When Neil Reynolds was first asked in 2003 whether he'd like to work in Iraq as a private military contractor, he didn't even know where it was on the map. But he would soon learn the ins and outs of working and surviving in one of the world's most violent conflict zones. Reynolds was part of one of the first groups of South Africans to start private military security companies in Iraq. His refreshingly honest account tells of all the numerous challenges they faced: from finding a safe hotel in Baghdad to being forced to buy guns on the black market and dodging bullets on several hair-raising protection missions. He describes their successful low profile strategy where they tried to blend in with the local Iraqis in their choice of vehicles and clothing. Reynolds also tells the tragic story of his four South African colleagues who were kidnapped and killed in Baghdad in 2006. His candid observations and dry humour offers a unique perspective on the harsh realities of the life of a private military contractor.
When Neil Reynolds was first asked whether hed like to work in Iraq as a private military contractor, he didnt even know where it was on the map. But he would quickly learn the lay of the land and what it entails working in one of the worlds most violent conflict zones. When he left for the Middle East at the end of 2003, he was part of one of the first groups of South Africans to start private military security companies in Iraq. In this honest and often humorous account he tells of all the everyday and major challenges they had to face: from finding a braai-able chop, a safe hotel to stay in and buying guns on the black market and dodging bullets on several hair-raising protection missions. He also tells the story of four South African colleagues who were kidnapped and killed in Baghdad in 2006.
No sport demands toughness more than professional football, and no sport celebrates it with as much joy, excitement, and pride. John Madden annually offers his picks of the top tough guys, and sick hits are shown repeatedly on jumbotrons nationwide and ESPN's Sportscenter. Anyone who's ever watched an NFL Films production can surely hear "the voice"--that distinctive narrator--lauding the warriors of the gridiron who lay it all out there. Imagine his voice as you say: "These tough men came to do battle today, and only the fiercest will win." Into this atmosphere comes Neil Reynolds, public relations manager for the NFL in Europe, and his new book Pain Gang: Pro Football's Fifty Toughest Players. From early day heroes, such as Bronko Nagurski, Clark Hinkle, and Frank "Bruiser" Kinard, to Hall of Famers like Ronnie Lott, Walter Payton, and Dick Butkus, to such modern-day iron men as Emmitt Smith, Brett Favre, and Rodney Harrison, Reynolds lauds some of the toughest, meanest, most inspirational, and hardest-working men in the roughest sport. He includes interviews with teammates, coaches, opponents, and the players themselves on what it means to be tough, how they characterize toughness, and even who was the toughest of them all. Some players fought through broken bones and tired bodies. Others laid out opponents with the hardest of hits. Still others proved themselves on the battlefields of World War II before joining this secondary field of battle. And some played hard and fast--mostly within the rules--in order to intimidate their opponents through sheer fear. Whatever their means, these guys were tough and knew it--and they made sure everyone else did as well. Meet the Pain Gang, and you'll know it too.
An exciting journey of self discovery from early childhood as a boy wondered how many holes the soul could have and whether these holes ever heal. Looking outwardly to the world, inwardly he relived his life from early childhood as boy from a poor suburb who became a man, who started with nothing and came from nothing and who was quite determined to turn nothing into something. Not to the world. But to the boy who came from nothing.
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