Escape in Iraq - Hardcover

Hamill, Thomas; Brown, Paul T.; Langston, Jay

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 088317314X ISBN 13: 9780883173145

Publisher: Stoeger Pub Co, 2004

Synopsis

A civilian employee working for contractor KBR in Iraq tells the story of his capture, imprisionment, and escape from terrorists after his fuel truck convoy was attacked near Baghdad International Airport on April 9, 2004.

About this title

About the Author

Thomas Hamill grew up on a dairy farm in Noxubee County, Mississippi. He began his work career as a carpenter and became a truck driver at an early age. In common with many American family farmers, he worked multiple jobs to augment farm income. He made long distance runs as a truck driver while continuing to manage his dairy farm. In 2003 he went abroad to support his country's fight for Iraqi freedom, and to earn enough money to save his farm. Hamill has been married to his wife Kellie for 17 years and has two children, a son and a daughter, --Thomas age 14, and Tori, who is 12. A quiet man of deep and abiding faith, Thomas Hamill's life revolves around his reverence for God and his family.

T. Brown of Brandon, Mississippi, is a widely published, award-winning and nationally acclaimed author and photographer. His work has earned numerous national and regional awards including honors from the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association.

Reviews

Faced with mounting farm debt at home, Mississippi truck driver Hamill was lured to Iraq by a $75,000 tax-free contract from KBR to run supplies. He was abducted on April 9, 2004, and his escape 24 days later made worldwide news. Hamill's first-person account (written with True Exposures publishing president Brown) shows the attack on his convoy that strands him with a bone-shattering gunshot wound in the arm; the three-plus weeks in which Hamill was shuttled around by various guards (whose attitudes ranged from curious or sympathetic to hardened and hostile); the able care and treatment Hamill received for his serious wound; his captivity within frustrating reach of passing U.S. soldiers. When U.S. troops assigned to guard an oil pipeline came within yards of his position, Hamill dramatically forced his way out of his remote holding cell and made a barefoot dash across a rock-strewn plain to safety. Throughout, Hamill attributes his physical and psychological survival to his faith in God, portraying his captivity as a Jonah-like experience in the belly of the whale. He keeps the narrative's focus on the mechanics of getting through each day (including some fascinating interactions with guards) and waiting for the right moment to make his move. The result is a remarkable story that, regardless of one's opinion of the war, stands as a true profile in courage. Photos.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Stoeger Pub Co
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 088317314X
• ISBN 13: 9780883173145
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 286