Blood money : stories of an ex-recce's missions in Iraq / Johan Raath.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Raath, Johan, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Private security services--South Africa.

Private security services.

Special forces (Military science).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (346 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; Philadelphia : Casemate, [2018]

Summary:

A former Special Forces soldier-and presidential bodyguard-shares heart-stopping stories of his time as a private military contractor in Iraq. "I remember the cracking sound of the AK-47 bullets as they tore through our windscreen... A piece of bullet struck my bulletproof vest in the chest area and another piece broke off and lodged in my left forearm." Johan Raath and a security team were ambushed in May 2004 while on a mission to reconnoiter a power plant south of Baghdad for an American firm. He had been in the country for only two weeks. This was a taste of what was to come over the next few years as he worked as a private military contractor (PMC) in Iraq. His mission? Not to wage war, but to protect lives. Raath and his team provided security for engineers working on reconstruction projects in Iraq. Whether in the notorious Triangle of Death, in the deadly area around Ramadi, or in the faction-ridden Basra, Raath had numerous hair-raising experiences. Key to his survival was his training as a Special Forces operator, or Recce. This riveting account offers a rare glimpse into the world of private military contractors and the realities of everyday life in one of the world's most violent conflict zones.

Contents:

Cover

Book Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Preface

Historical background to the war in Iraq

Acronyms and abbreviations

List of maps

1. Good morning, Baghdad!

2. From Special Forces operator to private military contractor

3. A taste of everyday life in Iraq

4. Badlands: Northwestern Iraq

5. A Black Hawk encounter

6. Tremulous times

7. A country drenched in blood

8. The road to hell

9. Camp Tiger

10. Feeling the heat

11. A break from the Sandbox

12. The 'new' Iraq

13. Building villages from scratch

14. Caught up in tribalism

15. Reinvigorated evil

16. New horizons

17. A history written in blood

Epilogue

Addendum A

Addendum B

Notes

Roll of Honour

Index

About the author

Back Cover.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781612006628

1612006620

OCLC:

1061275233