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Hidden Soldier: An Irish Legionnaire's Wars from Bosnia to Iraq
Pidraig OOCOKeeffe joined the elite and secretive French Foreign Legion at the age of twenty, seeking a challenge that would absorb his interests and intensity. He served with the Legion in Cambodia and Bosnia, then returned to civilian life, but military habits would not allow him to settle.His need for intense excitement and extreme danger drove him back to the lifestyle he knew and loved, and using his Legion training, he became a ?hidden soldierOCO by opting for security missions in Iraq and Haiti.
In Iraq he was the sole survivor of an ambush in no manOCOs land between Abu Ghraib and Fallujah, the most dangerous place on earth.
An intense, exciting and vivid account of extraordinary and sometimes horrific events, "Hidden Soldier" lifts the veil on the dark and shadowy world of security contractors and what the situation is really like in Iraq as well as other trouble spots.
This bestseller also includes photographs taken by Padraig OOCOKeeffe while he was a Legionnaire and when he was in Iraq."
In Iraq he was the sole survivor of an ambush in no manOCOs land between Abu Ghraib and Fallujah, the most dangerous place on earth.
An intense, exciting and vivid account of extraordinary and sometimes horrific events, "Hidden Soldier" lifts the veil on the dark and shadowy world of security contractors and what the situation is really like in Iraq as well as other trouble spots.
This bestseller also includes photographs taken by Padraig OOCOKeeffe while he was a Legionnaire and when he was in Iraq."
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 7, 2014
Eloquent but down-to-earth, concrete but passionate. This is a person I'd have been honored to serve beside or to follow. It's a brutal read at times, because O'Keefe doesn't soften brutal situations when he describes them. Reading his account of the incident that forms the climax of the book was, to me, as overwhelming as watching the opening half hour of Saving Private Ryan.
I've read some other books about the French Foreign Legion and seen some documentaries, so I have a fairly clear picture of the organization, even though I never got to see them or work with them during my 20 years in the USMC. I've also read what I could on the civilian contractors who seem, as security escorts or mercenaries (O'Keefe was very much the former) to play a bigger role in wars around the world every year; this is a good addition to those subgenres, and a welcome one in that its events are more current than the others I've read. It's also a welcome addition because he's a thinker. He reflects and writes much more about the impact of the wars he saw on the civilians unlucky enough to be living where others decided to fight those wars. With every generation, it seems that the toll wars take is shifted further onto the backs of those innocents rather than the people who launch the wars or actively fight them.
Well written and highly recommended.
I've read some other books about the French Foreign Legion and seen some documentaries, so I have a fairly clear picture of the organization, even though I never got to see them or work with them during my 20 years in the USMC. I've also read what I could on the civilian contractors who seem, as security escorts or mercenaries (O'Keefe was very much the former) to play a bigger role in wars around the world every year; this is a good addition to those subgenres, and a welcome one in that its events are more current than the others I've read. It's also a welcome addition because he's a thinker. He reflects and writes much more about the impact of the wars he saw on the civilians unlucky enough to be living where others decided to fight those wars. With every generation, it seems that the toll wars take is shifted further onto the backs of those innocents rather than the people who launch the wars or actively fight them.
Well written and highly recommended.
February 22, 2018
I came across this book while searching for material on the French Foreign Legion. I was surprised to discover it's author came from a small town (Cobh, Ireland) just outside the city (Cork) where I grew up. While Cobh is about as close to a "military town" as you're going to find in Ireland (the Irish Naval Service is based there), with one exception I never knew anyone who was on a military deployment overseas, let alone someone who joined the French Foreign Legion. So I was drawn to read this book.
Essentially the book is split into two halves. The first half deals with Pádraig's Legion service, the second with his life as a private security contractor. I found the Legion part intriguing, but it lacks the detail I was looking for on training, hardships, etc. That said, it's a good starting point for me and I'll find those details elsewhere. The second half on life as a private security contractor was definitely an eye opener. His description of wannabe "Rambos" with ninja death stars is hilarious, even to a non-military guy like me; don't worry, those guys didn't even make if outside the security compound!
The funs soon stops when you realize what these guys actually go through in a war zone. His final battle is described in excruciating detail and is almost painful to read. I think he's probably one of the luckiest guys on earth to be still alive.
