This image is the cover for the book Contractor Combatants

Contractor Combatants

An insider account an entrepreneur hired to support American peacekeeping efforts in Iraq in the wake of the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime.

The enemy is everywhere in war-torn Iraq, and suppliers and construction workers run the same risks as uniformed combatants: guerrilla attacks, suicide bombings, rocket bombardments, and road mines. This is the compelling story of Carter Andress and the unique methods his multinational team used to deliver vital supplies to coalition forces and help rebuild the devastated country. Armed to the teeth with AK-47s, sidearms, and bags full of grenades, these “contractor combatants” engaged in deadly firefights with the enemy while attempting to fulfill their mission and defend their own lives. Some gunned down insurgents. Others were themselves killed. This riveting war story is the first to define the role of this new breed of private warrior and to do so in a gripping and highly graphic narrative.

Carter Andress

Carter Andress worked for a year and a half in Iraq, co-founding and managing a company-AISG-that equipped American and Iraqi military units with everything from lamb chops to trucks. A branch of the organization also engaged in construction work. Under his leadership, AISG grew from a handful of jobless Americans to a substantial operation employing 2,500 employees from 12 countries. A former U.S. Army Infantry Officer and graduate of Ranger School (Airborne), Andress has run his own international trade and business-consulting firm for 15 years, working in the former Soviet Union and the Middle East. Adventurer, entrepreneur, and renaissance man, Andress is an importer of exotic gourmet vodka from Ukraine and also restores old houses. He has a master's degree in history from American University in Washington, D.C.

Thomas Nelson