Our Global Veterans with Sara Troy and her guest David Brown, on air from July 1st
Awarded Medals By Queen Elizabeth II For His 40 Years In The British Army, A Retired Major Pens A Powerful War Novel Set In 1970s Northern Ireland
David Brown, a lifelong military man for the British Army, who received medals from Queen Elizabeth II for his bravery throughout a successful four-decade military career, has not had to fire a shot in many years. But all of the bloody battles fought in his lifetime live in his head, heart, and soul. He brings to life what it really felt like to fight the enemy, even when winning felt like losing. “There’s a heavy price to pay for peace on all sides of a conflict,” says Brown.
Brown has three novels out, each inspired by his military experiences that began for him at the tender age of 15. He left a household in poverty and dropped out of school to become a soldier. From 1969 to 1976, he witnessed and participated in fighting for Great Britain against the IRA uprising (or freedom fighters?) in Northern Ireland.
At just 15, he left home to join the British Army, driven by a deep sense of duty and a desire for purposes beyond the life he knew. Over a remarkable 40-year military career, he fought in numerous battles across the globe, witnessing both the chaos and camaraderie that only war can forge. His service was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II herself, who awarded him medals that now serve as quiet reminders of sacrifice and honor. The brutal reality of war left a lasting impression, compelling him to write three novels—fictionalized accounts drawn from the truth of his battlefield experiences. He speaks candidly about the visceral intensity of hand-to-hand combat, and the haunting paradox of feeling a deep, private respect for the very enemy he was trained to destroy. After retiring from the military, life shifted once again when he faced the profound loss of his wife to kidney failure. It was this heartbreak that prompted him to start anew, redefining purpose in a life now lived beyond the battlefield.
“Some may label me a killer, and they’d be right,” says Brown. Others would say I was a hero, and they would be right. But there will always be mixed feelings in reflecting back on a soldier’s scorecard. We can pray for peace and forgiveness – all while pulling the trigger to remove a life from this world — and the soldier must feel he did what had to be done while still questioning why he was there at all.”
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David Brown has authored three novels, all military fiction inspired by decades of military service for England. His books are The Wolves of the Radfan, Hard Rain, and The Darkness. He served in the British Army for 40 years, dropping out of school to join the military at the age of 15. He left The St. George’s School in Cambridge and the impoverished neighbourhood dubbed The Kite. His household was so poor that he wore his sister’s hand-me-downs, his home lacked heating and hot water, and the bathroom was located outside of the gas-lit house.
Brown was awarded a BEM (British Empire Medal military division) and the MBE (Member of the British Empire medal military division) from Queen Elizabeth II. Between 1969 and 1976, he spent a good deal of time in Northern Ireland, serving with a top infantry regiment as both a platoon sergeant and later as a platoon commander.
Brown left the infantry for the elite Army Physical Training Corp and received a commission, eventually reaching the rank of Major.
He has traveled the world, living in over a dozen countries spanning four continents, including Hong Kong, Kenya, Germany, Canada, Yemen, Morocco, Libya, Gibraltar, Norway, Cyprus, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and numerous parts of England.
After leaving the military, he became a professional mountaineering instructor in Spain. He has climbed the Himalaya Mountains, the Andes Mountains, the European Alps, and other great heights.
Brown’s first wife died of kidney failure, but he found his faith in God again and remarried. Now 78 years old, he is retired and plays golf and produces a quarterly magazine called The Rock, for The Costa Blanca Anglican Chaplaincy.
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