Clint Palmer breaks SAS code of silence in biography SAS Insider

EXCLUSIVE: Clint Palmer never intended to break the SAS code of silence yet after he retired he had a deep desire to ‘put a few things right’.

CLINT Palmer never intended to break the SAS code of silence, but after he retired from the elite special-forces unit he was hit with a deep desire to ‘put a few things right’.

The result is SAS Insider, a compelling biography written with author Robert Macklin.

“The official line is not always accurate and there have been a few anomalies along the way,” Palmer told News Corp Australia.

“For someone who was actually there it is not opinion, it is accurate recollection.

“It is important for the objective truth to be told.”

Part of one of the biggest battles of the Afghanistan war ... SAS soldier Warrant Officer Clint Palmer.

Palmer was attached to US forces on the ground for the start of one of the biggest battles of the entire Afghanistan War — Operation Anaconda.

He and signaller Jock Wallace fought all day to stay alive and to look after and evacuate 30 wounded Americans while dodging bombs dropped by B-52 bombers from 30,000 feet.

Their actions exemplified the SAS motto of ‘Who Dares Wins’.

News Corp Australia first revealed Clint Palmer’s story in June 2002 when, because of his protected identity status, he was referred to only as Warrant Officer ‘P’.

Details of the battle were also outlined in the 2005 best-selling book ‘The Amazing SAS’.

Clint Palmer was one of few Australians either directly or indirectly involved in the battle to not receive an award, but he denies being bitter.

He describes Anaconda as a ‘life changing event’ that opened his eyes to how people operate and to the frailty of the human condition.

“It was a real education to me but it was so close to being catastrophic for everybody involved,” he said.

“It could have been very different if 80 blokes had been slaughtered in that valley that day.”

Still a reservist ... SAS soldier Warrant Officer Clint Palmer.

“Life changing event” ... SAS soldier Warrant Officer Clint Palmer.

A veteran of more than 1000 parachute jumps including many so-called and very dangerous high-altitude low opening or HALO insertions, Palmer chalked up almost 30 years in the nation’s top military unit.

He is still a reservist and works on short-term contracts with the Regiment.

His book provides a gripping account of a long and distinguished career at the sharp end of the special-forces world and lifts the curtain slightly on our most secretive military asset.

‘It has been an outstanding journey and I am humbled to have been a part of it for so long,’ he said.

Kill or be killed ... SAS soldier Warrant Officer Clint Palmer in Afghanistan. Picture: Department of Defence

SAS Insider published by Hachette Australia RRP $35

Originally published as Clint Palmer breaks SAS code of silence in biography SAS Insider