Guardian: Life in the Crosshairs of the CIA's War on Terror

by Thomas Pecora, Jon Land (Contributor), Lindsay Preston (Contributor)

A CIA security officer recounts a twenty-four-year career protecting America's intelligence personnel and senior USG Officials against a backdrop of the War on Terror.
Tom Pecora is prepared to draw back the curtain on the little-known and misunderstood world of the CIA protective operations--security teams who work on the front lines in some of the most dangerous places in the world, doing battle with America's most determined enemies in the War on Terror and more.

Somalia was Pecora's first deployment as a CIA Protective Operations Cadre (POC) officer, responsible for providing protective operations support in hostile areas of the world. He later headed up a series of the Agency's undisclosed protective operations teams. The existence of these protective teams was first exposed during the famous 2012 battle in Benghazi when the Annex Security Team saved the lives of the State Department employees, an incident that was the subject of the movie, 13 Hours. From 1989 until his retirement in 2013, he was assigned to multiple war zones across Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, doing the kind of work few are even aware exists.

But it does, and Pecora's direct involvement allowed him to work behind the scenes of some of the most well-known conflicts of our time, including the infamous encounter known as Black Hawk Down, the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, and the hotbeds across the Middle East where fires continue to burn.

Over the course of a career that saw him receive the Career Intelligence Medal, Intelligence Star, Meritorious Unit Citation, and numerous Exceptional Performance Awards, Pecora distinguished himself as a Protective Operations Cadre (POC) member and as a CIA Security Officer. And now he's prepared to shed light on the world of clandestine protective operations and the selfless, heroic warriors dedicated to keeping the United States safe at all costs...

Audible Audio

First published May 7, 2019

Reviews

[Jordison Francisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um raro olhar sobre a vida de um verdadeiro profissional de segurança da CIA

Tom Pecora oferece uma visão excepcionalmente clara e convincente do arco de uma longa carreira no mundo da segurança da CIA, cada vez mais envolvida em um mundo cada vez mais perigoso como o do 11 de Setembro. Tom Pecora nos revela sua vida através deste livro de fácil leitura, sem egoísmo e embelezamento egoísta. Não se parece com as muitas caricaturas de funcionários públicos incompetentes e conspirações da CIA pintadas por Hollywood e políticos. Pecora oferece uma visão mais realista de seus colegas e de si mesmo – patriotas dedicados, trabalhadores, altamente treinados e atenciosos, dispostos a arriscar suas vidas para proteger a vida de outros. Tom mostra como eles fazem sacrifícios pessoais e trabalham longas horas em condições difíceis para que o importante trabalho da Agência possa continuar.


Marcus Luttrell escreveu "Lone Survivor", um livro incrível que nos dá uma visão sobre o programa Navy Seal e os obstáculos que os Seals enfrentam enquanto servem. Chris Kyle escreveu "American Sniper", uma descrição comovente das muitas provações da vida de um soldado em tantos níveis. Ambos permitiram que seus leitores assumissem emocionalmente as botas de heróis americanos. Tom Pecora fez o mesmo com "The Guardian". "The Guardian", assim como "Lone Survivor" e "American Sniper", é uma leitura obrigatória. É cativante, para dizer o mínimo. Obrigado, Thomas, por compartilhar suas experiências de vida com a CIA.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific Read

What a career and what well written life story. Not your typical "chest beating", S.W.I.D. (See What I Did) autobiography. S
The author shared his ups and downs consistently through the book. His ability to navigate the bureaucracy of an agency such as his is award winning in and of itself. His leadership principles are down to earth and easily followed and are very much grounded in common sense.

[Nicholas Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I loved it, I've read many CIA books, but never through the lens of an MDSO position. I couldn't put it down!

[Anthony Kurczewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your average Tom Clancy or James Bond type affair. This is a raw and real depiction of clandestine operations from the source himself.