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Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror Hardcover – November 18, 2013

by Erik Prince (Author)

515 customer reviews

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No company in our time has been as mysterious or as controversial as Blackwater. Founded by former Navy SEAL Erik Prince in 1997, it recruited special forces veterans and others with the skills and courage to take on the riskiest security jobs in the world. As its reputation grew, government demand for its services escalated, and Blackwater's men eventually completed nearly one hundred thousand missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both the Bush and Obama administrations found the company indispensible. It sounds like a classic startup success story, except for one problem: Blackwater has been demonized around the world. From uninformed news coverage to grossly distorted fictional portrayals, Blackwater employees have been smeared as mercenaries, profiteers, jackbooted thugs, and worse. Because of the secrecy requirements of Blackwater's contracts with the Pentagon, the State Department, and the CIA, Prince was unable to speak out when his company's opponents spread false information. But now he's able to tell the full and often shocking story of Blackwater's rise and fall. In Civilian Warriors, Prince pulls no punches and spares no details. He explains his original goal of building an elite center for military and law enforcement training. He recounts how the company shifted gears after 9/11. He honors our troops while challenging the Pentagon's top leadership. And he reveals why highly efficient private military contractors have been essential to running our armed forces, since long before Blackwater came along. Above all, Prince debunks myths about Blackwater that spread while he was forced to remain silent-myths that tarnished the memory of men who gave their lives for their country but never got the recognition they deserved.

He reveals new information about some of the biggest controversies of the War on Terror, including:

• The true story of the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad.
• The actual details of Blackwater's so-called impunity in Iraq.
• The events leading up to the televised deaths of Blackwater contractors in Fallujah.

Prince doesn't pretend to be perfect, and he doesn't hide the sometimes painful details of his private life. But he has done a great public service by setting the record straight. His book reads like a thriller but is too improbable to be fiction.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Prince’s book belongs on the shelf next to the memoirs of the other Iraq and Afghanistan war chieftains…. we need Prince’s story to help us understand the history of the post- 9/11 wars and the myriad roles contractors played in these conflicts.”

—The Washington Post

About the Author

Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL, founded Blackwater in 1997. He served as its CEO until 2009 and its Chairman until 2010, when the company was sold. A native of Michigan, he now lives in Abu Dhabi, where he pursues a variety of business ventures.

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Product details

Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Portfolio; 1St Edition edition (November 18, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1591847214
ISBN-13: 978-1591847212
Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 1.2 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 515 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #75 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > True Crime > White Collar Crime
- #150 in Books > History > Military > Afghan War
- #1576 in Books > History > Asia

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Top customer reviews

Great story, great insight into one of Iraq's most closely guarded chapters from the man at the center of it

ByAlexon November 18, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Just typed up a couple pages, computer crashed, can't retrieve it, so here now goes a quick summary from the top of my head:

Erik Prince, real Man of Mystery speaks. Portrayed by some as archvillain, thought by others to be some kind of modern day Knight Templar, this real life Navy Seal and entrepreneur tells all about the founding of Blackwater and their role in Iraq.

The book starts off as a mini-biography of his dad, a man who started off as a salesman making forty cents an hour to founder of a billion-dollar company. Prince makes it clear that his father instilled in him the foundation that led to his later success.

It was as a Navy Seal in the Balkans that Prince first realized the need for private training facilities for special operations and highly focused training. Previously, Seals and their elite counterparts often had trouble getting sufficient training time on military training facilities that were over capacity from general use training by others.

Columbine becomes a turning point for the Blackwater team as law enforcement brutally realizes the need for more specialized training. Several years later Iraq explodes and the need for highly trained security teams draws Blackwater into its largest conflict and most controversial affair. While under government contract, Blackwater was forbidden to speak out publicly in its defense, especially against one high profile lawsuit that eventually tarnished its reputation almost beyond repair. Now free to speak, Prince effectively reveals The Other Side of the Story, and it's clear that Blackwater was often a scapegoat for others' ineptitude and politically driven agendas.

Many interesting stories are revealed, such as a huge ambush of the Polish Ambassor. Unlike Banghazi, this has a happy ending as Blackwater and Polish security valiantly band together and keep him alive. In a later ceremony honoring the fallen, the Polish ambassador gratefully credits Blackwater for his survival. Lesser known stories of BW's involvement providing security in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans are told. A sweet love story between him and his beloved wife Joan is interwoven in between them all.

The book is all meat and no filler whatsoever. Fact-dense with so many footnote links that it becomes hard to turn the page without accidentally touching one.

Perhaps the best summary comes from the book itself:

"There is much the government doesn't want told about the work we did: the truth about our State Department-sanctioned operational tactics in Iraq, including our rules of engagement; or Blackwater's involvement with President Obama's ever expanding terrorist-hunting tactics in Pakistan and beyond..."

