"Code Name: Johnny Walker" tells the personal story of an Iraqi who signed up to become a translator following the U.S. invasion of his Country. Given the code name of 'Johnny Walker', the book tells of the dangers he faced while working for the Americans. These dangers were partly those faced by all soldiers while conducting their missions, and partly those from being targeted by insurgents hostile toward anyone helping the invading forces.
You quickly develop an admiration for Johnny Walker for the risks he took and the dedication he showed on the job. He truly seemed to be devoted to the vision of a rebuilt and free Iraq, and was very much against the insurgents who brought terror and destruction to his country.
The personal story of Johnny Walker was interesting and moving, and you see how dangerous Iraq became after the fall of Saddam for ordinary Iraqi's. There are descriptions of several raids and missions which Johnny Walker participated in, but some are somewhat superficial in detail. That's understandable, especially on the missions he made with the SEAL Teams, since he wasn't a participant in the planning details, and often was unsure as to the nature of the mission. His job was to be available to translate with suspects following completion of the mission. So in some cases described, the drama and tension of other wartime stories is missing. You may not get a good sense of how the war was managed or how insurgents were identified and stopped, but you do get the sense of what it was like for an Iraqi to be on missions as an interpreter.
The book has a happy ending, at least for this particular interpreter and his immediate family, in that he was able to be rescued from the turmoil in Iraq and be relocated to the United States, where he and his family have made new lives for themselves. Unfortunately, Johnny Walker was one of the lucky ones, and many Iraqi's who risked much to assist the U.S. forces didn't have a champion working for them, and were unable to navigate the bureaucratic obstacles placed in their way in order to be able to be brought out of danger to the U.S. ( )

It was a bit repetitive, but this book gave a lot of great insight into the war in Iraq. With all that goes on in the US, it's easy to forget that it still represents a land of freedom and opportunity to those that have known neither. ( )

Family man Johnny Walker watched Iraq destroyed by a tyrant and the war he caused. Observing the American soldiers, he saw a chance to help bring justice and peace back to his country. He could have been a dragoman from the ancient past. A dragoman was an interpreter, translator, and official guide needed for mediation who fused diplomatic as well as linguistic duties hence their need to know the culture very well. The authors carefully give blame and credit where it is due while protecting individuals as they are describing living conditions of people oppressed and ultimately paying a heavy price trying to exist in their beloved homeland. They make you feel you are there . . . and you don't want to be. ( )

The audio version of this book was really well done - I found it completely believable that the narrator was actually the Iraqi telling the story of his experiences as a translator for the Navy Seals assigned to hunt down terrorists and insurgents in Iraq. The author of this memoir does a great job of conveying what his life was like both before, during, and after helping out the Seals, as well as why he did help out and how he felt about what was happening in his country. I really admire his ingenuity, perseverance, and bravery. ( )