image of person or book cover 614096316597869071.jpg
Cover image courtesy of publisher.
Issue Details: First known date: 2015... 2015 The Fighter : The Extraordinary True Story of How a Muay Thai Champion Survived Hell on the Frontline in Afghanistan
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'The remarkable true story Paul 'Warlord' Warren, the young soldier and former Muay Thai boxing champioin, who lost one of his legs when an IED exploded during a mission in Afghanistan. A story of enormous courage, great determination and deep love.

'Paul 'Warlord' Warren was an Australian Muay Thai kick-boxing champion who was used to the physically punishing world of martial arts at its highest level. But nothing could prepare him for the torment he would face in the Australian army. One month after he arrived in Afghanistan as a soldier in the ADF, an IED exploded, tearing off his right leg and instantly killing his mate, Private Ben Ranaudo. It was 18 July 2009 and Ben was the campaign's eleventh fatality.

'Private Warren's life was saved by the quick work of his battalion, who got him a helicopter within 16 minutes for surgery. Paul was flown to Germany and then back to Australia, where he received treatment for his injuries in Brisbane. Although he had only known his partner, Dearne, for four months before his deployment, she moved to Brisbane to assist his recovery.

'There were many dark times as Paul struggled with the shattering effects of PTSD, and guilt and grief over the death of his mate Benny. At his lowest ebb, Paul thought about taking his own life, as so many other soldiers in similar circumstances continue to do. Recovery was a slow and at times desperately painful process, but the discipline and toughness he'd learned from his martial arts background and the fierce love of Dearne helped him mend.

'The Fighter is a story of courage, determination and love that will move all who read it. ' (Publication summary)

Exhibitions

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Crows Nest, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 2015 .
      image of person or book cover 614096316597869071.jpg
      Cover image courtesy of publisher.
      Extent: 304p.
      Note/s:
      • Published: 26th August 2015
      ISBN: 9781743439920

Other Formats

  • Also large print.

Works about this Work

‘So Here Is My True Story’ : Australian Military Memoirs and the Construction of Public Understanding of Australia’s War in Afghanistan Amanda Laugesen , 2023 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Historical Studies , vol. 54 no. 1 2023; (p. 91-108)

'Australia’s war in Afghanistan has led to the production of a number of military memoirs, published commercially and reaching a diverse readership. These memoirs shape public understandings of the experience of the war and how it was fought. This article analyses a selection of these military memoirs, focusing on how soldier-authors frame their reasons for joining the military and for being deployed to war. The article pays attention to descriptions of combat, mateship, and the enemy, and to the ways in which these books convey the costs of war.' (Publication abstract) 

We Were Warriors Grantlee Kieza , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 5 September 2015; (p. 18-19)

— Review of The Fighter : The Extraordinary True Story of How a Muay Thai Champion Survived Hell on the Frontline in Afghanistan Paul Warren , Jeff Apter , 2015 single work biography
'Meatworker Paul Warren joined the army and headed to Afghanistan, where a bomb blast robbed him of a leg and his best mate, but not his inspiring determination to get his life back on track...'
We Were Warriors Grantlee Kieza , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 5 September 2015; (p. 18-19)

— Review of The Fighter : The Extraordinary True Story of How a Muay Thai Champion Survived Hell on the Frontline in Afghanistan Paul Warren , Jeff Apter , 2015 single work biography
'Meatworker Paul Warren joined the army and headed to Afghanistan, where a bomb blast robbed him of a leg and his best mate, but not his inspiring determination to get his life back on track...'
‘So Here Is My True Story’ : Australian Military Memoirs and the Construction of Public Understanding of Australia’s War in Afghanistan Amanda Laugesen , 2023 single work criticism
— Appears in: Australian Historical Studies , vol. 54 no. 1 2023; (p. 91-108)

'Australia’s war in Afghanistan has led to the production of a number of military memoirs, published commercially and reaching a diverse readership. These memoirs shape public understandings of the experience of the war and how it was fought. This article analyses a selection of these military memoirs, focusing on how soldier-authors frame their reasons for joining the military and for being deployed to war. The article pays attention to descriptions of combat, mateship, and the enemy, and to the ways in which these books convey the costs of war.' (Publication abstract) 

Last amended 13 Jun 2016 13:29:47
X