Exit Wounds: One Australian's War On Terror
'This is my story, but it is also the story of thousands of Australian veterans from Iraq, East Timor, Afghanistan and other conflicts who bare similar emotional scars. This is what becomes of those men and women we send off to war, pay little attention to, then forget once they are home.'
Available Formats
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Trade Paperback$34.99 RRPISBN: 9780522861785Published: 01/10/2012Imprint: Melbourne University PressExtent: 388 pages
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EBookCHECK RETAILER PRICEISBN: 9780522861792Published: 01/10/2012Imprint: Melbourne University Press DigitalExtent: 388 pages
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Paperback$24.95 RRPISBN: 9780522864670Published: 01/10/2013Imprint: Melbourne University Press
Book Description
As a country boy from Queensland, John Cantwell signed up to the army as a private and rose to the rank of major general. He was on the front line in 1991 as Coalition forces fitted bulldozer blades to tanks and buried alive Iraqi troops in their trenches. He fought in Baghdad in 2006 and saw what a car bomb does to a marketplace crowded with women and children. In 2010 he commanded the Australian forces in Afghanistan when ten of his soldiers were killed. He returned to Australia in 2011 to be considered for the job of chief of the Australian Army. Instead, he ended up in a psychiatric hospital.
Exit Wounds is the compassionate and deeply human account of one man's tour of the War on Terror, the moving story of life on a modern battlefield: from the nightmare of cheating death in a minefield, to the poignancy of calling home while under rocket fire in Baghdad, to the utter despair of looking into the face of a dead soldier before sending him home to his mother. He has hidden his post traumatic stress disorder for decades, fearing it will affect his career.
Australia has been at war for the past twenty years and yet there has been no stand-out account from these conflicts—Exit Wounds is it. Raw, candid and eye-opening, no one who reads this book will be unmoved, nor forget its imagery or words.
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Editorial Reviews
"This is a valuable book—and a limited number of books are valuable in this way." - Gerard Windsor, The Saturday Age
"Cantwell never fails to convey a sense of the heroic in his soldiers. His pride in the troops is unwavering." - Portia Lindsay, The Weekend Australian
"This well-written, highly readable account...is a chronicle of Australia's recent involvement in world conflicts and how our soldiers suffered..." - Michael Roser, Chronicle
WendyF0 stars
17 December 2012 at 4:56pm
ReportWhat a magnificient book, I cried with him as he recounted the deaths of the two sappers and their dog and his terror as his accommodation was rocketed. Our soldiers are the best in the world, dedicated and caring and MAJGEN Cantwell displays this in all of its glory and despair. Our paths have crossed form time to time and each time it was a real honour and a pleasure.
SarahB0 stars
8 December 2012 at 10:16am
ReportThis is a deeply moving and compelling book. It is told with directness and honesty that cannot be ignored; the emotions are raw and exposed. I challenge anyone not to be moved by the bravery this book recounts, physical and emotional, and reflect on the futility of war and the sacrifices of our armed forces. Thank you John for what you have shared.
John Coombes0 stars
25 November 2012 at 7:27pm
ReportI finished John Cantrell's 'Exit Wounds', coming to the conclusion that the profession of arms, if you measure it by the number of men who've been prepared to be destroyed both bodily and mentally in its service down the ages, must be among the most successful cults of all time.
David Hartshorn5 stars
15 October 2012 at 2:30pm
ReportThe one sentence from Exit Wounds that sums up retired Major General John Cantwell as a commander is: “As much as possible I shield the unit commanders in Afghanistan from the deadening touch of defence bureaucrats and political wrangling, but not always successfully”. John has demystified, in my view, one star rank and above. The Australian generals of the 70s and 80s who influenced my early army career, and dare I say John’s, still mostly displayed the British “stiff upper lip” attitude of show no emotion. John has shattered that myth forever. He has also reminded me about the positive aspects of army mate ship and camaraderie, which have been and will be evident for time immemorial. John has provided a fascinating insight into the policy and decision making at senior officer level, and shown that even at his level, an army general on leave is still at the mercy of policies of “the muted defence public affairs machinery.” While every combat death is sad, the saddest incident for me was the one involving the two soldiers who detonated a buried improvised explosive device while doing pushups in their platoon over watch position. As I finished John’s story I was left with a strong wish that his mates from the first gulf war, Steve and Pete, who John said he has not been able to reconnect with, will get to read this moving account of the unique experience they shared together on the battlefield.
Iphigenia0 stars
26 September 2012 at 9:36am
ReportI concur with the above comment. Cantwell has begun a new battle on a new front and I wish him well to help our society. I am curious though as to why Cantwell has not sought EMDR therapy, known as rapid eye movement therapy, which is now recognised as useful for PTSD in war vets. He might add this to his war chest.
Fairfieldstation5 stars
26 September 2012 at 9:22am
ReportThanks to John Cantwell for having the courage and open-heartedness to write his book. He speaks directly to men and women who have experienced trauma. He challenges authorities to have a better understanding of the mechanics of trauma along with policies that will support those who are dealing with it. He tells Australian men to be more open and honest about their feelings and emotions, and to seek professional help when they need it.