At time of first publication of SHAR over the Falklands, I was considering a service career (which didn't happen in the end for reasons which need not detain us here). Having read Ward's portrayal of incompetent command, petty jealousy and general petulance, I concluded that I would not be seeking employment in the RN if further investigation revealed that his representation of the service was halfway accurate...
The problem many people have isn't bitterness - it's the fact that his attacks upon certain people are way over the top and deeply unfair, while his criticism of his own service and of the RAF verges on the pernicious. Should we just leave him be and let the impression that some equally brave men were incompetent knaves and fools persist?