Big Boy Rules: America's Mercenaries Fighting in Iraq

Public Must Know Private Contracting Engagement Rules

This story must be told! The public may never be aware of the '...mayhem of Iraq...'. My son Jonathon is the main character in this book. Jon was a US Army veteran, 82nd Airborne Unit, who did tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq. His story is parallel to many other Americans who are attracted to the contracting life in Iraq whether it be for the money, the excitement or the fact that they don¿t feel they fit in anymore after having served in the war. The United States is putting hired help behind the front lines to ease the burden of its understaffed and overworked armed forces. That¿s the price we pay for having an all volunteer military. By paying civilians to handle tasks previously handled by the military, the administration is freeing up U.S. troops to do the actual fighting. But the use of contractors also hides the true costs of war. Their dead aren't added to official body counts. Their duties and profits are hidden by closed mouthed executives who won't give details to Congress as their coffers and roles swell. It is estimated that there is one contractor for every 10 foreign soldiers in Iraq; 10 times the private involvement in the first Gulf War in which I served. The bigger the contractor, the more the influence they have to establish the rules of engagement there. Who could have conceived the results factually detailed in this book. You will enjoy it! Jon's story is at www.FreeCote.com...

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Not to biased, but a little off topic. Does good at summarizing the topic of PMCs.

I purchased this book to guide me in writing a paper on Private Military Companies. The author does a good job at presenting and documenting solid information and detailing events. However, he drifts off into litereally his own story and starts getting into stuff you wouldn't expect him to talk about. These were things that were barely connected to the title.

In conclusion, the book seems slightly biased against military companies, but it still contains solid information and I think that readers with the opposite opinion will be satsified. It gave me an interesting story and within the novel, it refferred to other novels that offer more in depth information. I enjoyed this novel and managed to read it in two days.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

In response to Gabe

Let me continue with other things you have NO IDEA about. Yes there are laws that govern the security companies in Iraq. Man power and equipment are NOT what cost those guys their lives. They chose to leave 3/4 of their security team behind. They had appropriate vehicles, PPE and weapons systems. They chose to not follow policy, they chose to surrender their weapons. Their choices/complacency that day cost them their lives. The author edited and left out quite a bit of info on the stories. This book at best is semi-fiction. The book and stories are only based on actual situations, but the stories have been changed by the author.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Interesting Read

This book is an interesting look into the business of private security. I had no idea there were so many companies and how most have very limited resources. Kind of like American police agencies, trying to do more with less and taking extreme risks because of lack of funding from guys who sit comfortablly behind a desk instead of pounding pavement. Man power and equipment is what cost those men there lives. Plus the fact that there are no laws regulating how these companies enforce and act is troubling. It's obvious that there needs to be some sort of standards or regulations that need to be met.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Read!!!

This is a great book about private security contractors in Iraq. I know its a cliche but I really couldn't put it down. Steve Fainaru spent time doing "missions" with these heroic guys on the dangerous highways of the Iraqi "Kill Zone". Fainaru then chronicles their survival...and some of their tragedies. He really brings the danger and reality of the war in Iraq home to the reader. The nature of Warfare has changed dramatically. Fainaru tells us how its changing, who's paying for it and who the major players are. Highly recommend...You wont be disappointed.

good book

good book

Chilling

This book is nothing short of chilling. And amazing. Just when I thought I couldn't think any worse of the Iraq war and the incompetence of the Bush administration, this book shows me that the mainstream media hasn't scratched the surface on the truth. If anything, they've sugarcoated it. Fainaru's writing is incrediblly poignant and touching, particularly considering the personal tragedies he was enduring at the time. This book should be required reading for any flag-waving teabagger who has even the remotest fond memory of the pathetic Bush administration. This shows us another dark side to a poorly-planned war and painfully exposes so many U.S. shortcomings. I learned a lot. And God bless you, Steve Fainaru. May you recover from your emotional wounds and rediscover personal happiness.

Exciting Read that absorbs you into the story and facts of the private side of the war in Iraq

The book gave a very good perspective of both the industrial & political issues relating to private army's in Iraq but also had a personal view and topic from the author's perspective. If you are interested in learning about the different issues relating to the events unfolding in Iraq relating to Private Security I highly recommend this book.

Eye Opening !

I was in Iraq during the timeframe of this book and it amazes me that as a member of the military I heard nothing of the kidnapping of these men. It is also amazing to me on how much money is spent by the government on contracts for such purposes. We have all heard of KBR and Black Water, but realizing the size of the "non military" support provided by companies such as Crescent is mind boggling....Very thought provoking for future military encounters.

Interesting book but bit one sided

Although the interviews with members of the PMC in the book were interesting, I couldn't get over the fact that it seemed the writer is extremely biased against them. The bottom line is that in the business of Blackwater, Triple Canopy, etc, they are paid to keep their clients alive, the property safe and go home at the end of the day. I do believe that some of the team members were abusive in their interactions with Iraqi's but overall I feel they were doing the job they were hired for.

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