Have you heard about the private military group called Blackwater?

Question

I heard an interview yesterday with the author of a new book called "Blackwater". This is a group of private "soldiers" under contract with our government. They are currently in Iraq and other places around the world. Homeland security hired them to police New Orleans after Katrina. They are paid between $350 to $ 800 per day - courtesy of our Department of Defense. The leader of the corporation is a close friend of Rumsfeld and has ties to Cheney as well. U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq were interviewed for the book and they talked about how demoralizing to them these contracted "troops" are. As one said " when you are making $35,000 a year with a pregnant wife and 2 kids - it makes you wonder why you are doing the same thing these guys are doing while our government pays them six figure salaries." What do others out there think about this? I am apalled - but not surprised.

To Tom - I never said this was a secret group and I am aware of all the private contractors etc. and the need for them in some cases. What I do NOT agree with is that my tax dollars are going to pay these salaries in some cases. I would prefer these $$ go to raising military salaries and providing them with the body armor and other equipment they need to do their jobs safely!

Answer 1

They are not 'secret' nor are the mercenaries.

Blackwater International is an elite private security company. And they are not paid by the Department of Defense nor do they have any connection at all with Mr. Rumsfield.

And they are not 'demoralizing' the troops. In fact I would appreciate it if you would ask a troops before you decided for us how we fell about anything.

Do you believe anything somebody tells you?

Answer 2

Actually most of the Blackwater guys are former military, in fact in most cases it is required. The reason they get kidnapped and killed so often is because the don't go out in large convoys like the rest of the soldiers in Iraq and thus they have less protection. While I was in Iraq, I thought it was a slap in the face that many of the private contractors were being paid more to do the same job and being given better weapons, technology, and equipment than the soldiers in my unit were. I also thought it was funny how Rumsfeld said "you go to war with the army you have not the army you want"...I wonder if he told himself that while he was pulling back soldiers who had retired or had already been on two or three tours. If contractors want to do the fighting then let them do it...but bring home the military soldiers who are getting killed and wounded by iraqis, and $#!+ on by their government.

Answer 3

To those who think the Blackwater guys do the "most dangerous" jobs. This is flat out untrue. Most of them guard facilities, equipment or dignitaries. None of them are kicking down doors and looking for bad guys. They do the work of rent-a-cops and get paid 6 figures for it. I know, I was there as a soldier and I have worked for blackwater afghanistan. Beleive me, I was glad for the paycheck, but I felt bad staying in my nice hotel room and working 9-5 while GI's are sleeping in bunks three high and working 24/7. I had been there and done that. After my first tour I did a year with blackwater and made about $270,000 in that year...

Answer 4

The larger salaries are security personell in Iraq. They put their lives on the line every day protecting other contractors and politicians. This is what happens in a free market. Soldiers don't have a choice about how they serve. Blackwater guys volunteer for the worst, most dangerous jobs. That is why they get paid the higher amount of money. The majority of them come from special forces.

Answer 5

Your information is so jaded and incorrect it makes me wonder about the future of politics in this country. There are numerous private contractors in Iraq and the people are paid pretty well. And why not, they are there facing danger too and bring certain skills. The ones you refer to are security personnel hired to do work that we prefer to not have soldiers doing, such as guarding high ranking civilian officials in Iraq and setting up security systems for businesses or body guarding civilian personnel. Also, escorting convoys that are business based, such as delivery supplies to small towns. Wouldn't you be suspicious and fear conspiracy if you learned that civilian business getting contracts to deliver electrical supplies to an Iraqi business, and making money on the deal, had their deliveries made by US troops? So companies have to hire private security personnel to guard their offices and operations along with Iraqis. There are also people in Iraq who are serving in positions as contractors, teachers, instructors in police academies, language specialists, etc. who are well paid for being there becaue they are civilians taking considerable risks. These people are used everywhere. There are many in Kosovo, teaching police officers and doing civic projects. They are well paid and paid much better than soldiers but they do not have the same benefits or protections as soldiers and their purpose is to not tie up soldiers in doing routine duties. We have a volunteer military, you know , and that means that most of it now is aimed at military missions and less at support missions. They are not clandestine groups, they are out in the open and recruit through newspapers, trade journals and police publications. In Vietnam we had 20 support troops in the Army units for every one combat soldier. In Iraq a much larger proportion of personnel are force oriented and support duties are handled by civilians. This has been going on for years under many different Presidents and is in part because we have a smaller volunteer Army which means that manpower has to be dedicated to more pure military duties and not support. There are civilian food service agencies, administrative companies, construction workers, etc in Iraq and it is not a conspiracy. Please stop believing that every thing is evil and stop believing tabloid journalism and the baloney that come from politicians to misinform and make you suspect. There is nothing secret about any of this and never has been. Don't be a barking dog or a fool for politicians. I didn't like it when Dem officials were demonized and I surely am not going to do it myself. I speak with my ballot and not with whispers, gossip and false images.

Answer 6

Black Water is a security copany contracted with the department of defense to protect the employeds of the department of the state and yes although they are former military personnel i think they are over paid ...i think we should allow military persons to do the job

Answer 7

If true, when the soldiers tour of duty is over they can quit the military and make the big, contract soldier bucks if they are truly qualified.
I am surprised, but not appalled.
If you want the best, you pay through the nose.

Answer 8

You do realize that all these Blackwater people are veterans of the U.S. military, don't you?

Most of them are former Spec Ops guys.

Nobody bats an eyelash when some colonel in procurement retires and works for a defense contractor, but God Forbid if some grunt actually makes a living in his field of expertise after he gets out.

Newsflash: Just about every corporate CEO in the country has "ties" with Rumsfeld and Cheney, since both of them served on alot of corporate boards.

They also have ties with any number of other former or current government officials who are or at one time did serve on a corporate board.

Some of these officials are Democrats.

Some of them have spotless antiwar records.

Take off the tinfoil hat.

Answer 9

the problem with the contract agencies such as blackwater, most of them aren't former Soldiers. Thats why they are always getting themselves kidnapped and killed being in a place they have no business of being in. Instead of spending that money on contracts to corporations to do the militarys job they need to pay our military better. Its horrible that a person in the private sector makes 10 times the money, doesn 1/10th of the job, and has very little training compared to the typical US soldier. Its about money, not pride. Its not just Blackwater so it doesn't matter who their friends are, that Co. is only one of many doing the job.

Answer 10

I heard the same interview. Fresh Air, right? Anyway, I can understand how the REAL soldiers feel and how it can be demoralising to them. The government doesn't care about our troops; they care about only one thing: ridding the world of whatever insurgents bother them. Bush is so hell-bent on destroying the Middle East that he will do anything.

And it's the State Department that "controls" Blackwater. For lack of a better term.