My Story
Gen Peter Cosgrove
Harper Collins 468 pages
$49.99
Volume 11, No. 55, November 02, 2006

AT LAST, the much anticipated personal memoirs from arguably Australia’s most popular contemporary military leader.
His personal story takes us “from boyhood to battlefield” as he shares his extraordinary life-journey from a cadet to the top – CA, CDF and Australian of the Year in 2001.

Son of an Armoured Corps RSM and from humble beginnings in the working-class Sydney suburb of Paddington in the late 1940s, we journey through the good and bad times as Gen Cosgrove revisits his more than 40-year career from platoon commander 5 Pl B Coy 6RAR in Vietnam through to Australian CDF and retirement.

Part memoirs, part rollicking adventure, his tales from the Vietnam war include some great warries such as his first contact and subsequent battles – during which he served with distinction and was awarded the MC.
But his thoughts on the two years he spent as the Task Force Commander for Interfet are of particular interest and make up the bulk of the book.

Of special interest are his recollections of the delicate negotiations with the Indonesian military to avoid any conflict in the early stages of the operation.

A private audience with the Queen, a mid-air emergency, his thoughts on the War on Terror, Abu Ghraib and the challenges of holding the offices of CA and CDF are among some of the more unexpected treats in this great read.

– Sgt Damian Griffin

A SHORT and sweet page-turner, this novel maintains interest with a suspenseful moment at the end of each chapter and lots of unexpected twists. Investigating the strange death of a student in the Amazon, a medical specialist researching Alzheimer’s disease gains a powder that enables him to see into the past life of his parent.

He uses this to find out about the dark past of a dead father he never knew, only to discover the parent was an abductor of little girls. But is his dad really dead, or is it really his father that’s involved at all? There’s a race against time to use the drug to find a missing girl, in the knowledge that using the powder may bring on effects that will kill him. This book keeps you guessing to the last page.

The only clanger was a slight glitch in the continuity department when the script described the eye colour of an eyeless man. Recommended reading for boring watches or Herc flights.

– LCdr Rory McCartney

THIS memoir of one Australian soldier’s experiences in World War I stands out as one of the best I’ve read. Unlike many of the books written by veterans in their latter years, or compiled by authors using a collection of sources, Lynch wrote this text shortly after the war during the Depression, but was unable to find a publisher willing to print it because of the public’s sensitivities to the war at that time.

What remained was an incredibly personal and detailed manuscript rich in the author’s description and emotions, which allowed editor Will Davies the opportunity to put into shape this riveting read.

And perhaps the best surprise about this book is that, although it’s written in an easily understood manner using the language of the time through either Lynch’s hand or that of Will Davies, Lynch displays an ability to translate his war experiences into writing that has produced not just a collection of facts and dates, but a compelling read full of emotive first-hand experiences, such as his description of the regret one of his mates feels when he kills his first German, or when he wrote of the joy of “finding” some additional blankets in their dugout.

For me this book is an amazing read which has brought the place names of Polygon Wood, Pozieres and Ypres into a real and tangible light.

– Sgt Damian Griffin

SOMETIMES it pays to buy over the Internet. This classic series of military history would cost about $150 to $180 to buy in bookshops in Australia. Over the net it was about $70.

Shelby Foote came to international prominence after appearing as one of the key voices in the acclaimed television series on the American Civil War by producer Ken Burns, screened in the mid 1980s. Foote took more than 20 years to write the series, broken into three volumes: Fort Sumter to Perryville: Fredericksburg to Meridian; and Red River to Appomattox.
Although Foote is a Southerner, which some critics say colour this series with a bias towards the Confederacy, it really doesn’t matter.

Such is the power of his writing and the depth of his research that the detail of the campaigns, the carnage of the battles, and the correspondence, speeches and letters of major and minor players during the four-year conflict don’t overpower the reader. It is history as it should be written – engaging, literary and full of power to evoke the tumultuous time that still affects contemporary US politics and culture.

– David Sibley

ARMOUR Modelling is essential for the serious modeller. It covers step-by-step instructions to build and paint armour models and scenery. Written by legendary model-maker John Prigent, the book is a thorough guide for beginners through to master-level modellers.

– Cpl Andrew Hetherington

SEE no evil is the true story that inspired the movie Syriana. Impossible to put down once you begin reading, it can be very hard to keep up with in terms of where Baer is going on his extensive and action-packed journey as a career CIA agent.

Baer worked in the Middle East for the agency for the best part of 20 years and had the opportunity to topple Saddam Hussein. An enthralling reading experience, it will have you running out the door to hire Syriana.

– Cpl Andrew Hetherington

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