Code Name: Johnny Walker: The Extraordinary Story of the Iraqi Who Risked Everything to Fight with the U.S. Navy SEALs
“Fiery, insightful memoir from the former Iraqi translator who fought alongside US Special Forces during the recent war in Iraq . . . harrowing.” —Kirkus Reviews

As the insurgency in Iraq intensified following the American invasion, US Navy SEALs were called upon to root terrorists from their lairs. Unsure of the local neighborhoods and unable to speak the local languages, they came to rely on one man to guide them and watch their backs. He was a “terp”—an interpreter—with a job so dangerous they couldn’t even use his real name.

They named him Johnny Walker. They soon called him brother. Over the course of eight years, the Iraqi native traveled around the country with nearly every SEAL and special operations unit deployed there. He went on thousands of missions, saved dozens of SEAL and other American lives, and risked his own daily. Helped to the U.S. by the SEALs he protected, Johnny Walker’s life is so remarkable that his tale reads like fiction. But every word of it is true.

For the first time ever, a “terp” tells what it was like in Iraq during the American invasion and the brutal insurgency that followed. With inside details on SEAL operations and a humane understanding of the tragic price paid by ordinary Iraqis, Code Name: Johnny Walker reveals a side of the war that has never been told before.

“An amazing story that I feel needs to be told . . . I cannot express how many lives have been touched by Johnny, and how many of us owe him our lives.” —Chris Kyle, New York Times–bestselling author of American Gun
1116494003
Code Name: Johnny Walker: The Extraordinary Story of the Iraqi Who Risked Everything to Fight with the U.S. Navy SEALs
“Fiery, insightful memoir from the former Iraqi translator who fought alongside US Special Forces during the recent war in Iraq . . . harrowing.” —Kirkus Reviews

As the insurgency in Iraq intensified following the American invasion, US Navy SEALs were called upon to root terrorists from their lairs. Unsure of the local neighborhoods and unable to speak the local languages, they came to rely on one man to guide them and watch their backs. He was a “terp”—an interpreter—with a job so dangerous they couldn’t even use his real name.

They named him Johnny Walker. They soon called him brother. Over the course of eight years, the Iraqi native traveled around the country with nearly every SEAL and special operations unit deployed there. He went on thousands of missions, saved dozens of SEAL and other American lives, and risked his own daily. Helped to the U.S. by the SEALs he protected, Johnny Walker’s life is so remarkable that his tale reads like fiction. But every word of it is true.

For the first time ever, a “terp” tells what it was like in Iraq during the American invasion and the brutal insurgency that followed. With inside details on SEAL operations and a humane understanding of the tragic price paid by ordinary Iraqis, Code Name: Johnny Walker reveals a side of the war that has never been told before.

“An amazing story that I feel needs to be told . . . I cannot express how many lives have been touched by Johnny, and how many of us owe him our lives.” —Chris Kyle, New York Times–bestselling author of American Gun
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Code Name: Johnny Walker: The Extraordinary Story of the Iraqi Who Risked Everything to Fight with the U.S. Navy SEALs

Code Name: Johnny Walker: The Extraordinary Story of the Iraqi Who Risked Everything to Fight with the U.S. Navy SEALs

Code Name: Johnny Walker: The Extraordinary Story of the Iraqi Who Risked Everything to Fight with the U.S. Navy SEALs

Code Name: Johnny Walker: The Extraordinary Story of the Iraqi Who Risked Everything to Fight with the U.S. Navy SEALs

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Overview

“Fiery, insightful memoir from the former Iraqi translator who fought alongside US Special Forces during the recent war in Iraq . . . harrowing.” —Kirkus Reviews

As the insurgency in Iraq intensified following the American invasion, US Navy SEALs were called upon to root terrorists from their lairs. Unsure of the local neighborhoods and unable to speak the local languages, they came to rely on one man to guide them and watch their backs. He was a “terp”—an interpreter—with a job so dangerous they couldn’t even use his real name.

They named him Johnny Walker. They soon called him brother. Over the course of eight years, the Iraqi native traveled around the country with nearly every SEAL and special operations unit deployed there. He went on thousands of missions, saved dozens of SEAL and other American lives, and risked his own daily. Helped to the U.S. by the SEALs he protected, Johnny Walker’s life is so remarkable that his tale reads like fiction. But every word of it is true.

For the first time ever, a “terp” tells what it was like in Iraq during the American invasion and the brutal insurgency that followed. With inside details on SEAL operations and a humane understanding of the tragic price paid by ordinary Iraqis, Code Name: Johnny Walker reveals a side of the war that has never been told before.

“An amazing story that I feel needs to be told . . . I cannot express how many lives have been touched by Johnny, and how many of us owe him our lives.” —Chris Kyle, New York Times–bestselling author of American Gun

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780062267573
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: 05/21/2024
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 308
Sales rank: 326,890
File size: 2 MB

About the Author

After the 2003 invasion of his home country, Iraqi-born "Johnny Walker" applied to become a translator for the U.S. Army. Turned down, out of work, and desperate to feed his family, Johnny was on the verge of despair until one night he interceded in a dispute between some Iraqi women and Ameri-can MPs. Impressed, the MPs arranged to hire him as their interpreter, or "terp." Johnny displayed such talent and incredible courage under fire that several months later an elite unit of Navy SEALs took him under its wing. He quickly became the most sought-after terp in the country, receiving numerous citations and commendations for his work. Credited by SEAL sniper Chris Kyle with saving countless American lives, Johnny spent six years working with SEALs and other special operations forces throughout Iraq, completing more than one thousand missions. After narrowly escaping two attempts on his life, Johnny was helped to the United States by the SEALs in 2009. He and his family currently live in California, where he helps train special operations units.

Table of Contents

A Note to the Reader xi

Introduction xiii

Prologue: Freedom 1

1 Before the Dream 6

2 Love and War 18

3 Up from the Depths 49

4 Fighting for a Better Iraq 71

5 Trust and Treachery 100

6 My Brother, Mosul, and Baghdad 115

7 Baghdad 135

8 The Seeds of a Dream 150

9 Missions and Decisions 177

10 Fatal Friendlies 192

11 Friends, Neighbors, and Snipers 219

12 Soheila Escapes 244

13 Living the Dream 259

Acknowledgments 278

Collaborator's Note 280

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