It is written without constraint, with brutal scenes, explicit language and amazing depth. Author Sid Gould might be a helluva soldier, but he has a true calling as an author. Mr. Gould recalls briefly his moments as a youngster in Australia, and his passion about a family legacy of service.
He narrates a story of Army life, sergeants intent on killing you or keeping you alive, bar fights, tattoos and all those ‘normal’ things many civilians associate with soldiers. What the reader also gets is the gut-wrenching truth about war, sacrifice, and honor.
From Gould’s first days in the desert he is assigned to Army War Graves Duty, where he is charged with filling body bags and the only identifier of a soldier is dog tags. He details the pain of seeing comrades killed by friendly fire, the depth of darkness in the desert and the primal instincts that are necessary to survive war.
With uncluttered adjectives, Gould takes the reader from the desert and unfathomable graves duty to the streets of Cyprus, the Falklands, and Northern Ireland. Explaining in humble prose how soldiers can’t always save the innocent, even themselves.
The Mind of War lets those who are not soldiers understand how painful and probing their well-intentioned questions are and perhaps gives them an education on how asking nothing can be the best gift.
The return of a soldier to a world no longer his, to no hero’s welcome and to a mind of images no one can make disappear, The Mind of War will give non-soldiers an emotional journey, and give those who have experienced the hell of war some solace and connection in his words.
About the Author:
Sid Gould has over 19 years experience in both the British and New Zealand Military, working with the British and Australian SAS. A soldier, chef, gold miner, and cowboy. Sid’s military career has taken him to over 34 countries, and he has served in the Gulf war, Northern Ireland, The Falklands, Central America, Papua New Guinea, and Bougainville. He is still active in the New Zealand Defense Force within the Territorial Army.
You can find Sid on Facebook.