After he was treated and stabilized for his wounds, Pádraig opted to go back to Ireland to recuperate and have follow up treatment. While Irish healthcare is first class in my opinion, there often isn't enough of it to go around and when Pádraig had to wait three days for treatment and a hospital bed, it brought a wry smile of recognition to my face.
If Pádraig ever reads this, I wish him all the best in his future endeavors and hope he made a full recovery.
Essentially the book is split into two halves. The first half deals with Pádraig's Legion service, the second with his life as a private security contractor. I found the Legion part intriguing, but it lacks the detail I was looking for on training, hardships, etc. That said, it's a good starting point for me and I'll find those details elsewhere. The second half on life as a private security contractor was definitely an eye opener. His description of wannabe "Rambos" with ninja death stars is hilarious, even to a non-military guy like me; don't worry, those guys didn't even make if outside the security compound!
The funs soon stops when you realize what these guys actually go through in a war zone. His final battle is described in excruciating detail and is almost painful to read. I think he's probably one of the luckiest guys on earth to be still alive.
After he was treated and stabilized for his wounds, Pádraig opted to go back to Ireland to recuperate and have follow up treatment. While Irish healthcare is first class in my opinion, there often isn't enough of it to go around and when Pádraig had to wait three days for treatment and a hospital bed, it brought a wry smile of recognition to my face.
If Pádraig ever reads this, I wish him all the best in his future endeavors and hope he made a full recovery.
August 1, 2017
I think the publisher needs to work on their proof-reading here. Other than that, this was a decent read - and the author has painted a picture of a security contractor that runs against the grain of what many of us might imagine. The chapters on Iraq are specifically what makes the book worth reading.
October 21, 2019
Interesting Book
While only the first part of the book dealt directly with the French Foreign Legion, the author's later life experiences as a private security contractor were equally interesting. A good read.
While only the first part of the book dealt directly with the French Foreign Legion, the author's later life experiences as a private security contractor were equally interesting. A good read.
June 30, 2021
Enjoyed this book quite a lot - always like hearing peoples stories and why they go to war. This was particularly interesting as he was Irish and went to join the French Foreign Legion.
November 24, 2023
Another world
A great read from an honest man. If we were all as brave and articulate we wouldn’t need his services in the world.
A great read from an honest man. If we were all as brave and articulate we wouldn’t need his services in the world.
August 20, 2014
The book started off reasonably interesting. The frustrations of the author being unable to protect innocent citizens was a major reason for leaving the legion as well as the legion slowly changing for the worse.
Where the book really came into its own was when the author worked as a security contractor. The gritty realism of the ambush that he survived really hits home and portrays the the ruthless and harsh realities of the Iraq war. The effects of guerilla tactics on a much better trained force is frightening.
The book ended well, with some philosophical statements and the indication of intent that the author wanted to carry on at what he is best at.
Would love to read a sequel to see what the author is up to now.
Where the book really came into its own was when the author worked as a security contractor. The gritty realism of the ambush that he survived really hits home and portrays the the ruthless and harsh realities of the Iraq war. The effects of guerilla tactics on a much better trained force is frightening.
The book ended well, with some philosophical statements and the indication of intent that the author wanted to carry on at what he is best at.
Would love to read a sequel to see what the author is up to now.
October 2, 2015
I've read at least six books written by former Legionaires and this one is absolutely one of the best. In addition to O'Keefe's time in the Legion, he tells us about his first forays into the world of Private Military Contractors and the work they do in some of the most dangerous places on earth. A great read. We don't realize how fortunate we are to live in the United States. I can't recommend it enough!
April 14, 2014
Wow, what a life! A fascinating account of all of these wars Padraig was in, and how he did try civilian life, but he must be a soldier at heart.
Wonderfully well told, with no holds barred in the telling. Well done!
Wonderfully well told, with no holds barred in the telling. Well done!
October 30, 2013
Second read now as I always miss something in eagerness to see what happens next. Riveting and gripping real life accounts.
June 14, 2014
Great read. An honest account of a man whose dream was to become a soldier and how he achieved that dream. A good life with its best human values and inevitable downfalls.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews