Continuing from where we left off in War Diaries Issue 5, we want to reiterate the importance of veterans writing for themselves.
Max: To all the veterans out there, you have a voice, and your service added value. As Tony said in War Diaries Issue 5, our mutual friend spent the best part of a decade trying to convince me, but as time went on, I started losing the energy of youth. Given my line of work, I have of course experienced the harsh realities of war. I have seen and done things, and I didn’t realize that parts of my story needed to be told until I started writing it.
In the military, we wear a uniform, and we are made to think as one. But it is also necessary to remember that you have an individual voice, and everyone has a story worth telling. My advice, respectfully, is to write about your experiences. If you need help then perhaps speak to someone, a professional, first, but writing is therapy. Please do not misunderstand me, I do not profess to be a psychologist, but what I learned about trauma is that often it is ‘managed’ by the story we tell around it. So, if I was shot, and I survived but with injuries, I say ‘Well at least I survived, and although I cannot use my arm in the same way, I can adapt, and still make the best of things.’ There are of course different injuries and various forms of trauma, and my writing advice is to do what works for you. Some may keep a diary; others may want to write a book – just do your best to get it out on paper.
Lord Gladwyn who headed up the Special Operations Executive during the Second World War said, ‘Unless you are a born diarist it is best not to depend on one for memoirs…a diary is like a photograph: it reflects the mood of the moment and not the essential truth’. Make of that what you will write a diary, write your memoirs, write a letter to us – if you want a sounding board, or to share ideas, feel free to contact us both HERE. (Tony and Max that is, Lord Gladwyn has sadly passed 28 years ago).
You may choose to speak to a friend or get someone to help you frame your thoughts. This is reasonable as it will give you a reference point and someone to help you through. After all, most of us military types like working in teams, or teams of teams. I worked with Tony and spent many a coffee talking, reading, and working together, and this made the book project fun and also kept it on track. In our case, we both worked fast and hard and kept pushing the limits. Tony passed his special operations book writing selection, and hopefully, you will find a friend to pass your selection and work with you.
Leading special operations teams in several missions had its challenges and writing a book on my experiences was also a challenge, of a different sort. I had to relive them and trust my memory to recall certain events. We certainly did fact-checking and used peer reviewers to confirm details. This is what you get when you co-author with a military historian. At times we would really geek out about military theory, and logical flow, and we even used words like ‘criticality’. Those were some of our discussions, and without wanting to bore you, I will say one last thing: writing a book about special operations, in itself may have been the continuation of my adventure and it put my career into perspective. It has been a fun, challenging, and fascinating project writing this book. Please reach out to continue the discussion HERE.
Tony & Max
The War Diarists
