Published by Pen & Sword Books

The
Silent
War

A Private Military Contractor's Memoir from Edinburgh to Baghdad

Seven years in Iraq and Afghanistan. A brotherhood forged in combat. And the silent war of PTSD that followed.

Releasing July 2026 · Foreword by Colin Maclachlan
The Silent War book cover

"A no-holds barred insider view of the rollercoaster life of a Close Protection operator in the most hostile environments on earth."

Colin Maclachlan — SAS: Who Dares Wins

"Atmospheric, gritty — captures the reality of life as a private security operator."

Tim Spicer OBE — CEO, Aegis Defence Services

Departure for deployment

From Edinburgh to the front line

Chapter I
The Combat Years

Operating in Iraq and Afghanistan at the height of their wars. Escorting high-value targets under fire, running convoys through kill zones, facing death in blown-out cities and scorched desert roads. This is the world most people only see in news headlines.

Chapter II
The Brotherhood

The unspoken bond between men who would die for each other without hesitation. Stories of courage, loyalty, and the connections forged in the crucible of combat — connections that last a lifetime, and grieve a lifetime when they're gone.

Chapter III
The Silent War

The battle that continues after coming home. PTSD, addiction, loss, and the difficult journey of rebuilding a life once the fighting ended. This is the war no one talks about — and the one that nearly finished what the enemy couldn't.

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Hardback · Pen & Sword Books · July 2026

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Title The Silent War
Author Scott White
Foreword Colin Maclachlan
Publisher Pen & Sword Books
Format Hardback
Release July 2026
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Scott White

Scott White

Former PMC · Edinburgh, Scotland

Scott White's journey began in Edinburgh, Scotland, where at age 25 he stepped into the unforgiving world of private security. He trained alongside former special forces instructors, mastering close protection, weapons handling, and specialist driving tactics.

For six years he worked throughout Europe and the UK before making the leap to become a Private Military Contractor at 31. He deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, operating in environments where ambushes, roadside bombs, and militia attacks were daily life.

While some of his brothers made it home, others didn't — and far too many returned in body but never in mind. The Silent War is his unflinching first-hand account of those years, and the painful process of survival that followed.

7 Years deployed
2 Conflict zones
26 Brothers lost

What People Are Saying

"

A warts and all first-hand account of 'the circuit' when it was at its most dangerous and volatile ever. A no-holds barred insider view of the rollercoaster life of a Close Protection operator in the most hostile environments on earth.

Colin Maclachlan
Star of Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins
"

Atmospheric, gritty — captures the reality of life as a private security operator.

Tim Spicer OBE
CEO, Aegis Defence Services

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