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"As you know 'blood clot' means blood cells coming together to form a strong clot that forms and sticks together to keep the wound sealed enabling it to repair. The Parachute Regiment's 'blood clot' acts the same, whether downtown scrapping or in some far away country fighting alongside each other. Our maroon berets come together, they stick together, they close ranks forming the blood clot and fight against anything that comes their way." (Jake Scott)
When the 3 Para battle group departed for Helmand Province, south Afghanistan, nobody really knew what to expect. Within a month of being on the ground the first of many contacts between the Taliban and British forces began. The British government and media were in shock - for the men on the ground it was what they were trained for. As weeks went on the fighting increased. Resources and manning were poor but for the Paras it was too late - it was back to basics, living in holes in the ground in 60 degree temperatures, often in small numbers and under constant attack from the Taliban. It looked as if it was going to be a long six months… Blood Clot is a personal account of the Parachute Regiment's ferocious tour of duty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan 2006 by a man who was involved in the thick of the action.
Born in 1981, Jake Scott joined the Parachute Regiment aged 17, and had already seen service around the world - including Iraq - before becoming part of a small reconnaissance team trained to operate behind enemy lines, known as 'the Patrols'. Jake and his mates probed, escorted and fought their way in and around some of the most dangerous areas in the whole of the Middle East - virgin Taliban country. After intense fighting against the odds, leaving dead Taliban soldiers in their wake and encountering some very near misses themselves, the Patrols platoon eventually ended their tour of duty. This is their story - the very beginning of the Afghan troubles in the south, the build up and lack of support and equipment in the initial stages, the close and dangerous fighting, the boredom of the open desert and the uncontrollable sadness of friends killed and injured around them.
The Paras and their battle group arrived in small numbers in Helmand in 2006. They set the example for others to follow for many years to come - the aggressiveness of the airborne soldier when it was called for, fighting the Taliban on their turf, up close and personal.
"The story of 3 Para's 2006 Afghan operations has already, and rightly, passed into British military legend. Rendered in the raw language of a true fighting man, this book adds to a growing body of literature about a series of epic engagements against a resolute and fanatical enemy - the Taliban. This is a tale of true British grit, and epic endurance, and it is most definitely the real thing."
Damien Lewis, bestselling author of Apache Dawn
"For anybody wishing to get inside the head of an airborne soldier in order to better understand what motivates him, excites him, frightens him and keeps him going when others have given up, Blood Clot is an important book. Jake Scott brings the fighting in Afghanistan to life with a devastating description of his experiences with 3 Para. The book holds no punches as the reader is drawn into the thick of the action. A breathless account that has the reader wiping the dust from his eyes and the mud from his boots."
Lloyd Clark, RMA Sandhurst and author of Arnhem: Jumping the Rhine 1944 and 1945
"If you like a non-stop story of a real war being fought by real soldiers in today's world then this book is for you ... you will love it from start to finish." Raider Magazine
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