On Combat - Dave Grossman

[Scythe13]

This is a fantastic book on the psychology and physiology of deadly combat.

I've stepped into the cage 8 times and my body has had the shakes before and after, I've experienced massive adrenaline dumps, and prolonged adrenaline dumps with a short 'combat period' that have ended up with me not being able to sleep properly for ages! It turns out, it's all just a natural reaction. When I've been excited to fight, I've had the shakes, and people have thought it was fear. Again, it's natural from adrenaline.

It was recommended by a friend of mine and it gives you a great heads up on what's going to happen to your body during actual 'deadly combat', which is going to be a major step up from what I'm 'used to'.

For those who are not military trained, it gives a wonderful insight into what you can expect, and how you can learn to cope with the changes that happen to you, your mind, and also your body. It explains why you're tired afterwards, why people's bowels open up, and shows that it's all okay if that happens to you. It basically lifts the lid on the 'unspoken subjects' of war.

The reason so many hardened soldiers take a 'combat dump' is explained. The reason why a debrief is so important. How to properly read physical reactions and how to think post-combat to better deal with what you went though.

If you think I'm being a weak-civilian for reading this, then so be it. But this book is a must read for so many people. Speaking about being a 'weak-civilian', this book is also recommended reading, and the guy who wrote it teaches, many special forces units, as well as police specials e.g. SWAT, all around the world. So before you call me a weak-civilian for reading this, go speak to the Green Berets and call them out first...or go to GunSight and call the guys there out.

On a scale of 1 to 10, considering I'm only about half way though the book and a little over half way through the audiobook, and providing it continues the way it is currently going, I'd give this a 9.5/10. Very good read, very informative, and in my opinion, it's a must read.

It's also available as an audiobook, which makes the drive to work much more bearable.

If you've not read it, in my opinion, you're missing out. Maybe I should have given it a 10/10.