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I got early access to read this book because Robert M. Kurtz is one of our contributing writers at USA Carry. You can find his articles here. His writing style on the site mirrors what you’ll find in this book: clear, practical, and filled with insight from real-world experience.
Mercenaries, Gunslingers, and Outlaws: Two Years as a Security Contractor in Iraq isn’t your typical war memoir. There’s no attempt to glamorize the job. No manufactured drama. No “Hollywood-style” missions. What you get instead is something far more valuable—an unvarnished, boots-on-the-ground look at the daily life of a private security contractor during one of the most chaotic periods in Iraq.
Right from the start, Kurtz sets the tone with a line that stuck with me:
“…then I hope it gives you at least some idea of what it was like to be a private security contractor in Iraq during a long and very dirty insurgent war.”
And that’s exactly what this book delivers.
The value lies in the details. It’s not just the broad strokes of convoys, checkpoints, or IEDs—it’s the way he describes planes spiraling down into Baghdad International Airport to avoid missile fire. Or the offhand mention that a DHL cargo plane was hit. These kinds of real-world details immerse you in the experience and give you a true sense of what it was like to live and work in that environment.
Some of the funniest moments come from the absurdities of warzone logistics. In Chapter 20, an Iraqi mechanic is told the left rear window needs to work, so he pulls the motor out of the right one to make it happen—mission accomplished, sort of. Page 46 had me laughing out loud when he described how they kept cutting the ends off brand-new extension cords, stripping the wires, and plugging them directly into outlets—an OSHA nightmare, if OSHA had jurisdiction in Iraq.
But it’s not all humor. Kurtz also delivers thoughtful insight into the mindset and stress contractors lived with. By the time I hit Chapter 33, it became clear—this book isn’t just about firefights and adrenaline. It’s about long hours, moments of isolation, and having to figure things out when you’re truly on your own.
One moment that stood out was in Chapter 64—a reflection on the difference between being the person who saves others and the one who might need saving. The way Kurtz breaks down that shift in perspective—how physical size, for example, affects rescue scenarios—was a rare bit of emotional depth not often seen in books from this genre.
If you’re looking for a romanticized take on private military contracting, this isn’t it. But if you want a book that tells it like it was, with a mix of gritty reality, dark humor, and clear-eyed storytelling, Mercenaries, Gunslingers, and Outlaws is worth your time.
