"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. 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. 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"--Provided by publisher.
Record details
ISBN:9781591847212 (hc.)
ISBN:1591847214 (hc.)
Physical Description:print ix, 404 p., [16] p. of plates : ill. ; 24 cm.
Publisher:New York : Portfolio/Penguin, c2013.
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references.
Formatted Contents Note:
My father's son -- The great dismal swamp -- Columbine, the Cole, and cancer -- The rise of Blackwater -- Inherently traditional -- Bremer and the business model -- The expansion plan -- Fallujah -- Blackwater versus the Mahdi Army -- The rules of the road -- Character counts -- The Fallujah families -- Nisour Square -- Cold and timid souls -- A nightmare and a miracle -- The downfall -- The next reinvention.