Venter, Al J. Barrel of a Gun. A War Correspondent's Misspent Moments in Combat

Anyone who says the pen is mightier than the sword hasn't spent time in Somalia or Beirut during its bloody heyday. So begins this fascinating memoir by a journalist, filmmaker and reporter who has made it his mission to investigate warfare - on the ground, while the bullets are flying. While the average citizen is aware of violent conflicts around the globe, Al J. Venter felt the need to see them all in person, preferably at the centre of the action. A native of South Africa, Venter has seen many horrific battles on his continent from Rhodesia to Biafra, Angola to Somalia. He has ridden with the legendary mercenary group "Executive Outcomes", flown on bounty hunts with the "Selous Scouts" and travelled through the jungle with guerrillas and national troops, depending on who was in power in the respective country. During the civil war in Sierra Leone, he flew in the government's only Mi-24 Hind combat helicopter as it blew up rebel villages and convoys. In the Middle East, he accompanied the invading Israeli army into southern Lebanon, where he was held captive by Hezbollah. During his travels, Venter met a number of similarly daring soldiers and journalists, from "Mad Mike" Hoare to Danny Pearl, as well as elite soldiers from around the world, many of whom, he sadly reports, never left the war zones they had entered. Al Venter allows the reader to share in his personal combat experiences, which fascinate him in all their complexity.