Midwest to Mideast:
From the streets of Chicago to the Triangle of Death

A true account of a Chicago Cop turned Department of Defense Subject Matter Expert embedded with the 101st Airborne. A ground‑level look at counter‑IED work, local partners, and the daily grind of staying alive.

Planned release: TBD. Formats: eBook & Paperback (Amazon KDP).

About the book

Part memoir, part field notes, this is the story of leaving the streets of Chicago for Iraq in 2007–2008 to work counterinsurgency alongside U.S. soldiers. You’ll see the small decisions that kept people alive, the local leaders who changed outcomes, and what it took to build trust where it barely existed.

It’s also about coming home and making sense of it all. No politics. No romance. Just what happened, why it mattered, and the people who carried the weight.

What you’ll find inside

  • Counter‑IED work and the reality of pattern of life analysis
  • The Daughters of Iraq checkpoint program and why it worked
  • Unattended Ground Sensors, raids, and quiet wins you never saw on TV
  • Leadership lessons from E‑4s to battalion staff
  • Coming home: switching off a war you carried for months

Read a sample

Download the opening chapter as a PDF.

Download sample chapter

Media & speaking

Need a straight talk on K9, private‑sector security, or counterinsurgency lessons that hold up at home? Get in touch.

Book Steve

Press kit

Cover image, author photo, and a short bio for reviewers and event organizers.

Download press kit

Excerpt

Well, here I am, at Gate D37, McCarran international Airport. I am beginning the Adventure of a life time. Who would have thought a City Cop from the Midwest would become part of a Specialized Team of Experts providing a law enforcement perspective to identify and defeat the terrorists and insurgents that are utilizing I.E.D.’s against our troops in war torn Iraq. Who would have thought?

© Steve Martinez. All rights reserved.

About the author

Steve Martinez served more than three decades in law enforcement, later deploying to Iraq as a Department of Defense law‑enforcement professional embedded with the 101st Airborne in the Triangle of Death. He went on to build and lead private‑sector K9 and special response programs for major casino operations in Las Vegas.

He lives in Nevada, where he still trains working dogs and helps teams prepare for bad days.

Contact

For rights, interviews, or event requests.

Email Steve Martinez

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