22 comments 140 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

5 Stars

ByJon Goosmanon April 6, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Finally the other side of the story. Admittedly, in 2004, I was a neophyte. I used to hear the stories of the evil "mercenaries" and "contractors" who were on killing rampages across Iraq and Afghanistan. Cutting a swath of terror through all in their path with no accountability to any government or law. That was of course complete bulls*** As I looked into it more myself and began to see the biased one sided media reporting on all things Iraq, I began to try and find the other side of the story. I wish everyone would read this book. Not only is it fascinating and loaded with incredible stories of bravery, heroics, and loss, but it also shines the light on the fools in congress who know nothing about what they vote on and will scapegoat their own mother if they think it will help their re-election campaign. There are many revelations in this book that may shock you, for me the most shocking was the absolute and total ignorance of the Congressman who were overseeing the war effort and their complete lack of understanding of basically everything that was happening in Iraq at the time. This company was demonized, demagogued, and scapegoated. Some of the absolute best, bravest, and most talented operators our country possesses gave their lives completing every mission Blackwater was ever given by the US government. They never failed a mission, they never lost a single VIP they were tasked with protecting, yet they lost over 100 of their own men in the process. They fired their guns on less than 1% of their missions, yet the way the media tells it, they were basically ISIS but wearing US flags on their arms. It's a disgrace how the company, it's contractors and Erik Prince were treated by their government.

0Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Working the Wars..both military and PMC

By05/11Aon December 17, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

As a former Army officer and later a contractor (PAE, Dyncorp & MPRI), I experienced both sides of the military culture and that of a contractor.

The book is a history of Blackwater and of its founder-author who presents an honest and forthwith account of building a company in the midst of conducting security US State Dept contracts in an environment not known previously in our military history. For those who never deployed or were assigned during our country's time in Iraq (and especially those who attempted to second guess what it was like), Iraq was absolutely monumentally dangerous. The dis-organization that was Bremer's time as a result of inept post invasion planning highlighted by the disbandment of the Iraqi military and moreso, the civilian infrastructure was (in my opinion) a large part of the catalyst and causation of the insurgency.

Although this reviewed never worked with Blackwater personnel, I knew of their missions and of their force protection challenges in terms of both physical resources and qualified personnel. The US State Department was the singular beneficiary, as no personnel were KIA. Blackwater's record of accomplishment was stellar. Several chapters deal with incidents which resulted in civilian deaths-unfortunately war, especially the war in Iraq was in essence.."who are the bad guys?"

Without a doubt, no other organization with that much exposure to the insurgency performed so well under absolutely critical security and force protections metrics. Things changed daily-I cannot imagine how a civilian organization could adjust without dedicated, well trained and focused personnel who understood the dynamics of the overall situation.

So as to the mission, Prince, et al in the management did what few organizations could accomplish. Even our military would of had a difficult time adapting to changing times on the ground with as many troopers and unlimited resources which were available.

The comments about his family and the devastating and horrific personal experiences with regard to his wife while she was undergoing cancer treatment..and the indiscretions along the way.

For those who worked contract in either Afghanistan or Iraq, this book provides and insight into the workings of a company contracted by the Federal government and at the same time viewed with great indifference within members of Congress.

Make no mistake for those who question the salaries of those who worked on conflict/war zones. No benefits, no retirement, just straight salary with the belief one was doing something good (good guys against the bad guys) and supporting our troopers.

Frankly, post Iraq was a mess and as mentioned the Bush, Cheney & Bremer trio "of who made the decision" to totally dismiss some 400,000 Iraqi soldiers who allegedly (read Fiasco by Tom Ricks) and according to their Iraqi commanders wished to support the new government post Saddam. Add to it the civilian infrastructure directly caused the country to fall apart..with some 4468 US KIA and over 30,000 WIA and at a cost nearly one billion US dollars (mostly borrowed from China).

The legacy of the war in Iraq will be with us for decades to come..

Enough said..

RH (Haiti, Bosnia, Croatia, Sudan ( 2 tours), Afghanistan, Iraq, Uganda)

11 comment 40 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most recent customer reviews

Four Stars

Interesting read

Published 11 days ago by Clive Andrew DePaule

Highly recommend

While this book was written in 2013, given the current government's debate on Afghanistan it is relevant again today.Read more

Published 13 days ago by MLD

McFate's "Modern Mercenary" gives a better view of the trade

McFate's "Modern Mercenary" gives a better view of the trade. Prince complains that the US government is inept at conducting war, therefore at least low level force...Read more

Published 18 days ago by MindinMotion

Read it!

Fantastic read, highly recommend to anyone wanting to understand more about 3rd party security firms/contractors.

Published 1 month ago by JMC Superstar

Take a look inside the Blackwater Corporation.

It's a story about a man who had a dream to build a company and it all ended with the reality of destructive politics.

Published 2 months ago by KTM3009v

Good insight on our governments' financial waste and not utilizing ...

Good insight on our governments' financial waste and not utilizing the most efficient means to handle war time issues.

Published 3 months ago by Bob

Founder of Blackwater tells his story.

The pros and cons of this book have already been well documented by other reviewers. I'll simply add that I found the story a helpful summary review of the post-9/11 activities...Read more

Published 4 months ago by William Duerfeldt

Moral Man and Immoral Society.

Mr. Prince is a very accomplished man. One should always pay attention to accomlished men.
I read the book because I've been curious about Blackwater and its cursed name.Read more

Published 5 months ago by craig brammer

Loved it!

Loved It!

Published 5 months ago by Amazon Customer

Reputation Restored

It's good to hear from the "other side". Blackwater got a bad rap and I'm glad Mr. Prince took the opportunity to explain a few things to the public.Read more

Published 6 months ago by debra.themadscientist

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