The Forgotten Land Read Online Free PDF Page A

was little wonder that the Kurds were so angry and
vengeful towards the Iraqi people. The book went on to cover tourist
attractions within Iraq, as well as the culture, history and religion that
could be found within the borders of the country.
    Steve
did not sleep that night. He continued to read and take notes. By midday the
next day he had read the book, taken pages of notes and was bone weary. He
drove home and spent the rest of the next two days with his family. As was the
policy within the regiment, he was not to tell his family where he was being
deployed. But the families of members of the SASR were not stupid, they watched
the seven o’clock news and were acutely aware of which hellhole their partners
were about to be sent.
    The
day before he was to deploy Steve took his family to Cottesloe beach. The sky
was a deep blue, made more so by the thin wisps of cloud that stretched to the
horizon. The ocean surged and swelled, waves breaking onto the shore, the
seawater advancing across the sand with a soothing hiss before it fled back
into the ocean, ready for the next wave that sent it spilling forward again. He
loved the beach, and so did the kids. He smiled as he watched them frolicking
in the shallows. Judy sat on a beach towel watching them, their picnic lunch
safely stowed away in an esky beside her.
    “Careful,”
Steve chuckled as Brent was bowled over by a wave. He leaned down and picked
his son up out of the water.
    The
toddler wiped his face and giggled. Steve walked out further so the ocean
crashed about his thighs, Brent tucked under one arm giggling and squirming.
    “Ready,
Son?” grinned Steve, as he lowered Brent into the water, but keeping a firm
grip on him. When the next wave was almost upon them he threw his son into the
air and caught him. The boy screamed with excitement.
    “Ready?”
he chuckled as Brent waved his arms in the air happily. He lowered his son into
the water so that only his head was above water. The wave coming towards them
must have looked huge from Brent’s perspective. At the last moment Steve threw
him up into the air again. After fifteen minutes of this game and growing
tired, Brent asked to join his mum. Carrying him up to Judy, he placed his son
onto his mother’s lap, before heading back into the water to join Kathy.
    “Race
ya, Dad!” called Kathy, readying herself to catch an incoming wave.
    “You’re
on!” Steve smiled. He waited until the wave was almost
    upon
him then threw himself into the water and began swimming freestyle until he
felt the surge of the water around him. Increasing his speed he could feel his
body being swept along by the wave and kicking forward, thrust his arm out in
front of him. With the power of the wave behind him, it felt like he was flying
through the water at incredible speed. As he neared the beach the power of the
wave subsided and he felt the sand beneath his feet. Standing up he noticed
Kathy had easily beaten him.
    “You’ll
have to do better than that, Dad!”
    “I
was just warming up,” he replied, pretending to stretch his arms.
    “Yeah
right!” Kathy said.
    “Now
I’ll try again, for real this time,” he said, with a wink.
    Kathy
beat him again.
    “Takes
us oldies a few goes to warm up,” grinned Steve, “give me a few more waves and
I’ll put you to shame!” “Okay, you’re on, Dad!”
    Again
Kathy won.
    Steve
came spluttering to the surface and climbed to his feet.
    “At
least I don’t cheat!” said Steve with a grin.
    Kathy
gasped. “I didn’t cheat,” she called, throwing a piece of seaweed
at him. The seaweed splattered across his head, giving him instant dreadlocks.
Kathy burst into laughter. He threw the seaweed aside with a grin.
    They
caught waves together for another half an hour, Steve winning only a handful of
times, his daughter beating him hands down. After they had tired of the game,
they walked hand in hand up the beach to where Brent and Judy waited.
    As
the water dried upon his skin,