The Row to Recovery: From the Battlefield to Barbados - An Incredible Journey of Extraordinary Courage Book

Earlier this year six ex-servicemen embarked on a grueling mission to row the Atlantic. Overcoming a broken rudder, blistering heat and running out of fresh water, they completed the endeavour in just 51 days - a feat achieved by fewer people than have climbed Everest. What made their accomplishment all the more remarkable was that of the six, four had been severely wounded while on active service in Afghanistan and Iraq. The trials of the Row2Recovery boat were covered at the time by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News and national newspapers as the public recognised the gravity of the situation the crew found themselves in and concerns mounted for their safety. When Prince Harry called the boat via satellite to raise their morale as water supplies dwindled to dangerously low levels the media were astonished that, despite their plight, the crew were in surprisingly good spirits! But given the journey these men had taken to even get into the boat their latest set back seemed to be just another bump in a long road to recovery.The story of the voyage, and the individual journeys that the crew took to get there, is now recorded in this book, which tells the stories of the six crew members from their Tours of Duty in the hot desert sands of Afghanistan and Iraq, to the traumatic 'man down' moments that four of them suffered at the hands of insurgents. It then documents their traumatic recoveries, which, for some, included coming to terms with lost limbs and learning how to walk again, and continues on to the massive undertaking of trying to row across the Atlantic with a crew that was missing four legs and forced to live together in a boat that was so small that only three of the six could be out on deck at any one time. Written by former Army officer and journalist Sam Peters, who was involved with the project from the very start, The Row to Recovery provides a moving insight into the phenomenal journey that these men undertook - not just in the literal sense, but in terms of the remarkable physical and mental endeavours which took them from the battlefield to rehabilitation, culminating in immense personal triumph.It is an inspiration to all, an exhortation that anything is possible and an important reminder to everyone in this country, regardless of political stance, that the consequences of our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan will reverberate long after our troops have returned home.Read More