'contact' - military speak for a firefight.

As an ex-Marine, James found he enjoyed a certain status with his peers, especially his US counterparts. "A Marine is a Marine, irrespective of nationality," and it was assumed "he would be good to go" in the event of a firefight. He also became friendly with the Ghurkhas, and a camaraderie developed among the men which he hadn't known since his days in the Corps.

In October, two months into his one-year contract, the American engineering company CSS was protecting needed an employee collecting from Mosul; a relatively routine assignment but not without its risks. The team chosen, including James, assembled and three vehicles were selected for the job - two soft-skin SUVs and an armoured car, which would carry the executive client.

The normal procedure was to wait until the US military had checked the highway for explosive devices before setting out. But the American team leader decided to depart earlier.

As the convoy headed north the tension in the vehicles was palpable. If the convoy was to be attacked, it

would likely happen in a built-up area. Only when the cars left the urban sprawl around Baghdad did the team leader give the order to relax.

Approaching Balad, the convoy was waved through an Iraqi police checkpoint close to the US forces base. Shortly after, James noticed a civilian vehicle parked on the hard shoulder of the road and the occupant talking animatedly into a mobile. The consequences of the phone call would become clear later.

The vehicles moved on into the desert and continued north towards Mosul. Each man checked his arcs,

responsible for observing anything untoward in his own field of vision. Weapons were primed. James noted that one man carried only a pistol instead of his issued AK47, which would be next to useless in a contact. Others had weapons set on full-automatic. James preferred to trust the Marine preference for single shot precision fire and kept his weapon on semi-automatic.

Suddenly, a group of six or seven men appeared above the sand berm to the side of the road and opened fire on the convoy. James's AK47 was already at his shoulder so he raised the muzzle and began to