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Lucky You’re Tough
By Mark Law with Ron Crosby
Allen & Unwin
Reviewed by Jim Sullivan
Lucky You’re Tough is a book of two halves, the first covers Mark Law’s military career and the second deals with his time as a commercial helicopter pilot.
Both have sombre moments, given that Mark Law (with Ron Crosby as co-writer) is describing the rigours and dangers of training and active service in the elite Special Air Service (SAS) and later telling of his unsuccessful attempt to have charges against his helicopter company dropped after the White Island/Whakaari tragedy.
In spite of the rule which forbids SAS soldiers from disclosing classified operational information, there are already about half a dozen books by ex-members and Lucky You’re Tough is a worthy addition to the library.
It describes movingly the modesty and basic humanity of the men whose job description includes putting your life on the line.
During this reviewer’s National Service days, volunteers for the SAS were called for.
One man from our company of 100 took one pace forward and we put him down as crazy.
Mark Law provides a far more intelligent explanation of why he and others joined.
Some from a lifelong ambition and others simply attracted to activities which mirrored their hunting and tramping civilian life.
Mark’s own upbringing in remote Whangamōmona is good old-fashioned social history from Man Alone territory and his experience of being a hostage “freed” by the SAS during a Territorial Army exercise decided his future.
“I was blown away and super-impressed by the operation.”
Following chapters take us through the sometimes nightmarish selection process and then in-depth coverage of serving in both the New Zealand and British SAS.
Later he served in various war zones as a private security officer.
The narrative has a touch of The Boy’s Own Paper and names plenty of names, giving due praise to the people he served with — a feast for readers who dine out on military history.
There is also a large audience for deer hunting stories and helicopter adventures (some very hairy) and the chapters about Law’s helicopter company will meet that need, but it is the last section of the book which will have you wondering about our legal system.
After he received the New Zealand Bravery Star for rescue work following the White Island/Whakaari eruption, Mark Law’s helicopter company, Kahu Helicopters, was fined over health and safety issues.
That story has been told many times already in newspapers and magazines, but in Lucky You’re Tough, Mark Law tells his side in detail.
If you were not one of the 140,000 who signed a petition asking the government to drop the charges, after reading Lucky You’re Tough you may decide that it was one petition which should have had your name on it.
Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer