'yeah.. well ..like how tough?'
The question of revealing operational methods can be likened to the above, when writing about the drug wars in columbia or what happened in oman or indonesia, will that really compromise opsec? Ok a lot of the books we discuss here are about the gulf etc. etc more modern warfare, but is opsec compromised.... I personnaly don't think so.
Some of the books, Peter Ratcliffes EOTS, or Mike Curtis' CQB for example mentions that they served in Northern Ireland and left it at that , obviously this is to preserve opsec, although in saying that I'm sure the PIRA intelligence bods knew the sort of stuff that the SAS and 14 Int were getting up to, they probably just didn't know the nitty gritty and locations, it doesn't take the brains of an archbishop to know that the SF in ireland were engaged in highly technical surveillance and CT operations....
Anyway thats just my opinion so thanks one and all for listening , it's been a pleasure..... (exit stage left)
>>By geo (Saturday, 7 Aug 2004 15:57)
Thanks Lynn for the audio interview, that was really interesting.
And thanks to you too geo for the explanation.
But i still think that the less the public know how these guys operate and where and when the better .
Has AM done any other interviews in the past ? And a part from being a writer what else does he do now he's a civvie.
>>By spiketheprovo (Saturday, 7 Aug 2004 17:01)
So am I part of F-troop too now ?
Does this get you addicted ? (talking on gnooks )
Ooh and ladies please be kind to me, I'm just a newbee!
>>By spiketheprovo (Saturday, 7 Aug 2004 17:08)
Spiketheprovo: << So am I part of F-troop too now ? >>
Oh, absolutely! Wivoutadoubt! :o)
>>By am-i-binned (Saturday, 7 Aug 2004 17:35)
Pages: 1 ... 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 ... 297
The discussion board is currently closed.
|
DISCOVER NEW BOOKS