Andy McNab
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Andy McNab DCM MM (born December 28, 1959) is a British former soldier turned novelist. McNab came to public prominence in 1993 when he wrote an account about the failed SAS mission Bravo Two Zero during the Gulf War. He has subsequently authored an autobiography and a number of works of fiction, including a specially commissioned story for the "Quick Reads Project".
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[edit] Background
McNab came originally from London, an adopted son. His father wanted him to be a pilot, but after failing the entrance test, he instead joined the Royal Green Jackets. He served in a variety of places including Northern Ireland and eventually tried for selection to the SAS, succeeding at the second attempt.
McNab's real name is not known to the public. He assumed the pseudonym Andy McNab when writing Bravo Two Zero. When he appears on television to promote his books or to act as a special services expert, his face is shadowed to prevent viewers from identifying him. As Larry King put it when McNab appeared on the Larry King Live show on CNN: "He's in shadow for his security, as he is wanted dead by some terrorist groups."
Although Bravo Two Zero brought him immediate fame and success, McNab has since been accused of exaggerating the facts behind his Gulf War mission. McNab's claim that his squad inflicted between 200 and 250 enemy casualties during their mission has been criticised. There have even been attempts to debunk events in Bravo Two Zero, including a book by the former SAS Regimental Sergeant Major Peter Ratcliffe.
Following the Iraq war, it was subsequently revealed by Richard Tomlinson, the renegade MI6 spy in his book "The Big Breach" (ISBN 1-903813-01-8), that McNab was part of a special training team, readying new MI6 recruits in sabotage and guerrilla warfare techniques.
According to the biography published in Last Light (Pocket Books printing March 2003, ISBN 0-7434-0629-X):
- Andy McNab is a former member of the British SAS, one of the world's toughest and most respected elite special-forces commando units. Involved in covert and overt operations on five continents, McNab worked alongside Delta Force, the FBI, and the DEA. When he left the regiment in 1993, he was the most highly decorated serving soldier in the British Army. He is now a sought-after lecturer on security and remains closely tied to the intelligence communities on both sides of the Atlantic....
- Due to the extremely sensitive nature of his work with the SAS, Andy McNab is the only author who has to submit his fiction to the British Ministry of Defence for review, and he is still wanted by a number of the world's terrorist organizations. He is therefore forbidden to reveal either his face or his current location.
However, some other former SAS members, including Chris Ryan, Johnny "Two Combs" Howard and Shaun Clarke have also published fiction, with Ryan having also participated in the Bravo Two Zero patrol. Chris Ryan, and the former US Navy SEAL Richard Marcinko, are public figures with media careers, Ryan regularly appearing on television, most notably utilising his skills on one of Derren Brown's psychic stunt shows.
In his autobiography Immediate Action, McNab describes his involvement in a number of operations in Northern Ireland prior to his SAS selection, during which time he was in the Royal Green Jackets. During one such episode, he reveals his part in the shooting and killing of IRA operatives during a foot patrol. This, as well as his involvement with the covert unit 14 Intelligence Company during his special forces service may explain his concerns about his personal safety.
McNab also developed and runs a specialist training course for news crews, journalists and members of non-governmental organizations working in hostile environments and he spent time in Hollywood as technical weapons advisor and trainer on the Michael Mann film Heat.
[edit] Books
[edit] Non-fiction
- Immediate Action (1995)
[edit] Ostensibly, and for the most part Non-fiction
- Bravo Two Zero (October 7, 1993)
[edit] Fiction
Nick Stone Missions
- Remote Control (February 17, 1998)
- Crisis Four (August 22, 2000)
- Firewall (October 5, 2000)
- Last Light (October 1, 2001)
- Liberation Day (October 1, 2002)
- Dark Winter (November 3, 2003)
- Deep Black (November 1, 2004)
- Aggressor (November 1, 2005)
- Recoil (November 6, 2006)
Boy Soldier series (written with Robert Rigby)
- Boy Soldier (US title *Traitor, May 5, 2005)
- Boy Soldier 2: Payback (October 6, 2005)
- Boy Soldier 3: Avenger (May 4, 2006)
- Boy Soldier 4: Meltdown (scheduled for May 3, 2007)
Quick Reads project
- The Grey Man (May 8, 2006)
