A Soldier's Oath: A modern soldier's adventures on and off the field of battle

Fred Oldenburg left the British Army in 2012 after serving for 23 years with the Royal Anglian Regiment, becoming a platoon sergeant and seeing action in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, with exercises and training in many other countries, from the USA to Kenya, Brunei, Belize, Bermuda and Jordan. A man of action who never shrank from confrontation - either with the enemy or with fellow soldiers who failed to come up to the mark – he survived several violent and devastating encounters with enemy forces in the Middle East. During the welcome periods of R&R, there were some equally narrow escapes from one or two terrifying blind dates. ‘The explosion, when it came, was sudden, powerful and loud. There was a blinding flash of light, followed by a thick plume of smoke which engulfed our vehicle. My gunner, who was up top in the turret, screamed he’d been shot and crumpled to the floor, his helmet falling from his head, his body smoking. Everything was happening in slow motion…’