Behind The Shield Ben Timberlake (Warfighting, Addiction and Archaeology) - Episode 918
Ben Timberlake is a former SAS soldier, Contractor, archaeologist and the author of "High Risk".
We discuss his early life, joining the British Special Forces, the horrors of war, kindness in combat, his powerful and unique addiction story, his full circle back into archaeology and so much more.
High Risk:
This is a dark, raw and uncompromising tale of the human condition in extremis, drawing on the many lives of Ben Timberlake: as an archaeologist, Special Forces soldier, combat medic and drug addict.
Starting with Ben’s first near-death experience—in a Nazi-themed bar in wartime Yugoslavia—High Risk is a whirlwind tour of everything from service in the SAS, combat in Iraq, and encounters with a gambling-obsessed 9/11 hijacker, to veterans blissed out on MDMA, hook-ups in the world of extreme sex, and battling a heroin habit on a remote Scottish island.
Ben pursued the rush, and the chase often took him over the edge. Instead of asking why, he asked, why not? Blending confessional narrative, classic reportage and acerbic humour, this memoir takes a gonzo look at terrorists, junkies, soldiers and strippers, through the tale of one extraordinary life.