The Great Game by Peter Hopkirk
After a day of range and CQB training with some of America’s finest we headed to a little greasy diner to get chow. Both men who were seated at my table had a wide level of experiences, in service and out. One had returned from a fight camp in Thailand, of course that was an interesting story. Paying to get beat up and starved for 2 weeks, sounds like an adventure. The other gentleman had been a teacher in Korea, teaching English. I don’t know why this hit me as a crazy job to have but outside of the military or federal service, it doesn’t seem that many men venture afar for employment. So when the subject of good books came up I happily suggested a few. The former English teacher suggested only one book if I recall correctly. It was Peter Hopkirk’s, The Great Game.
I made note of the book and the lust with which this young man talked of the book. I was intrigued. A story of British and Russian spies vying for control of Central Asia and the leaders of these tribal states.
If you like history this is a great book for you. If you enjoy a good spy novel, this one is fact not fiction. The daring exploits of these young men is heart pounding and sometimes sad. If you wonder why the Russians and the American’s couldn’t win in Afghanistan, this book might make some sense. As I read this book I was also reading another about the hardships of the modern fight in Afghanistan, history rhymes. That’s the way it has always been.
Hands down, one of my favorite books of all time. And I try not to hand that title out too much……
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