'Soldier Of Fortune'

A History of the Mercenary in Modern Warfare

by Tom Geraghty

From the Publisher:

The freelance solider, or mercenary, whether fighting for money or reputation or an adopted cause, has always been a fascinating and controversial phenomenon. Now, as a result of the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has become not simply a mercenary but a vital part of modern and privatized warfare. For some, he is a heroic figure, doing the work governments are too squeamish to admit to; for others, he is a bloodthirsty killer. In Tony Geraghty's starling history, he sheds new light on their activities, which has until now been shrouded in secrecy. Many of the soldiers have spoken to the author about their experiences for the first time, revealing details of operations that have never before been reported in the media.

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Editorial Review - Library Journal vol. 134 iss. 10p.114 (c) 06/01/2009

Covering the 1960s to the present, with revealing interviews, Geraghty looks at the virtues and failings of the world's second- oldest profession. Mercenaries are controversial, but the many conflicts of the past five decades have created a demand for them. Are they tough men who do hard work for money or bloodthirsty renegades? This serious study should find its way to most readers of military history.

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Foster's review 1st June 2010

I was surprised by this book. I didn't expect to get into it as much, yet I couldn't put it down and finished it over a week-long work trip.

Reading Geraghty is like sitting by the fire listening to Grandad. Sometimes he rambles, the claims made stretch the provided support a little too far, but ultimately you get some great stories. Even though he takes liberties with his evidence, Geraghty's overall message obviously has merit. And it doesn't hurt that he quoted my agency about five times (although he only got our name right twice...).
The book gets most interesting when discussing Iraq and Afghanistan. I was amazed by the stories he shared. I was also surprised at how many of the PSC's are from countries other than UK/US/SA. Who knew that Peruvians and Colombians make up most of the Green Zone contractors?
Overall a worthwhile read, especially if you are interested in what the future holds for Private Security Contractors.

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Clayton Hall's review 15th September 2010

It is a very interesting book. The only thing that I didn't like was the authors costant bashing of the American military, PMCs and CIA. He was very quick to point out what he felt was our short comings and mistakes. He needs to be reminded that throughout the 20th and now 21st century America has supplied the bulk of the fighting force in nearly all NATO operations. He also needs to be reminded that after we kicked the British out of our own country we then bailed them out of two other wars they would have lost without our help.