Andy Owen

Dogs of war and men of hate
With no cause, we don't discriminate
Pink Floyd, Dogs of War


There used to be a television show called Connections hosted by James Burke. It was a history of science show that started at one place and ended back at the starting point through a long chain of events. It was an amazing series of unrelated events that brought together a final product. A similar situation happened to me. A Marine veteran of the Cold War and Reagan's War on terrorism I came across Andy Owen, a British veteran in the current war on terror who now works in counter-terrorism. He offered his book for review and I accepted. I can almost hear James Burke saying, "A common mission but a generation apart and a continent away brought together by something we all use every day... Twitter." as he walks off into the sunset.

Owen did tell me what he did in general terms and that the book would have a Moby Dick theme. I was expecting a stylized memoir of his service, instead what I got was completely unexpected and captivating. It is a story of a young man, Ismael, in England, raised by Indian parents. Life is a good, comfortable, middle-class existence. Ismael is a medical student who decides to do his duty and volunteer for a short tour as a medic in Afghanistan. In the process, he finds out that he is adopted. His father was a Pakistani and a suicide bomber.

Everything changes. His adoptive parents no longer feel like his parents. His volunteering, as a medic, changes to something different and more beneficial to the Royal Navy. He wants to find out about his father and if that which made his father give his life in a violent act is also part of his being. He searches for information about his father through the mosque and in the people he meets there. There is a path to finding out more about his father and that path leads to the great white sheik.

There are a few hints through the book to remind the reader that this story was inspired by Moby Dick. Most are very well done and not heavy handed. The great white sheik is as obvious as it gets. A brilliant job is done on Kwesi. He is Ismael's friend who brought him into the select group from the mosque and to Muj, the leader of the group. Kwesi fills the role of Queequeg to a T, right down to the scars on his face.

I did grasp the Moby Dick theme fairly well. However, the best part of the writing is in the war going on inside Ismael. He is flooded with propaganda from both the British and from the cell he has found himself in. The battle between which side is right and which side is wrong perhaps boils down into which individuals are good and which are bad. Perhaps, too, the idea of sides is much more difficult in a world of grays.

I have been put off by most recent fiction, but this book shines. It captures the internal battle of a man's life. Ismael is a character caught between his family's past and his present as a middle-class man of immigrant parents. He is being fed propaganda from both sides and witnessing life through his own experiences. Truly, a realistic experience and accurate portrayal of jingoism on all sides in today’s world. Simply a great book and a very rare five-star rating for contemporary fiction.

Note: 70% of the proceeds of this book will go to War Child charity.




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And cold the sense and lost the motive of action.
And we all go with them, into the silent funeral,
Nobody's funeral, for there is no one to bury.
I said to my soul, be still, and let the dark come upon you
Which shall be the darkness of God.

~East Coker, T.S. Eliot

East of Coker by Andy Owen is a story of damage and recovery of the human psyche in the aftermath of war. Not since the Vietnam War, in America, have we seen so many veterans suffer from the effects of combat. It is not limited to America either. The coalition that struck down the Taliban government after 9/11 and the coalition that brought down the regime of Saddam Hussein all have service member suffering from the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. For some coming home is being dropped into an unfamiliar environment. Nothing is the same and there are dangers lurking in broad daylight. Common noises bring back memories of shelling and explosions. Everyday events bring back memories of war. Some who come back manage to cope. Others live in a near paranoid state. Still others, tragically, can not adapt and chose their own way out of life.

East of Coker is the story of a British combat soldier who makes it back home alive but damaged. The story is told in a stream of consciousness first person view. It first narrator, the soldier, tells his story in a flowing near poetical fashion. Whether this is intentional or my fault for beginning this book while reading a poetry collection, it works extremely well. The lyrical flow adds depth and deeper meaning to the words. Emotion is packed into each sentence.

One wonders if the narrator is reliable in his words and emotions. He is suffering, but how much control does he have of his thoughts. Reliability comes through in a unique way. He is not rambling incoherently. Here is a soldier making references to Koheleth, Charon, Isolde and refers to plants by their latin name. We have an intelligent narrator who has control over his higher thought functions.

The story has breaks and changes in the narrator. The soldier’s wife tells of her observations and distress. The third narrator is the Iraqi father whose son is translating for the invaders. This shows that it is not just the western soldiers, but the residents of the invaded country who are affected. He presents some serious but points that are overlooked by the “liberators.” The two additional narrators complete the circle and present the problem in as a multidimensional issue.

There are no simple answers. There are physical aspects as well as mental, with addiction playing a large role. The search for solutions creates its own problems. There is a dark feeling of dread that searches for hope in unusual ways. The story of the Polish musician creates its own warped sense of accomplishment. The sense of drowning physically and emotionally is a common theme throughout.

