David Wiseman was the first soldier on the scene of one of the most devastating attacks on British soldiers in Afghanistan, witnessing the horrific aftermath of an attack on unsuspecting troops by a rogue element of the Afghan police, which left five men dead and nine wounded, shaking the British forces in Helmand to the core. Only a few weeks later, and haunted by what he had experienced, David was once again fighting shoulder to shoulder with his Afghan allies, but this time would leave the battlefield with a Taliban bullet lodged deep in his chest, inches from his heart.
Helmand to the Himalayas is the dramatic story of his journey in combat, his agonising battle with physical injuries and psychological demons and his life affirming recovery as part of a pioneering mountaineering team. An exhilarating memoir of his gritty tour of Afghanistan, it reveals the day-to-day hardships faced by soldiers in battle, the horrors and absurdities of the conflict and the overwhelming challenges and dangers that have faced British soldiers tasked with mentoring their Afghan allies. With staggering honesty, David reveals how frustration and chance eventually led him to find salvation, renewed purpose and a sense of pride on the slopes of Mount Everest with Walking With The Wounded and an unlikely band of wounded veterans.
In his latest step on the road to recovery, David played a key role as Games Co-Ordinator for the inaugural Invictus Games in September 2014, as well as representing the United Kingdom as part of the swimming team. In a competition which saw more than 400 wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women from 13 nations compete, David went on to complete another momentous achievement, winning gold medals in the Men's 100m Freestyle ISD and in the Mixed 4 x 50m Freestyle relay, and silver medals in the Men's 50m backstroke ISD and Men's 50m Freestyle ISD.
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