100 Ways I Almost Died by Bram Connolly is a gripping, high-stakes memoir detailing the author's harrowing near-death encounters spanning over two decades within the Australian Army and its Special Forces. Far from just a list of narrow escapes, this raw and thoughtful text pulls back the curtain on elite military operations to expose the fragile line between meticulous training and pure, unpredictable luck.
The Thin Margin of Survival
Lieutenant-Colonel Bram Connolly, a DSM-decorated veteran, shares a curated chronicle of the times his life hung in the balance across volatile global landscapes. From the combat-heavy zones of East Timor, Somalia, and Afghanistan to brutal elements encountered during domestic Special Forces training, the book documents a staggering variety of hidden threats.
This is action with the 4RAR (Commando), the 2nd Commando Regiment, and Tactical Assault Group (East).
Snippets of the action
- Immediate Combat Threats: Dodging precise sniper fire, leading high-risk assaults on enemy compounds, and surviving a step onto an active IED.
- Environmental Battles: Fighting off extreme hypothermia, managing heat exhaustion, and narrowly escaping asphyxiation inside a collapsing snow cave.
- Operational Chaos: Plummeting from cliffs, suffering catastrophic falls during helicopter and aircraft deployments, and facing heavy RPG barrages.
- The Delayed Epiphany: Realising how many lethal dangers went completely unnoticed until hours, days, or months after completing a mission.
Bram Connolly served for over two decades in the Australian Army. He is a founding member of 4RAR (Commando), the 2nd Commando Regiment, and Tactical Assault Group (East). Global deployments include Somalia and served multiple tours in East Timor. He was awarded the Distinguished Service in 2010, for his exceptional combat leadership while fighting in Afghanistan. Connolly began writing books after transitioning out of full-time Special Forces service in 2011. He currently serves as the Commanding Officer of the 11/28th Battalion of the Royal Western Australia Regiment.
