SOFREP

Phil Campion

Phil Campion is a veteran of military operations in just about every conflict-prone corner of the world. He served with the Royal Hampshires, passed through Commando and Parachute Regiment selection, before being badged with 22 SAS. He left the British Army in his early thirties, with the rank of Staff Sergeant, and started working on the private military circuit. He lives in Southampton with his partner, Wendy, and three children. He is a fluent Spanish speaker and continues to work as an operator on the private military circuit. Phil’s first book, Born Fearless: From SAS to Mercenary to Pirate Hunter – My Life as a Shadow Warrior, was published by Quercus in September 2011. His first novel, Desert Fire, following the exploits of ex-SAS operative Steve Range, was published by Quercus in September 2012, and the second in the Blackstone Six series, Killing Range, followed in May 2013. Phil’s most recent book, Big Phil Campion’s Real World SAS Survival Guide, was published by Quercus in May 2014.

Britain’s Special Air Service Selection (Pt. 2): On the Hills

June 16, 2015

I paid no attention to anyone else’s predicament while on the hills. The first part of selection is just to see if you’ve got what it takes to continue.

How I Got Into 22 SAS: Britain’s Special Air Service Selection (Pt. 1)

May 13, 2015

I was over a week into the UK Special Forces selection course, but I’d been preparing myself for years. I was determined to join the SAS regiment.

D Squadron, SAS: Operation Barras (Pt. 4)

April 23, 2015

Note: This article is part of a series. You can read part one, part two, and part three here. We began the sweep as planned. There were a whole load of individual firefights everywhere. We were taking a ton of automatic fire from one hut in particular. I gave it a full service with the Minimi before someone hit it […]

D Squadron, SAS: Operation Barras (Pt. 3)

April 21, 2015

Like most plans, the operation went out the window in the first few seconds. The moment we hit the ground, we became pinned down in the open.

D Squadron, SAS: Operation Barras (Pt. 2)

April 17, 2015

Note: This article is part of a series. You can read part one here. We already know the basics. The captured British troops serving with the UN peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone were from the Royal Irish Regiment. They were originally part of a detachment that had been deployed to help oversee the evacuation of foreign […]

D Squadron, SAS: Operation Barras (Pt. 1)

April 10, 2015

In September 2000, a group of British soldiers serving with the UN peacekeeping force in war-torn Sierra Leone took a wrong turn and were captured by a rebel militia called the West Side Boys. It was a full-scale crisis that became the number-one priority for Prime Minister Tony Blair. His solution: Send in the SAS. […]