East of Coker presents an emotional look at a growing problem among younger veterans. People who volunteered to protect the security of their country’s citizens and found themselves trapped in a horror they could not imagine. The author has told me the proceeds will benefit a veteran's charity that specializes in treating PTSD. This is fiction that mirrors real life. A timely subject of a tragedy that began the twenty-first century and will remain for years to come.… (más)

All Soldiers Run Away: Alano’s War, The Story of a British Deserter by Andy Owen is a story of a World War II British deserter which is a personal story as well as part of a much bigger and usually not recognized consequence of war. Owen served in the Intelligence Corps of the British Army reaching the rank of Captain. He completed operational tours in Northern Ireland (2003), Iraq (2004 and 2005) and on intelligence duties in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2007. East of Coker is his second novel following Invective (2014).

I would imagine that when an American thinks of a deserter, the image someone running away from the Vietnam War comes to mind and gets blurred into Jane Fonda sitting on an anti-aircraft gun in North Vietnam. Americans rise to the challenge especially if it was a "good war" like World War II. Movies like The Sands of Iwo Jima or series like Band of Brothers show that courage and sacrifice are the keys to winning a war. Vietnam was different. From July 1, 1966, through December 31, 1973, the Department of Defense reported 503,926 cases of desertion. In the Iraq War, there have been thousands of desertions (40,000 according to some sources) in the American military, but only one made the news.

The reasons for desertion are many, from fear of death to moral grounds (war for oil). One reason that is not usually discussed is mental exhaustion. Shellshock first came into being as a mental illness in the first world war. However, this was after many who suffered were executed for desertion and cowardice. Shellshock remained a problem after the war although there was little progress in treatment. In Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway, Septimus Warren Smith is a WWI veteran being treated for shellshock with a tragic outcome. Shellshock was a problem but it was far from understood. Today shellshock is more correctly called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The story of Alan Juniper who was conscripted into the Tower Hamlets Rifles and found himself in North Africa fighting Rommel's forces is central to this book. Things were not going well for the British defeats and heavy shelling took a toll on the men. The casualty rate was high and unlike modern fighting, there was no twelve-month tours or even rotation as in trench warfare. Men stayed and fought until the end of the war, death, or severe injury. Juniper served 551 days in North Africa before deserting the first time. He did not present any indication that he was against the war or a troublemaker, in fact, he was promoted quickly. The question commonly asked is, "Why desert then?"

War is not only about killing. It is about taking away your enemies will to fight. It is easier and causes fewer casualties on your side if you can get your enemy to stop fighting. German Stukas used sirens to terrify the targets of their dive bombing. Those who survive know what the sound of the sirens meant and the fear lingered on. Constant artillery barrages and chemical weapons were to inflict physiological damage. Sleep deprivation, concussion from artillery, and general wearing down of the enemy troops is the goal. Some people can handle the stress better than others. Some people simply break down mentally. That is what happened to Juniper.

It may not be the danger that causes the breakdown but the lack of peace. US Southern Command used Van Halen at loud volumes to try and drive Noriega out of hiding in Panama. This was repeated in Afghanistan with US Marines blaring heavy metal music into the village of Marjah. Music and lights, or strobe lights, are used in interrogations to break down prisoners by depriving them of rest without leaving marks on the body. The point is that certain tactics are designed to break down the human mind. However, when it works against our own people it is seen as weakness.

Owen examines the British efforts in North Africa against the Germans and Alan Juniper's role in the war. The personal, as well as the big picture, are brought together in the book. The war and its effects are described on the British forces as a whole, public opinion, and the individual soldiers. Owen examines the war in the historical sense and in the philosophical sense too. Just War Theory, Kant, and Camus are brought into the discussion. Playing the role of devil's advocate (as well as describing its origins), Owen creates and "Alan II" to serve as an "every soldier". Owen makes a case for effects of PTSD and its effect on those in combat. Those who serve are expected to serve to the best of their ability. What should happen to those who serve beyond their best ability? Physically wounded soldiers* are expected to recover before returning to battle. What of those who are mentally wounded? We all have our breaking points. For those of us who served, most have seen that breaking point exceeded by some in boot camp which is far less stressful than combat.

Another problem with military desertion is it is made into a political issue. Sadly, the some of the toughest criticism of deserters comes from those who never served and those who did their best to avoid conscription through various means. The system is unfair to those who break down under conditions that are meant to break them down. A deeper understanding of PTSD and its recognition and treatment are needed. The examination of one soldier's experience can be used to start understanding other soldier's experiences. Mental wounds are just as disabling as physical wounds. They are just harder to see. Veterans in the US have a 22% higher suicide rate than the general population. According to the Veteran's Administration, in 2014, twenty veterans a day took their own life.

PTSD is a major factor in many veteran's lives. There is not a clean and easy solution. PTSD will not be treated by "I Support the Troops" magnets on cars. It is easy to support the troops for war, once they come home hurt or broken it is another matter that requires more than a car magnet. This is when the real support is needed. All royalties from this book will be donated to PTSD charities. Here is a chance to support the troops in a meaningful way -- donating and getting educated on the effects of war on those who served. Although the major combat is over, the battle for our soldiers is far from over.

* I am using soldier as a convenient general term to cover all uniform services


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