ESCAPE IN IRAQ: The Thomas Hamill Story

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. (Oct.)