Cpl Nicholas Xenakis made two tours to Iraq as a grunt, something he was born to do. When his wife gave him the "me or the Corps" ultimatum, he chose her, but not before he joined the local reserve battery for one last pump. The battery was assigned as a provisional MP company with the mission of convoy duty, something Nick figured would not be as exciting as his grunt tours, but at least he was back in the fight.Convoys from Fallujah to Ramadi and the Green Zone, however, gave him his adrenaline rush and a view of the war he hadn't had before. But when his convoy was hit in Fallujah, Nick faced the most life-threatening and dangerous situation a Marine in Iraq could face, and he would have to face it alone.Prisoner of Fallujah is Book 1 of The Al Anbar Chronicles: First Marine Expeditionary Force-Iraq. However, it can be read as a stand-alone book in its own right.Warning: Prisoner of Fallujah contains some vulgar language and some extremely graphic and disturbing descriptions of torture and violence. Some of the views expressed by characters in the book are not "politically correct" and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author or follow Marine Corps policy. I am a retired Marine colonel now living and working in Thailand. I was born in Oakland, CA, but have lived throughout the US and the world, and have traveled to over 100 countries.My undergraduate degree was earned at the U. S. Naval Academy (Class of 1979), and I have attended graduate school at U. S. International University and the University of California, San Diego, earning a masters and doctorate.I have rather eclectic tastes. I have won awards in photography, cooking, and several sports, earning national championships in rugby and equestrian events. I love reading, writing, exercise, cooking, travel, and photography.I published my first work back in 1978, a so-so short story titled "Secession." Since then, I have been published in newspapers, magazines, and in book format in fiction, political science, business, military, sports, race relations, and personal relations fields.I write because I love it. I only hope that others might read my work and get a bit of enjoyment or useful information out of my efforts.
