There was a manmade pond with brand-new bark, you know, cypress bark. Had they been, I sincerely believe that theyd be alive today. Shortly after George W. Bush was re-elected in November 2004, Gary Jackson sent out a mass celebratory e-mail declaring, Bush Wins, Four More Years!! They were told that they were able to do a risk assessment of every trip, and if the threat was too dangerous, that they could decline the mission. Gen. Mark Kimmitt vowed, We will be back in Falluja. They will be accountable., Still, Blackwater has friends in high places. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. They knew what they were getting into based upon the representations by Blackwater. JEREMY SCAHILL: I was very diligent in trying to get Blackwater to make any comment. Did you have luck getting Blackwater responding? Well, Blackwater then, when they cut their subcontract with this Kuwaiti company for this deal, kept intact the entire part of the contract that went over the security provisions, except for one word: armored. Helvenston's great-great-uncle was Secretary of War Elihu Root. More than 428 private contractors have been killed to date in Iraq, and US taxpayers are footing almost the entire compensation bill to their families. Democracy Now! Jeremy ScahillTwitterJeremy Scahill is the author of the best-selling Blackwater: The Rise of the Worlds Most Powerful Mercenary Army, published by Nation Books. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yeah, I appreciate that very much. Username. Erik Prince comes from a major powerful Republican family in Michigan. When we cover the climate emergency, our reporting isnt sponsored by the oil, gas, coal or nuclear companies. Scotty chose Blackwater, because they had a two-month contract, and he could be back home. STUDENT: My question is in regards to private military contractors. Reading this, it would seem that Blackwater has a reasonable defense. AMY GOODMAN: What about the other families? And I said, Well, youve already written a report. The remains of two of the men are strung up on a bridge over the Euphrates River and left to dangle. On April 17, President Bush spoke at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. The fact that [McQuown]was being exposed infuriated him. Scotts mother believes, based on Scotts e-mails and conversations with contractors who served with her son, that McQuown feared that Scott might replace him at the company. Were gonna go have fun. In addition, the paper reports, Blackwater billed Regency separately for all its overhead and costs in Iraq. Regency would then bill ESS an unknown amount for these services. But instead, they missed that turnoff, and they ended up driving straight through the center of Fallujah, and it was as they got through the middle of town that they got stuck in traffic, that they were ultimately ambushed. Is he okay? And they said they didnt know. The killing was March 31. I sent them, I think, seven or eight more emails, including one that just said, If you dont comment, youre not going to be represented in the piece, other than what I can find in the media, because these are very serious allegations, and it looks bad for you to not say anything about it. The man heading the training was Justin McQuown, nicknamed Shrek, after the green ogre movie cartoon character. And so, they didnt know what they were getting into. Eventually, their corpses are chopped and burned. AMY GOODMAN: Were talking about a groundbreaking lawsuit against Blackwater on behalf of the families of the four contractors who were killed on March 31, 2004 in Fallujah, the famous photographs of two of them hanging from the bridge over the Euphrates. And the insurgents knew that it was a fairly easy mark. And it all stems back to the point: if these folks had known that Blackwater was going to cut costs and was going to not provide them with everything that they were promised, would they have still done it? Since the team was driving without a rear-gunner and did not have armored vehicles, the insurgents were able to literally walk up behind the vehicles and shoot all four men with small arms at close range, the suit alleges. And I presume that thats the defense that Blackwater is going to make. And both the boys knew that if they were going to go through college, they had to figure out a way. These four guys were sent out without armor, without the adequate guns, without adequate personnel, and Blackwater takes it as a moment to say, 'Hey, we're famous now. Just like with tobacco litigation or gun litigation, once they lose that first case, theyd be fearful there would be other lawsuits to follow., The families two-year quest to hold those responsible accountable has taken them not to Falluja but to the sprawling Blackwater compound in North Carolina. Instead, the men set out at 8:30 in the morning with just two men per car, each short a rear gunner. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. The families of four private security contractors killed in Fallujah in March 2004 have filed a ground-breaking lawsuit charging Blackwater USA with fraud and wrongful death. justin shrek'' mcquown After Terminal Cancer Diagnosis, Daniel Ellsberg Reflects on Leaking Pentagon Papers & His Legacy, Daniel Ellsberg Warns Risk of Nuclear War Is Rising as Tension Mounts over Ukraine & Taiwan, Zooey Zephyr, Montanas First Trans Lawmaker, Speaks Out After Being Banned & Silenced by Republicans, Rising Tide of Fascism: Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones Warns of GOPs Growing Embrace of Authoritarianism, Courage Is Contagious: Zooey Zephyr & Justin Jones on the GOPs Silencing of State Lawmakers. The night before he left, Helvenston sent an e-mail to the Owner, President and Upper Management of Blackwater, subject: extreme unprofessionalism. In this e-mail, obtained by The Nation, he complained that the behavior of McQuown (referred to as Justin Shrek in the e-mail) was very manipulative, duplicitive [sic], immature and unprofessional. He describes how his original team leader tried to appeal to Shrek not to reassign him, but, Helvenston wrote, I think [the team leader] felt that there was a hidden agenda. By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 andagree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. Copyright (c) 2023 The Nation Company LLC, By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and, agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support. }); In the Oval Office the killings were taken as a challenge to Americas resolve, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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