Isn't it embarrassing for the military to have a Brigadier General protected by mercenary soldiers?

Question

Brigadier General Wounded in Iraq
Last Edited: Monday, 29 Oct 2007, 11:21 PM EDT

Pentagon officials confirmed to FOX News that Brigadier Gen. Jeffrey J. Dorko, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division in Baghdad, was one of two soldiers wounded Monday by an improvised explosive device (IED) in northern Baghdad.

The other soldier was treated and released.

Dorko was traveling Monday morning with a private security team belonging to Erinys International when the attack occurred in northern Baghdad.

He is thought to be the highest-ranking U.S. military officer injured in the war. Dorko suffered shrapnel wounds and was taken to Landstuhl Army Hospital in Germany for treatment, his father, Ray Dorko told The Sandusky Register, a MyFoxToledo.com media affiliate.
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Say what you want about Blackwater, Erinys Intl. is a British owned firm, thus they were technically mercenary soldiers, by definition.

oops...link:
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4776226&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.3.1

one_for_the_doctor & Jerry C: You are both missing the point, that it means the military is stretched so thin, that they cannot even protect their own leaders and are relying on paid mercenaries to do so.

regerugged: As long as they are in battle dress serving in Iraq, it is a military job.

Oh and by the way,

Mercenary: 1. Working merly for money or other reward. 2. (of professional soldiers) hired to serve a foreign country.

-Oxford American Dictionary

Based on the definiton of mercenary above, do you think that the "soldiers" hired by Erinys, are serving because they want to liberate Iraq and bring freedom and democracy to that region or are doing it for money (which is about 5-6x more than they earned in the military)?

Answer 1

The real embarrassment for America is that we elected a retard to the presidency.

Everything else follows.

Answer 2

To be mercenaries, they would have to have been hired to BE soldiers, otherwise any veteran that later worked for a foreign company would by definition be a mercernary. Security, whether personal, commercial or corporate are NOT soldiers though Military Experience is preferred in the hiring proccess.

Bank Guards, Armored Car Guards, Bouncers and Body Guards are neither law enforcement nor military though many of the above are issued rifles and/or pistols.

So, why would I take 10 Soldiers out of the battle to protect one officer?

Answer 3

Erinys International is contracted to protect the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Answer 4

The Corps of Engineers is not exactly an elite fighting force. Some members of the Corps are in my area, dredging out a creek that floods when it rains. It is a civilian job in army clothes. Civilian guards are in order. They are not mercenaries. Look up the definition in the dictionary.

Answer 5

Sorry but you are wrong.

A mercenary is a person who takes part in an armed conflict.
Erinys International was a private security team and not in combat.

Answer 6

Ok, so what seems to be the problem?

Using mercs for security allows the soldiers to actually go and do the fighting. Odd how that works now isnt it?

Answer 7

Honestly, if it were me, I'd want the mercenaries...the mercenaries aren't bound by the Geneva convention, don't have to worry about representing the best interests of the US. government, aren't ambassadors for their country, etc.

Answer 8

not at all.

Our military has their hands full right now.

Security can be handed down to blackwater( almopst all are ex military men)

Not missing the point at all. I understand why this is being done

Answer 9

It is cheaper for use to hire out body guards like this then it is to ise our men, this has been common practice for a long time.

Answer 10

Its ridiculous