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A BLOODY BUSINESS: AMERICA'S WAR ZONE
CONTRACTORS & THE OCCUPATION OF IRAQ
Colonel Gerald Schumacher, United States Army Special Forces
(ret.)
An unflinching account of the fighting in today's war-for-hire
-- from a highly decorated officer. 32 color photos; 6x9 inches,
304 pgs.
As the U.S. Army shrinks, a private army steps into the breach.
A Bloody Business offers an unprecedented look behind the
scenes and into the ranks of this mercenary force (numbering as
many as 15,000 today) who guard supply convoys, train foreign
soliders, provide security for foreign leaders & dignitaries --
and whose workplaces are the most dangerous hot spots on the
planet. With its insights into who these men are, what drives
them, where they come from, how they prepare, and what they do,
this book provides a uniquely close-up & complete picture of the
private army behind America's military muscle.
Author Schumacher interviewed security contractors and their
families & high-ranking coalition officials. He was in Iraq,
where he witnessed how private soldiers fought ambushes, trained
Iraqi forces, escorted high-level officials in dangerous
conditions, and saw the contractor's side of the Iraq war.
WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING:
Schumacher polishes the public image of private wartime
contractors in this informative if relentlessly glowing account
of these "unrecognized and unappreciated patriots" in Iraq and
Kuwait. Schumacher gained access to employees from contracting
firms MPRI and Crescent Security, and his perspective is one of
deep affection and respect—for people who put themselves in
harm's way to provide security for diplomats, to move convoys of
precious materials and to rebuild the broken infrastructure of
war-torn countries. Describing the day-to-day operations of the
trucking, training and security contractors he interviewed in
Kuwait and Iraq, Schumacher argues that they don't work for the
money (MPRI workers' pay comes to under $20 an hour) but out of
a sense of adventure, patriotism and expertise. --Publisher's
Weekly
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gerald Schumacher retired as a colonel in 1997 after 32
years of service with the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves --
including 20 years in Special Forces. A lecturer at preeminent
"think tanks" and frequent guest on network television &
national radio, he lives in Marin County, California.
$24.95 |
