18 Hours Audiobook By Sandra Lee cover art

18 Hours

The True Story of an SAS War Hero

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18 Hours

By: Sandra Lee
Narrated by: Michael Carman
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About this listen

 Jock Wallace was pumped. It was the start of Operation Anaconda, the US-led military offensive to flush out al Qaeda and the Taliban from their last stronghold in the Shahi Kot Valley in Afghanistan. If intelligence reports were correct, there were between 100 and 250 enemy fighters holed up in the extensive cave systems in the mountain ridges around the beautiful valley. But reports can be wrong. Minutes after the combat-ready troops stormed down the back ramps of the Chinook helicopters, Jock's company was under fire. Eighteen hours of hell was just the beginning. With machine-gun bullets dancing about the soldiers' feet, and mortars and rocket-propelled grenades raining down on them, it seemed the al Qaeda terrorists and Taliban fighters had them trapped. But there was no way Jock was going down without a fight. Nor were the men he was with. Holding off the enemy, rescuing the injured, reporting to base, calling in air support - Jock gave it all that he had. He was not going to die on foreign soil, not at the hands of al Qaeda.©2006 Sandra Lee. (P)2006 Bolinda Publishing 20th Century Armed Forces Asia Military Military & War Military science Modern Special & Elite Forces War

Editorial reviews

This story of a marathon, 18-hour gunfight in the mountains of Afghanistan follows the real-life exploits of Australian Signalman Jock Wallace as he selflessly lays his life on the line for his fellow servicemen. Fellow Aussie Michael Carmen (Neighbours, Nim’s Island) brims with raw urgency as he recounts Wallace’s tale, set in the hostile climes of Afghanistan’s Shahi Kot Valley, aka "Hell’s Half-Pipe". As Operation Anaconda got underway, Wallace’s unit expected to encounter, at most, 250 Taliban fighters. Instead, they found themselves center stage in the war’s largest combat operation to date. In the hours ahead, the courageous Aussie would pit himself time and again on the frontlines of enemy fire, endangering his own life to save those of his fellow soldiers.
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What listeners say about 18 Hours

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Rex

18 Hours (unabridged)

It is amazing to think that in this day and age it is still possible for men to get caught in the real guts of war. While the book is written almost blandly, the reader has to put themselves into the position and realize that the situation was anything but calm! Amazing tale.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for thomas d.

18 Hours

I thought it was anexcellent book, along the lines of Forest Gump, you don't plan on things happening, sometimes they just happpen and it's your life.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Phil

Decent

Pretty good story, although I must disagree with the American accent deal - the narrator's attempts were terrible. It didn't detract from the story, though, which I enjoyed despite thinking there might have been a bit more to it when I downloaded it. I was expecting there to be more action rather than a detailed account of what it's like to be bombarded almost constantly by the enemy. This doesn't take anything away from the fact that all the soldiers involved deserve any recognition they received as it takes a special person to maintain composure under such circumstances. The main characters in the book are the sort of people you would want on your side should you be in a fight and their story is quite inspirational and well worth listening to.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Robert

Well Done.

Everything in Duncan's review sums up my experience having just listened to this book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Dirty Zombie

Loved it!

This is a great story and very well researched and written. The Aussie narrator does a great job of doing the voices and American accents. He is the most Aussie sounding bloke they could have chosen which ads to the pride I feel as an Australian when listening to it. This would be great for some US listeners who may forget that there are many other nationalities supporting the war effort in Afghanistan and doing a great job. I don't remember ever reading/listening to a "war"book written by a female author and she is bloody good at it. Please write another one!

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Profile Image for Sher from Provo

Can't Find the Story

I'm sure this is an incredible story, but I couldn't find it. I just got lost and never got found. I'll try it again one of these days.

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