When a Slip Can Cost Your Life

Chris Ahmelman went to Iraq to prove himself. Like many others, he was drawn there by the challenge, the danger money and a sense of unfinished business. After eight years in the Australian Army, Ahmelman, 34, seemed equipped to handle just about anything in his new career as a security contractor. But in Baghdad on April 20, Ahmelman became an easy target, his years of training and combat experience wiped out in an instant when terrorists ambushed his security convoy on Route Irish, the notoriously dangerous stretch of highway that leads to Baghdad International Airport. Shot in the leg, Ahmelman had...