Dirty Combat: Secret Wars and Serious Misadventures

286 Pages·2008·1.36 MB·English

by  David Tomkins

Brought to you by KeVkRaY
DIRTY COMBAT
SECRET WARS AND
SERIOUS MISADVENTURES
David Tomkins
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced,
transferred, distributed, leased, licenced or publicly performed or used in any
way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed
under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly
permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of
this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and
those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Epub ISBN: 9781780570778
Version 1.0
www.mainstreampublishing.com
Copyright © David Tomkins, 2008
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author has been asserted
First published in Great Britain in 2008 by
MAINSTREAM PUBLISHING COMPANY
(EDINBURGH) LTD
7 Albany Street
Edinburgh EH1 3UG
ISBN 9781845963897
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any other means without
permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in
connection with a review written for insertion in a magazine, newspaper or broadcast
All internal photographs courtesy of the author
This book is a work of non-fiction based on the life, experiences and recollections of the author. In some
cases, names of people, places, dates, sequences or the detail of events have been changed to protect the
privacy of others. The author has stated to the publishers that, except in such respects, not affecting the
substantial accuracy of the work, the contents of this book are true
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
CHAPTER 1 IN THE BEGINNING
CHAPTER 2 PANDORA’S BOX
CHAPTER 3 DOING TIME
CHAPTER 4 TIPPING THE SCALES
CHAPTER 5 FOOL’S GOLD
CHAPTER 6 A WOLF IN WOLF’S CLOTHING
CHAPTER 7 A MESSY LITTLE WAR
CHAPTER 8 MASSACRE AT MAQUELA
CHAPTER 9 RETREAT WITHOUT HONOUR
CHAPTER 10 ALL SMOKE AND MIRRORS
CHAPTER 11 A HOLIDAY WITH MALICE
CHAPTER 12 THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN
CHAPTER 13 A BETRAYAL
CHAPTER 14 THE LEARNING CURVE
CHAPTER 15 TRUST ME, I’M A DOCTOR
CHAPTER 16 MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN
CHAPTER 17 AGENTS PROVOCATEURS
CHAPTER 18 DEADLY NIGHTSHADE
CHAPTER 19 OPERATION PHOENIX
CHAPTER 20 TILTING AT WINDMILLS
CHAPTER 21 DEATH IN THE CLOUDS
CHAPTER 22 LOCKDOWN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
IN THE WRITING OF THIS BOOK, I OWE MUCH TO MY WIFE, Mary, for her patience,
advice and encouragement, to my daughters, Jay and Kelly, and to my son, Billy,
for all his efforts in filling the gap during my enforced absence. Special thanks to
Roger and Claire Peach and Mike Douglas for showing what great friends are all
about. Thanks to Mike for letting me close the circle in Iraq. To Vanessa, Dan
Showalter, Frank Garrison, Lev, Steve Osborne, Meli and Soni and all the crew
down there, you can be assured you are not forgotten. Thanks to the people
named (and the many not named) in this book who played their parts in making
the tapestry of my life a colourful one. To all those in harm’s way, stay safe.
David Tomkins
July 2008
CHAPTER 1