The Commando, Ben Mckelvey
The Commando, Ben Mckelvey
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

The Commando
The life and death of Cameron Baird, VC, MG

Author: Ben Mckelvey

Narrator: Nick Farnell

Unabridged: 7 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/01/2017


Synopsis

On 22 June 2013, Corporal Cameron Baird was a 2nd Commando Regiment Special Forces soldier when he led his platoon into a known Taliban stronghold to back-up another Australian unit under heavy fire. In the pronged firefight, Cameron was mortally wounded.

In 2014, Cameron's bravery and courage under fire saw him posthumously awarded the 100th Victoria Cross, our highest award possible for bravery in the presence of the enemy. Cameron Baird died how he lived - at the front, giving it his all, without any indecision. He will forever be remembered by his mates and the soldiers he served with in the 2nd Commando Regiment.

THE COMMANDO reveals Cameron's life, from young boy and aspiring AFL player, who only missed out on being drafted because of injury, to exemplary soldier and leader. Cameron's story and that of 4RAR and 2nd Commando personifies the courage and character of the men and women who go to war and will show us the good man we have lost.

About Ben Mckelvey

Ben Mckelvey is an author, journalist and editor. Ben's books have won the Australian Independent Book Award for non-fiction, an Australian Book Industry Award and the Nib Military History Prize and they have been shortlisted in the Victorian and Queensland Premier's Literary Awards and for the Les Carlyon Literary Prize. Ben has been the editor of Mr Jones, Sports&Style and Juice magazines and worked at the Sydney Morning Herald as a Senior Feature Writer. As a freelance writer, Ben has been embedded with the ADF in East Timor and Iraq, and has worked independently in Iran, Syria and Afghanistan.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Di

Great insight into what makes a commando, through the telling of the life and death of Cameron Baird. Cameron, fought and died in Afghanistan as part of the 2 Commando Regiment, where he was the leader of the unit on his final mission. He is one of a handful of Australians who have deservedly been a......more

Goodreads review by Tom

Fantastic read, explores not just Bairdy's life and character but also touches upon the overarching issues surrounding the War on Terror / drugs in Afghanistan and the complexity of operating in such an environment. The book itself starts off rather simply focusing on his short-lived Football career......more

Goodreads review by Katie

I'm not crying. You are.......more

This is the third Ben McKelvey book I’ve finished and it’s also my favorite. Mosul had a thriller feel to it and Find, Fix, Finish felt very investigative journalistic. Both of them are awesome books btw (if they weren’t I wouldn’t have bought this one). Commando, this one feels very personal; which......more