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During the Gulf War, Chris was the only member of an eight-man team to escape from Iraq, of which three colleagues were killed and four captured. It was the longest escape and evasion in the history of the SAS. The author's writing style drags you into the unfolding scenario and leaves you with a feeling a genuine suspense and intrigue, as you are made party to the internal machinations of Chris Ryan as he battles against the inclement weather; physical and mental deterioration, and the omnipresent threat of enemy patrols whilst he also reconciles himself to the incremental loss of his comrades throughout the evasion, compounded by the fact that he had no idea as to whether they had been captured; rescued, or killed. The content of the book was heavily criticised by fellow Bravo Two Zero patrol members Mike Coburn and Malcolm MacGown in Coburn's Soldier Five, [2] written specifically in response to this book. Both Ryan and McNab have similar writing styles: first person, which gives them impression of them telling the story to you personally, and this makes it easy to read even when it gets technical. I would have preferred the introduction into who Ryan was and how he ended up joining the SAS to have been at the start. It's placed in the middle, almost like a dream sequence when they're lying up waiting during the day. The book can be split into four broad sections. The patrol up to when it split, the portion with Ryan, Stan, and Vince, the solo E&E, and 'misc' bits scattered throughout the latter parts. Some of the misc stuff is filler anecdotes about training and other missions after Bravo Two Zero, and the book doesn't really benefit from it, but nor does it detract too much. The parts detailing the patrol up to the split are quite different from what I remember from McNab's book and it would be interesting to do a real side-by-side comparison. The group E&E parts are tense and gripping, the three men were in a really bad way physically and mentally, and that creates an unnerving atmosphere as you wonder what's going to go wrong next. The solo E&E part was mixed. On the one hand it felt a little like a foregone conclusion because you know he gets out, on the other there was plenty of interesting little encounters. I must say I was expecting a little more in the way of actual survival skills being demonstrated but it seems Ryan made it out on sheer strength of will. There were a few occasions I was thinking "Why didn't he [kill the goat, search the bodies, etc]" and the explanation can only be his not thinking straight due to fatigue, or surrounding circumstances making those courses of action impossible. Suffice to say, it's no SAS Survival Guide!
It is always worthwhile seeing the same events from different points of view, as all memories are coloured by perspective. The main difference in these two accounts is that Andy takes most of the responsibility upon his own shoulders, whereas Chris blames others. This difference is going to draw you more to one account over the other depending on how you react. During his escape, Ryan suffered injuries from drinking water contaminated with nuclear waste. [8] Besides suffering severe muscle atrophy, he lost 36lb (16kg) and did not return to operational duties. Instead, he selected and trained potential recruits, before being honourably discharged from the SAS in 1994. [ citation needed] a b Manger, Warren (27 August 2014). "SAS hero Chris Ryan: I drank radioactive water in Iraq, which meant I'd never have children". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 31 December 2016.
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The One That Got Away is the 1996 ITV dramatization of Chris Ryan's 1995 account of the Bravo Two Zero mission from the first Gulf War directed by Paul Greengrass ( The Bourne Ultimatum, Green Zone). His book was released after Andy McNab's book, but his movie came out three years before the BBC's dramatization of Bravo Two Zero, both of which were filmed in South Africa using the same armorers. The book and film were highly critical of McNab's leadership before and during the mission. Both Ryan and McNab were criticized for publishing the real names of the three troopers who perished while themselves still hiding behind pseudonyms. A third book about the mission by "Mike Coburn" ("Mark" in the film) was published in 2004, despite opposition from the British government. He has also appeared in a number of TV programmes, including HUNTING CHRIS RYAN, PUSHED TO THE LIMI Chris Ryan was born in 1961 in a village near Newcastle. In 1984 he joined the SAS. During his ten years in the Regiment, he was involved in overt and covert operations and was also Sniper team commander of the anti-terrorist team. Interesting to get a new perspective on the parts of the patrol shared with McNab, and equally interesting to see what Ryan had to go through on his long E&E. Easy read. Hard to think about it without comparing to Bravo Two Zero but it stands up on its own, in fact I'm tempted to say I think it's a bit better than McNab's book, though both are good. I read this a couple of years after re-reading Bravo Two Zero, and now I want to read that again just to get a better feel for a comparison. But let's try to avoid that and evaluate The One That Got Away on its own merits. I warmed to Ryan as a character much moreso than McNab. Ryan's obviously proud of who he is, but there's a fair amount of reflection, guilt, and admission of errors too - his own and of others. The introduction should have been a postscript, as it coloured my perception of what happened with Vince. Mild spoilers follow. Yes, Ryan blames Vince for a lot of things, and isn't very kind in his description of Vince's character. More than that, he's pretty much outright insulting about Vince. Whether that's a fair assessment or not we'll never know. It'd be interesting to hear Stan's account. On the whole though I tend to believe Ryan's version of events. Sure, some of it sounds fantastical, and maybe some of it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. But the broad strokes are undeniable. Chris Ryan was born in 1961 in a village near Newcastle. In 1984 he joined the SAS. During his ten years in the Regiment, he was involved in overt and covert operations and was also Sniper team commander of the anti-terrorist team. After leaving the SAS, Ryan wrote The One That Got Away, which covers the account from his patrol report of the Bravo Two Zero mission. Both his and McNab's accounts have been heavily criticised by former territorial SAS member and explorer Michael Asher, who attempted to retrace the patrol's footsteps for TV and claimed to have debunked both accounts with the help of the then-SAS regimental sergeant major Peter Ratcliffe. [10] [11]
