Tested Mettle: Canada's Peacekeepers at War - Hardcover

Taylor, Scott; Nolan, Brian

3.62

16 ratings by Goodreads

9781895896084: Tested Mettle: Canada's Peacekeepers at War

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1895896088 ISBN 13: 9781895896084

Publisher: Esprit de Corps Books, 1999

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The untold story of the Canadian Army's fight for survival on two fronts: the volatile bullet-riddled war zones of the world and the equally treacherous political battleground here at home.

Tested Mettle takes over where the controversial bestseller "Tarnished Brass" left off. "Esprit de Corps" magazine publisher, Scott Taylor, and veteran journalist, Brian Nolan, document the heroic story of Canada's UN peacekeepers serving in war-ravaged former Yugoslavia and around the world.

The authors recount the dangerous physical obstacles these soldiers face each day and the psychological torment they experience, leaving many of them scarred for life.

Readers will be shocked to learn of the deprivations and daily hardships faced by the troops, who frequently are sent to dangerous foreign fields with obsolete and outdated equipment. The top brass, meanwhile, has wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars on their own lavish farewell parties and personal aggrandizement. Taylor and Nolan also expose the workings of the elite and secretive Joint Task Force II, whose mysterious and Rambo-like assignments are known only to the highest orders of government and the high command.

Tested Mettle will leave Canadians proud of their courageous peacemakers and outraged by a corrupt Defence Department.

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About the Author:

Scott Taylor, a former soldier, is the editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps, a monthly magazine celebrating Canada's military heritage. It is also reknowned for its unflinching scrutiny of the Canadian military. The ten years of research that he compiled for this book is firsthand: as a journalist, he has traveled to Bosnia, Croatia, Cambodia, the Western Sahara and the Persian Gulf to visit Canadian soldiers in theatres of operation.

Brian Nolan has enjoyed success as a newspaper, radio and television reporter, as well as a documentary filmmaker and TV news executive. He is also the author of several bestselling books on Canadian military issues.

Review:

...impressively researched and documented. -- Pembroke Observer

An extremely readable, very entertaining book... It is by and large an account of untold stories of peacekeepers. For that reason alone, I expect this to be very well-received by soldiers and by the public at large... It says what soldiers (and senior officers) would like to say about [Canada's] limited capabilities, the burden of overtasking, and the consequences of the money crunch. It is a stark indictment of defence policy planning, and of the decision-making processes at play which, over the years, have caused the army to be stretched to the breaking point and become "exhausted." It may well be the springboard for a more critical look by mainstream media at the reasons for the serious commitment-capability gap in the military, and particularly the army. However, since the thesis is "look how well the peacekeepers do regardless of how poorly-led the army is," it is not likely to be well accepted by very senior officers and civilian staff. -- Official analysis, Department of National Defence

Compelling. Tested Mettle ought to be required reading. -- Edmonton Sun

Congratulations. No one has to convince me of the quality of our soldiers; however, your collection of anecdotes highlighting their professionalism and bravery "beyond the norm" is a reminder to the Canadian public that good news rarely surfaces on its own. It has to be sought out in spite of obstacles. Well done! -- Major General Lewis MacKenzie

This is a book about the Canadian army unlike any other... It not only gives an idea of what's gone wrong within today's army, but names names and says who's to blame and why... It'll drive Ottawa's politicized generals, and their echoes in academia, bonkers. But for others in the military it will be greeted with, 'Hallelujah...finally, someone is telling the story.' -- Peter Worthington, Editor Emeritus, Toronto Sun

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