Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of theWar on Terror by Erik Prince Read Free Book Online Page B

Zovko.
    ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES NEWS / GETTY IMAGES

During that hearing, Representative Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sought to portray my company as stingy and reckless.
    AP PHOTO/SUSAN WALSH

In 2007, Blackwater bought an Embraer Super Tucano to help provide counterinsurgency flight training to U.S. government clients.
    COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

For all the attention paid to Muntazer al-Zaidi after the reporter threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a 2008 news conference, few people noticed the Blackwater man (in gray sleeves) who actually stopped the assault while the Secret Service stood flat-footed.
    COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

In July 2008, Blackwater contractors protected then Senator Barack Obama during the presidential candidate’s trip to Iraq. A
U.S. News & World Report
writer overheard him tell our men, “Blackwater is getting a bad rap.”
    COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

Then Senators Joe Biden, Chuck Hagel, and John Kerry—the future vice president, secretary of defense, and secretary of state, respectively—pose while waiting for the Blackwater rescue crew that came to the senators’ aid following their helicopter’s forced landing in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush mountains. Kerry’s office would later credit and thank “the American troops” for the rescue.
    COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

In Afghanistan in 2009, my men and I wore indigenous clothing while traveling around Kabul. We chose a low profile whenever possible. The enemy can’t attack what it can’t see.
    ADAM FERGUSON/VII

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    Blackwater, and this book about it, would never have become what they did without the assistance of dozens of people. First and foremost, I want to thank Ken Viera, Jim Dehart, and everyone else who helped launch a small business in the swamp back in 1997. And I want to thank Gary Jackson: I may have been the idea guy, but he translated concept into action and took the business from a few men in a swamp to an efficient global machine. He’s one of the finest friends I’ve ever known.
    I also want to thank Richard Pere and team who joined us and built out the finest aviation operation since Air America. His editing skills on this manuscript were as sharp as his piloting skills.
    I’m grateful to all the former Blackwater employees and contractors who agreed to speak about their time with the company, and the terrific things we accomplished. I owe a debt of gratitude to the people and patriots of Moyock, North Carolina, who embraced the company, and my team’s mission there. I still enjoy seeing people in our bear-paw-branded apparel wherever in the world I spot them.
    Thanks to Adrian Zackheim, Bria Sandford, and the rest of the team at Portfolio/Penguin, who took on this project and worked tirelessly to convert a manuscript into a book on a highly accelerated schedule. And to David Kuhn and others at Kuhn Projects for making that connection in the first place. I want to truly thank and recognize Davin Coburn for giving coherent voice to my thoughts and recollections. Without your prose the book would not be what it is today. I also want to thank Dr. Mike Waller, who recorded and researched many of the events recounted in this book. Thanks also to Joe and Victoria for watching my back like guardian angels.
    For her love, support, and guidance at every step of this project, I am forever indebted to Stacy DeLuke. I would like to thank all seven of my kids for their patience in putting up with their dad’s stress, travel, and frequent absence. I love you all more than you can imagine.
    Thanks to my parents, Ed and Elsa Prince, for giving me a great formation and foundation to build upon. I especially want to thank my dad because his risk and subsequent success allowed me to take my own risks and forge the man I am today.