My name is Peter O’Hanlon, but everyone in the military, from the lowest digger to the highest officer, has always called me ‘Irish’. You won’t see me, or the service men and women like me, featured in the latest blockbuster, but our service lives include drama, laughs and accounts of deep turmoil that are worth telling. I was a member of the Australian Army for 11 years and during my deployment as part of the INTERFET force, serviced three very impacting tours of East Timor.
What was it like, as a 19 year to land at the Dilli Airport in Australia’s largest deployment since Vietnam?
What are the little-known battles and obstacles that cause unseen scars through a deployment?
What are the impacts on re-integrating into the civilian community?
This is my story, an ordinary soldier; the juicy yarns, the laughs, the battles, the devastating lows, the soaring highs, the blood, sweat and tears we give in service every day. It will make you laugh and may make you cry. It’s the cold hard truth about the impact of a different type of war fought by many who deployed to Timor.
N Stanfield –
‘World War Bloody Timor’ is an open and honest account from a soldier’s personal perspective from the time he joined the Australian military as a young man, to time away on tours and the delicate balance of returning and adjusting to his home life.
This book had me laughing, at times in tears and opened my eyes to some of what our military personnel experience on the ground in hostile situations.
Well worth a read to follow the story of a man’s real-life remarkable journey and adventures of a soldier who is now exploring his passion within the film industry.
Sam –
I devoured this book in two days!
An unbelievable, emotional and captivating story highlighting the harsh challenges during a soldier’s journey. It was a real eye-opener and now conscious of what our soldiers endured and the struggles to return to a normal life. But despite that, it’s also a very witty and honest read, with a cheeky Aussie tongue & cheek theme throughout that just keeps on climaxing until the very end. I loved it.