Not sure Harry “boasted” about the 25 kills. I read the extract and he was being matter of fact. He didn’t keep a running count of the kills. That count was kept by his superiors. He was an attack helicopter gunner and all of his shooting was recorded and picked apart by his commander. As he tells it, his commander was trying to find fault with his subordinates and was desperate to catch them out. He was looking for any evidence that the rules of engagement hadn’t been followed and non-combatants were either harmed or were unacceptably close to the action. He was at pains to say that all of his kills were by the book and his real regrets were over those times he was unable to save fellow troops because of the rules of engagement. He specifically referred to a squad of Gurkhas in that regard. He also detailed the way the Taliban fighters were “othered” in such a way that lethal force was easier to inflict as it would have been hard to do that if they were seen as humans, and that process was easier because of the strong emotions created by the 9/11 attack. It was a fairly philosophical recollection rather than a gung-ho boast.
The extract was contained in a story in the Guardian written by a former British soldier who had fought in Afghanistan. He felt that it was a pretty accurate reflection of his own experiences and those of his comrades.
The extract was contained in a story in the Guardian written by a former British soldier who had fought in Afghanistan. He felt that it was a pretty accurate reflection of his own experiences and those of his comrades.