Extreme Risk by Major Chris Hunter is published by Bantam Press this week. Chris took a moment out of his busy publicity schedule to talk to Between the Lines.
What did you do before you joined the army?
I joined the Army when I was sixteen, so pretty much joined straight from school, although I worked in my parents restaurant after school from the age of 14.
Why did you decide to train as a bomb disposal expert?
I think people do it for a number of reasons. I know some do it for the adrenalin rush, others to seek atonement for darker episodes in their livesBut I think most do it out of a good old-fashioned sense of duty - just because they want to make a difference. For me, I guess it was a bit of all three.
How long did it take you to train?
The basic ammunition technical officers course (the Army’s counter-terrorist bomb disposal operators) complete 14 months of basic trade training, before undertaking a minimum of a years on-the-job training; only then can they attempt the two-month high threat operators course. It has one of the highest failure rates in the British Army.only 10% pass first time.
How many bombs did you diffuse?
I neutralised scores of IEDs and hundreds of items of other unexploded ordnance
Which countries have you worked in?
Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan, Colombia, and a few slightly more operationally sensitive ones.
What was the most difficult part of your job?
Being away from my family - it never ever got any easier.
What was the most difficult situation you found yourself in?
Being targeted by insurgents for assassination when I was serving as an operator in Iraq. Eventually it came to a head when the Shia insurgents placed a booby-trapped car bomb outside an hospital in the Sunni-dominated part of Basrah. They expected me to deal with it by hand…but I had other ideas…and I’m still alive to tell the tale!
What was the best part of your Job?
The teamwork and camaraderie and the immense sense of gratification that comes with preventing a device that’s designed to kill and maim, from doing so.
How would a typical day pan out for you?
One minute I could be in the UK, going for a run, or shopping for groceries in Sainsbury’s…and the same day I could be parachuting out of an aircraft or arresting terrorists in Gloucestershire. The variety was a huge part of the appeal.
How big was your team?
We started with 8 men, but were ambushed and badly shot up during an ambush on my fifth day in Iraq. It was a miracle that we all survived, but from that day onwards, we never deployed with less than twelve people in the team.
Would you encourage individuals to choose this career path?
Absolutely, it’s got to be about the most fascinating and exciting thing I’ve ever done without getting arrested!
If you had to choose another job, what would it be?
Having read Ed Macey’s brilliant autobiography ‘Apache’…being an Apache helicopter pilot would win hands-down.
Click here to get your copy of Extreme Risk, out now!
