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Blackwater Families: Contractor Threatened Employee with Abandonment
Today, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) continued his string of hearings on government waste and fraud with one concentrating on Blackwater USA. First up to testify were the families of the four Blackwater guards who were dragged through the streets of Fallujah in 2004.
From their written statement (pdf):
Once the men signed on with Blackwater and were flown to the Middle East, Blackwater treated them as a fungible commodity. For example, Scott Helvenston was physically and verbally attacked one night by a Blackwater program manager, when Scott indicated that he was not well enough to leave the following morning on a mission. Despite two other Blackwater operators offering to go in Scott’s place, the Blackwater manager burst into Scott’s room late one night, confiscated his weapon, and told Scott that if he personally did not go on the mission the following day, he would be fired. It was under this threat of being fired and abandoned in the Iraq that forced Scott to leave for Baghdad the following morning.However, late that night, Scott sent his last email. It was addressed: “To the Owner, President and Upper Management of Blackwater Security.” The treatment of the security operators was so bad that after working for Blackwater for just 11 days, Scott felt compelled to write an email to the owner and president of the company that began:
“It is with deep regret and remorse that I send you this e-mail. During my short tenure here with Blackwater I have witnessed and endured some extreme unprofessionalism.”
In this lengthy email, Scott detailed all of the problems with the entire program and the treatment of the operators. There was no response from Blackwater management to this call for help. Instead, our men were dead four days later.
Update: Here's the video of the families' opening statement, as delivered by Kathryn Helvenston-Wettengel, Stephen Helvenston's mother:
Comments (4)
denise k wrote on February 7, 2007 5:32 PM:Coincidence? Not likely. Whistleblowers have a way of disappearing. This guy -- if not killed outright -- was no doubt in my mind -- disposed of by the thugs at Blackwater.
Dennis wrote on February 7, 2007 9:51 PM:Here is yet another "military-industrial complex" that has little to no oversite of its activities by the American Congress. Nor is weak-willed, spinless Congress we presently have going to do anything to change that either.
Just wait; one of these days someone in one of those corporations is going to cut lose and take "matters" into his own hands.
You don't have to be a blind conservative not to see it, just an ignorant one to deny it.
dasher wrote on February 8, 2007 12:41 PM:I'm sorry, but I have rather little sympathy for these Blackwater folk. They knew exactly what kind of people they were dealing with. These people are, almost to a man, ex-military, special forces, or intelligence. Many of them opted to do the same type of work for Blackwater that they used to do for the US of A, but at many multiples of the salary. They could have re-upped (unless they were too mentally unstable even for the military), but they were in it for the money.
So they found out that their overlords weren't "officers and gentlement"? Well, boo f*cking hoo.
I'm only glad that Blackwater in general is getting heat. That organization and everybody in it is evil personified.
R wrote on February 8, 2007 4:10 PM:I agree with dasher.
Even when they are misused, US Military soldiers honorably fight for God and Country.
Blackwater people are mercenaries, they kill for money. Being dragged behind a car and burned alive is fitting treatment for soldiers of fortune. Better than they deserve.
The use of private security firms should not be tolerated by our government, much less endorsed by it. Write to Rep. Waxman.