Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror
Nov 2013 · Penguin
4.2star
93 reviewsreport
Ebook
416
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About this ebook
The founder of Blackwater offers the gripping true story of the world’s most controversial military contractor.
In 1997, former Navy SEAL Erik Prince started a business that would recruit civilians for the riskiest security jobs in the world. As Blackwater’s reputation grew, demand for its services escalated, and its men eventually completed nearly 100,000 missions for both the Bush and Obama administrations.
It was a huge success except for one problem: Blackwater was demonized around the world. Its employees were smeared as mercenaries, profiteers, or worse. And because of the secrecy requirements of its contracts with the Pentagon, the State Department, and the CIA, Prince was unable to correct false information. But now he’s finally able to tell the full story about some of the biggest controversies of the War on Terror, in a memoir that reads like a thriller.
In 1997, former Navy SEAL Erik Prince started a business that would recruit civilians for the riskiest security jobs in the world. As Blackwater’s reputation grew, demand for its services escalated, and its men eventually completed nearly 100,000 missions for both the Bush and Obama administrations.
It was a huge success except for one problem: Blackwater was demonized around the world. Its employees were smeared as mercenaries, profiteers, or worse. And because of the secrecy requirements of its contracts with the Pentagon, the State Department, and the CIA, Prince was unable to correct false information. But now he’s finally able to tell the full story about some of the biggest controversies of the War on Terror, in a memoir that reads like a thriller.
Ratings and reviews
4.2
93 reviews
Curt E
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September 11, 2022
Informative and enjoyable. Athough Erik doesn't claim that Blackwater is without flaw, I wish he had included more examples and details about some of Blackwater's mistakes. Of course he is defending his company from the endless one-sided and often inaccurate accusastions. Clearly, he created a company that did a neccessary but tough job. Only a few dare to do such things. The rest sit back and criticize. Such is the assumed role of the politicians and the mainstream media. At least the purpose of Blackwater was transparent. The politicians and media still pretend they are serving the public.
Ashley W
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January 20, 2016
I rated 4 stars because there is a small amount of "mud slinging" toward to end... but overall it is a facinating read, explaining just how much private military contractors fill a need that would otherwise be left unfulfilled.
1 person found this review helpful
Jacob Hughes
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November 27, 2014
Outstanding read, a great look into the other side of what a biased news source would like for us to believe. There's two sides to every story.
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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