Being One of The Best: Story of my Life

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

Being One of the Best is a powerful, honest and deeply human memoir that spans childhood, conflict zones and family life told by a man who lived a life shaped by service, resilience and quiet determination.

Born in 1967 and raised across rural Scotland, Alexander Peter Stewart grew up moving from farm to farm and learning early lessons about hard work, community and belonging. What begins as a personal record for his son becomes a vivid chronicle of a life lived at the intersections of ordinary experience and extraordinary events.

From eleven primary schools and a working-class upbringing to a demanding career in the Royal Army Medical Corps, Stewart’s story takes the reader behind the scenes of military medicine through training and deployments across the UK, Germany, Hong Kong, the Falklands, Bosnia, and Iraq. With warmth, candour and moments of dark humour he recounts close calls, impossible hours, humanitarian crises and the ingenuity required to save lives in the most hostile conditions.

Interwoven with frontline experiences are quieter moments from memories of parents and grandparents, a growing family, marriage to fellow Army medic Donna, personal loss and the challenges of rebuilding life after leaving the forces. Along the way, Stewart reflects on changing communities, the cost of war, institutional failings and the enduring importance of friendship, teamwork, and importance of recording one’s story before it is lost.

Written primarily as a legacy for his son but with universal resonance Being One of the Best is a moving tribute to family, service and the unsung professionals who work behind the scenes when history is being made.

A memoir of heart, grit, and humanity this is not the story of a hero seeking glory but of a life fully lived and honestly remembered.