Kidnapping, death of US contractor leaves behind shattered family
Release Date: 08/07/2019
From Military Matters: SF Veteran and son extradited to Japan
Force for Hire
Former auto industry mogul Carlos Ghosn was smuggled out of Japan in true Hollywood heist movie fashion while awaiting trial for corporate fraud. Now Special Forces Veteran Mike Taylor and his son Peter have been extradited to Japan in connection with Ghosn's evasion of Japanese authorities.
info_outline
Coming soon: Military Matters
Force for Hire
Stay tuned for Military Matters, the new podcast from Stars and Stripes. Listen as U.S. Air Force veteran and Force for Hire host Desmon Farris and U.S. Army warrant officer Rod Rodriguez examine the topics that matter to service members, veterans, and the people and communities that support them. Subscribe now to Military Matters, launching in January 2020.
info_outline
Wrapping up, a look at key issues, and farewell
Force for Hire
The Force for Hire team looks back at the series and examines some key issues about the world of private military contracting.
info_outline
'Mercenary Mum' talks leaving military, joining contracting world
Force for Hire
Neryl Joyce was an Australian servicemember who turned to contracting when she wasn’t allowed to deploy with her fellow soldiers.
info_outline
Contractors: Asset or liability to nation's cybersecurity?
Force for Hire
Richard Clarke, special cybersecurity adviser to President George W. Bush joins us this week and addresses digital threats and how military contractors have helped and hurt U.S. national security.
info_outline
Fighting for justice in a lawless land
Force for Hire
This week Force for Hire welcomes Kimberley Motley, who has made a career out of fighting corruption in Afghanistan and has helped bring justice to those working to support the U.S. military.
info_outline
Dodging bullets, execution during rise of ISIS in Iraq
Force for Hire
Johann Raath talks about his experiences working in Iraq during the rise of ISIS and how he escaped death more than once – and came back for more.
info_outline
Fighting piracy on high seas often job for private military contractors
Force for Hire
Maritime security operations are complex. The mesh of international politics, private company procedures and the uncaring nature of the open seas make for a security situation best handled by professionals. More often than some may think, those professionals are private military contractors. It’s those security professionals often tasked with keeping vital shipping lanes open, fighting off threats and keeping the goods people worldwide depend on, safe. On this week’s episode of Force for Hire, we welcome aboard a pair of former Royal Marines – both maritime security experts...
info_outline
Kidnapping, death of US contractor leaves behind shattered family
Force for Hire
The day Russell Frost and two former American soldiers were kidnapped was an unusual one, even by the standards of 2016 Baghdad. What followed was 31 days of hell, a life lost far too soon and a family shattered by tragedy.
info_outline
The legend of 'Mad Mike' Hoare
Force for Hire
Michael Thomas Hoare has lived a life that, were it not endlessly documented, would seem a pastiche of barroom brags, urban legends and anecdotes lifted from mid-21st century military pulp fiction. Hoare, better known as “Mad Mike,” is a soldier of fortune. A mercenary. He has seen combat in multiple battles during World War II with the British army, and in numerous conflicts across the Congo and elsewhere. He recently celebrated his 100th birthday — apparently, living hard is no predictor of longevity. Hoare is a decorated combat veteran. He’s been an African safari guide, an...
info_outlineThe day Russell Frost and two former American soldiers were kidnapped was an unusual one, even by the standards of 2016 Baghdad.
On Jan. 15, as the battle against Islamic State raged across the country, Frost and his two fellow contractors — former U.S. Army soldiers Amr Mohamed and Waiel el-Maadawy — found an interpreter to assist in their government mission of training coalition forces.
The interpreter was a strange one, Mohamed said, offering the men liquor and women in an area where such things at the time could lead to death. Against their better judgment, the three men met at the interpreter’s house to finalize a working relationship over tea.
As night began to fall, Mohamed insisted they leave. When the Americans attempted to do so, they were surrounded by dozens of armed men, members of a Shiite militia supported by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
What followed was a horrific, 31-day ordeal in which the three — accused by their captors of being CIA operatives — were brutally tortured and imprisoned in inhumane conditions.
It was the first kidnapping of Americans in the country since 2011 and while it was widely reported, the reason why the men where kidnapped by a faction ostensibly working with U.S. forces — and why it took so long for them to be released — remains murky.
This episode of Force for Hire welcomes Mohamed to talk about the ordeal and its fallout. Frost died in November 2017 of complications from the kidnapping and torture. We’re proud to have Frost’s family on this episode to talk about how his death has impacted them and what they’re doing to help ensure the sacrifices of military contractors aren’t being forgotten.