The One That Got Away - Junior edition

Reader Notes

Dear Reader,

The thing I am asked most about when I meet you and do talks and events is my time in the SAS — especially the Bravo Two Zero mission during the Gulf war in 1991.

It’s now almost exactly twenty years since I walked out of the Iraqi desert. Over my seven-day escape, I lost over sixteen kilos in weight, my gums had receded so that the roots of my teeth were exposed, my nails had all fallen off and my mouth was constantly burning.

It is apparently the longest escape and evasion in SAS history. But I didn’t understand why I was given a medal afterwards — or the other guys from Bravo Two Zero, for that matter. There were soldiers who stayed more than forty days behind enemy lines and took part in big actions. They didn’t get medals. My friends Stan and Dinger didn’t get medals.

I coped because I knew what I had to do. It was something I was trained to do, and I did it. Although I had reached the edge of my physical and mental limits, I stayed alert. I avoided capture.

When you’re given a task to do in the SAS, you get on and do it. I did just that.

So here it is. This is my story. I hope you enjoy it.