
Losing the Battle, Winning the War
The story of the most injured soldier to have survived Afghanistan
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Narrated by:
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Gareth Bennett-Ryan
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By:
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Ben Parkinson
About this listen
The story of Ben Parkinson, MBE, the most injured soldier to have survived Afghanistan.
What were you doing when you were 22? Where were you in the world? What did you want to do with your life?
Ben Parkinson was a six-foot-four-inch paratrooper. He was in Afghanistan fighting for his country. He wanted to always be a soldier, to be a father and to get home in one piece. But we don't always get what we want. So the question is: how do we react when that happens? Easy: you find something new to fight for.
Ben Parkinson, MBE, is an inspiration to everyone. He suffered 37 injuries when his Land Rover hit a mine in Helmand in 2006, including brain damage, breaking his back and losing both his legs. This book follows the story of what led him to that moment his life changed forever - and what happened next. Doctors didn't think Ben could survive the trauma - then they didn't think he would wake up, or talk again, or walk again. Time after time, Ben pushed the ceiling on what was possible, going on to carry the Olympic flame in 2012 and receiving an MBE for the enormous feats he has undertaken for charity.
What he has achieved in the face of adversity - for others as well as for himself - is nothing short of a miracle. Nerve-wracking, heart-warming and full of classic soldier's humour, Losing the Battle, Winning the War is a book you'll be thinking about long after the last word.
©2021 Ben Parkinson (P)2021 Hachette Audio UKListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"A great and inspiring book from Doncaster's bravest son. Read it in a day." (Jeremy Clarkson)
"Ben is the embodiment of positive thinking. What he has achieved, in large part through willpower, is nothing short of miraculous. An inspiration to us all." (Ant Middleton)
"Ben Parkinson is my hero. His story is one of immeasurable courage and character, a testament to the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit." (Dan Jarvis, MP, author of Long Way Home)