Civilian Warriors

The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror

By: Erik Prince

Narrated by: Jeff Gurner

Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The founder of Blackwater offers the gripping, previously untold story of the world's most controversial military contractor.

Blackwater is one of the most misunderstood companies of our time. As Erik Prince, its founder and former CEO, writes:

"Hundreds of American citizens employed by private military contractors, or PMCs, would lose their lives helping our government wage wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, only to have their memory tarnished by the unfair and/or ignorant depiction of PMCs as profiteers, jackbooted thugs, or 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 free to tell the often shocking story of Blackwater's rise and fall.

Blackwater hired Special Forces veterans and others with the skills and courage to take on the riskiest security jobs in the world. As its reputation grew, demand for its services escalated. Its men eventually completed nearly 100,000 missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Prince's narrative includes newly revealed details about many controversial events. It debunks myths that have been spread by TV shows and movies. It honors our armed forces while challenging the Pentagon's top leadership. Above all, it will make people rethink exactly who the "good guys" and "bad guys" have been since 9/11.

©2013 Erik Prince (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Prince’s book belongs on the shelf next to the memoirs of the other Iraq and Afghanistan war chieftains...we need Prince’s story to help us understand the history of the post- 9/11wars and the myriad roles contractors played in these conflicts." (The Washington Post)

Excellent and Enlightening.

Would you listen to Civilian Warriors again? Why?

Absolutely, I've listened to several chapters more than once.

Any additional comments?

I have business partners and several colleagues who have worked with Mr. Prince in the past. Their stories mirror the descriptions provided in this book and add credible details. If you were to base all of your opinions about Blackwater and Erik Prince on the media, you would be sorely mistaken. It's an excellent, and long overdue, insight into an often misunderstood and misaligned industry.

Read this book without bias!

This is a must read! Be sure to read this and not be entrenched with rumors about Blackwater's infamy and scandles. This book goes into details the capabilities of the services of the private sector and the fallacies of Government. (Which we often confused the two in terms of results.)

Really a true story?

An interesting probe to the heart of private military and security industry by a real.insider Eric Prince.Niece peace.CIA havo to be satisfied.

A great read/listen.

Nice to see the truth get out about this amazing company. Mr. Prince is a great American citizen.

Incredible book, great narrative and story

Loved this book. It has so much useful information though. Will definitely listen to it again. Great insight into the world of private military contractors and its most emblematic one: Blackwater. Also the chapters about Erik Prince's life were very moving.

Eyeopening

What did you love best about Civilian Warriors?

This book was very informative and opened my eyes on how our government quickly places blame anywhere they can except where it really belongs.

What did you like best about this story?

The book was very detailed.

Patriot, Capitalist, Entrepreneur

Where does Civilian Warriors rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top.

What other book might you compare Civilian Warriors to and why?

Skunk Works.

What about Jeff Gurner’s performance did you like?

Believable and understandable.

If you could give Civilian Warriors a new subtitle, what would it be?

I can't so what would be the point?

Any additional comments?

Listen to it.

get it!

cover to cover 3 times over, great story and insight into the PMC and DOD relationship and functions

The truth.

The truth sets Blackwater & Prince free. Great read from behind the curtain. Hero’s do exist you will find out. Thanks for the meticulous work, great writing, look into The Why?, and the time it took to let US know. Better than fiction. Thank you!

The inside story

“Civilian Warriors” is a spirited defense by Eric Prince of his company and himself. But do not let that turn you off from reading this most interesting and exciting story with lots of information for entrepreneurs on how to start and grow a company on a shoestring is a person sees a marketing niche. Prince tells about his early life in Michigan and his time at Annapolis and his time in the Navy SEALs. He also provides the history of the American military use of civilian warriors from the time of General George Washington to the current time. I found this discourse most interesting. Prince goes on to describe how and why he started Blackwater to have a complete and diverse training facility all in one location to train Military, law enforcement, and civilian guards and bodyguards. Prince goes on to explain how he was contacted by DOD and the State Department to provide protection for American Diplomats and military bases. Prince also notes that Blackwater never lost a person they protected. The second half of the book goes into the backlash from Congress about the hiring of civilian contractors that were beginning to match one for one the number of military personnel in the war zones. Prince does admit to making mistakes but also goes on to show how he and his company were scapegoats for providing to the government the services they could not supply themselves. The book is well worth the read and is written in an informative and exciting way. Jeff Garner did an excellent job narrating the book.