Bush War Operator cover art

Bush War Operator

Memoirs of the Rhodesian Light Infantry, Selous Scouts and Beyond

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Bush War Operator

Written by: A.J. Balaam
Narrated by: Dennis Kleinman
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Anyone living in Rhodesia during the 1960s and 1970s would have had a father, husband, brother, or son called up in the defense of the war-torn, landlocked little country. A few of these brave men would have been members of the elite and secretive unit that struck terror into the hearts of the ZANLA and ZIPRA guerrillas infiltrating the country at that time - the Selous Scouts.

Twice decorated - with the Member of the Legion of Merit (MLM) and the Military Forces' Commendation (MFC) - Andrew Balaam was a member of the Rhodesian Light Infantry and later the Selous Scouts for a period spanning 12 years. This is his honest and insightful account of his time as a pseudo operator.

In later years, after Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, he was involved with a number of other former Selous Scouts in the attempted coups in the Ciskei, a South African homeland, and Lesotho, an independent nation, whose only crimes were supporting the African National Congress. Training terrorists, or as they preferred to be called, "liberation armies", to conduct a war of terror on innocent civilians, was the very thing he had spent the last 10 years in Rhodesia fighting against. This is the true, untold story of these failed attempts at governmental overthrows.

©2014 A.J. Balaam (P)2020 Tantor 20th Century Military & War Modern World Africa Memoir War Military

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A.J. Balaam gives it to you straight with an authenticity that is all too rare these days. He goes into the mistakes made, triumphs in the face of difficulty, all of it told from a unique voice. He does not exaggerate for glory. This is one for posterity.

It's a book full of hard fought lessons and tragedy.

A Soldier's Point of View

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Liked it Kept me captivated. Incredible life experiences that very few see or survive. Thought provoking.

Good narrator. Exciting stories.

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How can you possibly train those who you were fighting? Still shocks me…

Men like Balaam could’ve changed the world, instead, they chose to aid evil governments. It saddens me that these warriors “only follow orders” and don’t use their own free will to change the world.

Left me feeling conflicted

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