Code Name: Johnny Walker: The Extraordinary Story of the Iraqi Who Risked Everything to Fight with the U.S. Navy SEALs (28 page)

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Here I am in Baghdad, kitted up and ready to go back out on another mission. I look tired because I was. We were running two, three, or sometimes more missions a night at that point.

Mosul before the war . . .

. . . and during the occupation. The devastation to my city after years of neglect and terror attacks was awful.

A map of Iraq. I visited nearly every important city in the country while working with American military units.

Members of SEAL Team 7 and me pose for a picture. There’s a comedian in every group.

Ready to patrol. I generally wore a radio so I could communicate with the rest of the unit.

Here I am on a helo. I don’t look too scared, do I?

After spending considerable time with SEAL snipers including “the Legend” Chris Kyle, I was tasked to work with a small group of Iraqi soldiers training as snipers. The truth is, I wasn’t nearly as good a shot as they were, but I was very proud to help them learn.

Another photo of me getting ready for a mission, this one in Tal Afar. We made use of whatever we could find, including plastic lawn chairs.

Some of the acknowledgments I received during the war. They helped Tatt with my citizenship application.

Working on the book in 2013. Every day in America is a dream come true.

About the Authors

After the 2003 invasion of his home country, Iraqi-born
“JOHNNY WALKER”
applied to become a translator for the U.S. Army. Turned down, out of work, and desperate to feed his family, Johnny was on the verge of despair until one night he interceded in a dispute between some Iraqi women and American MPs. Impressed, the MPs arranged to hire him as their interpreter, or “terp.” Johnny displayed such talent and incredible courage under fire that several months later an elite unit of Navy SEALs took him under its wing. He quickly became the most sought-after terp in the country, receiving numerous citations and commendations for his work. Credited by SEAL sniper Chris Kyle with saving countless American lives, Johnny spent six years working with SEALs and other special operations forces throughout Iraq, completing more than one thousand missions. After narrowly escaping two attempts on his life, Johnny was helped to the United States by the SEALs in 2009. He and his family currently live in California, where he helps train special operations units.

JIM D
E
FELICE
is the author of
Omar Bradley: General at War
, the first in-depth critical biography of America’s last five-star general, and the coauthor of Chris Kyle’s #1
New York Times
bestselling memoir
American Sniper
. He also is the author of a number of acclaimed military thrillers.

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