Michael Asher's investigative book, The Real Bravo Two Zero, released in 2003, also criticised Ryan's portrayal of Phillips. Asher found that many of the negative attributes Ryan had described did not correspond with the available evidence, nor the other patrol members' accounts. The One That Got Away is a 1996 ITV television film directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Paul McGann. It is based on the 1995 book of the same name by Chris Ryan telling the true story of a Special Air Service patrol during the Gulf War in 1991.As the companion to Bravo Two-Zero this provides another point of view of the events that took place in Iraq during the first Iraq war. The major difference is that the author was one of the three which got separated from the other five members of the squad and was the only one to actually escape Iraq. Burke, Jason (26 May 2002). "Battle of SAS gets bloody". The Guardian . Retrieved 31 December 2016. Unlike McNab's account, Ryan places a lot of blame and speaks very lowly of his colleage Vince, which given that Vince died during the mission and cannot speak for himself, it comes across as unfair. I guess that in a stressful situation, when you feel one of the party isn't coping as well as they could, it's easy to appropriate blame. Ryan was born in Rowlands Gill in County Durham. After attending Hookergate School, he enrolled in the British Army at the age of 16. Ryan's cousin was a member of the reservist 23 SAS Regiment and invited Ryan to come up and "see what it's like to be in the army". [3] :85 Ryan did this nearly every weekend, almost passing selection several times, but was too young to do 'test week'. When he was old enough, he passed selection into 23 SAS. Shortly after that he began selection for the regular 22 SAS Regiment and joined 'B' Squadron as a medic. Needing a parent regiment, Ryan and a soldier who had joined 22 SAS from the Royal Navy, spent eight weeks with the Parachute Regiment before returning to 'B' Squadron. [3] :100–102
During the Gulf War, Ryan was a team member of the ill-fated eight-man SAS patrol, with the call sign Bravo Two Zero. The patrol was sent into Iraq to "gather intelligence,... find a good LUP (lying up position) and set up an OP (observation post)" on the main supply route (MSR) between Baghdad and North-Western Iraq, and eventually take out the Scud TELs. [3] :16
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Edemariam, Aida (27 October 2008). "The new star of romantic fiction: ex-SAS hardman Chris Ryan". The Guardian . Retrieved 8 January 2010. Coburn also commented on the book: "The portrayal of Vince Phillips was a despicable betrayal of what happened. Revelations became more and more outrageous, culminating in a book and film that saw him portrayed in an unfair and undignified manner.". [9] Concerning the TV adaptation of Ryan's book, McNab further wrote in a letter to The Times in 1996, "It is a pity that [Ryan] chose to cheapen his own achievement and the reputations of the regiment and of comrades who would have sacrificed their lives for his, had the situation demanded, by denigrating those of others." [7] Freeman, Simon (16 March 2003). "The new Battle of the Books". The Guardian . Retrieved 31 December 2016.
This was an incredible book! I heard of the legend of Bravo Two Zero; I had watched numerous episodes of "Hunting Chris Ryan" on the Television, but until I had read this gripping book, I had no comprehension about the incredible mental, and physical challenges that the author had undergone during his record-breaking Escape and Evasion across Iraq to the relative "safety" of Syria. Indeed, some of the most memorable sections of the book occur during the authors' arrival in "friendly" territory. But the army wasn't enough for Chris. No, he wanted something special. Chris's dream was to be a member of one of the most elite fighting forces on the planet - the SAS (Special Air Service). Chris's cousin was actually already in the reservist SAS and regularly invited Chris to visit him. Chris tried to join the SAS but reportedly failed the selection process because… Still, just by his style and recollection, I know his type very well. While his story is amazing, it is just that. I am by no means calling him a liar, but this is his own account, which cannot be corroborated, and there are some pretty unbelievable points.
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On 29 June 1991 Ryan was awarded the Military Medal "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Gulf in 1991" although the award was not gazetted until 15 December 1998 together with the equally delayed announcement of Andy McNab's Distinguished Conduct Medal. [9] Post-military career [ edit ] In addition to his writing Ryan has contributed to several television series and video games. In 2002 Ryan co-created and appeared in ITV's action series, Ultimate Force, playing the role of Blue Troop leader Staff Sergeant Johnny Bell in the first series. He acted as a military adviser for the video game I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike. [ citation needed]
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