Okay, that may be an overbroad analogy there, but the same principle applies. v. Blackwater Security is the lawsuit for wrongful death filed by the families of the four contractors for Blackwater Security (since renamed Academi) murdered in the 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush.The families of the four men, led by Scott Helvenston's mother Katy Helvenston-Wettengel and Donna Zovko, Jerry Zovko's mother, filed suit against Blackwater with lawyer Daniel . Since the Falluja incident, and also because of it, Blackwater has emerged as one of the most successful and profitable security contractors operating in Iraq. AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to go for a minute we only have a few minutes to a comment of President Bush about private military contractors operating in Iraq. KATY HELVENSTON: Yeah. They were escorting three empty trucks on their way to pick up some kitchen equipment at a base west of Fallujah. AMY GOODMAN: Were you all in the same hotel? I wrote an email to Gary Jackson, the president of Blackwater. KBR/Halliburton refuses to discuss the matter and will not confirm any relationship with ESS. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. He trained Demi Moore for her film G.I. JUAN GONZALEZ: Now, even in the training period at Blackwater, he began to find problems in terms of the quality of the training that was going on? A day after the killings, Prince enlisted the services of the Alexander Strategy Group, a now disgraced but once powerful Republican lobbying and PR firm. But because they didnt have a map, they didnt have G.P.S., and, in fact, funny story, I think they had G.P.S. But then, the other component to this is that the lawsuit alleges that this Blackwater manager, Justin McQuown, because of his personal animosity toward Scott Helvenston the lawsuit and Katy characterize it as Justin McQuown resented Scott. Many firms specializing in contractor law advertise the DBA as the best way for corporations servicing the war to avoid being sued. Im gonna take care of you. You know, just stuff like that, which obviously wasnt true. They got so lost that first day that they had to spend the night in a different camp, somewhere that they werent even intending on going. During training, McQuown would often improperly instruct the class or provide erroneous information, tactics or techniques, the suit alleges. The man heading the training was Justin McQuown, nicknamed Shrek, after the green ogre movie cartoon character. But I hold Blackwater responsible one thousand percent., In late 2004 the case caught the attention of the high-powered California trial lawyer Daniel Callahan, fresh from a record-setting $934 million jury decision in a corporate fraud case. They told them that they would be operating in teams of no less than six, where you would have three individuals in each vehicle a driver, a navigator and a rear gunner who has a 180-degree view of the rear to protect from behind. He reported . They were vulnerable and obvious. We will hunt down the criminals. The suit alleges that the four men should have had a chance to gather intelligence and familiarize themselves with the dangerous routes they would be traveling. Before Helvenston, Teague, Zovko and Batalona were ever sent into Falluja, the omission of the word armored was brought to the attention of Blackwater management by John Potter, according to the families lawyers. tn_subject: ['criminal-j', 'society', 'us-wars-an', 'war-and-pe', 'war-on-ter'], And then the reports are that E.S.S. 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. AMY GOODMAN: Moyock in North Carolina, where Blackwater is based. tn_articleid: [72445], This is not even close. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License, Fighting in Sudan Persists Despite Extended Ceasefires as U.N. The article is called Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater. And the people he had been with in Kuwait City, all of a sudden he was no longer working in that team. McQuown refused to allow it. Unfortunately, what they didnt know was that there was a much safer route that took them around the north side of Fallujah. However, when youre talking about an assumption of the risk, youre talking about a calculated assumption of risk. 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 talking to Katy Helvenston, Scotts mother; Jeremy Scahill, whos breaking the story today in The Nation magazine; and Marc Miles, the attorney for the families of the four Blackwater employees. Regards, Chris Taylor of Blackwater.. Erik Prince and his late wife gave $275,000 since 1989 to various political candidates, not a single penny ever to a Democrat. And I think that, you know, when we talk about Iraq corruption, a lot of times its Halliburton overcharged for this or Bechtel did this. When we cover the climate emergency, our reporting isnt sponsored by the oil, gas, coal or nuclear companies. And the guard that was in charge of me, I said, You know, you really need to do something about these helicopters. You know, and he left for a minute or two, and finally the helicopters went away. And this becomes very important, as Marc Miles talks about, because you have to prove intent. Were joined by Jeremy Scahill, who did the piece for The Nation magazine, out today, Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater, appearing in the new issue; Katy Helvenston with us, mother of Scott Helvenston - today, she is speaking out in a national broadcast live for the first time -; and Marc Miles, attorney for the families of the four men, the Blackwater contractors killed in Fallujah. They were not provided with the armored vehicles or able to do the pre-trip inspection or the risk assessment. Youre out of your mind. An analysis of Princes contributions prepared for The Nation by the Center for Responsive Politics reveals that since 1989, Prince and his wife have given some $275,550 to Republican campaigns. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin " Shrek " McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. But one thing to stress here, and this is what the lawsuit alleges, its not just wrongful death, its also fraud. 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. Ill only be away from my kids for a couple of months. Thats why he chose Blackwater, she recalls. Jane), and was also featured in the reality shows Combat . It will be precise, and it will be overwhelming. Within days of the ambush, US forces laid siege to Falluja, beginning what would be one of the most brutal and sustained US operations of the occupation. . You dont just stick a Navy Seal on a brand new team with guys and send them into a combat zone. But when these four men ended up in Fallujah that day, they were in Pajero jeeps that were not armored at all. All this was shady enoughbut the real danger for Helvenston and the others lay in Blackwaters decision to cut corners to make even more money. AMY GOODMAN: Marc, I just want to interrupt for one second. AMY GOODMAN: But you did meet at the memorial service. Democracy Now! I did get a call a few days later, and they all of a sudden were going to have this grand memorial. tn_loc:'atf' At 17 he made history by becoming the youngest person ever to complete the rigorous Navy SEAL program. With regard to the wrongful death of these four men, that face is Justin McQuown of Blackwater. The company refused to comment on the case, but McQuowns lawyer, William Crenshaw, told The Nation there are numerous serious factual errors in the lawsuit, saying, On behalf of Mr. McQuown, we extend our sincerest sympathies to the families of the deceased. Once the cover boy on a Navy calendar, he also had several workout videos. He was dead. He came from a proud family of Republicans; his great-great-uncle, Elihu Root, was once US Secretary of War and the 1912 Nobel Peace Prize-winner. This is a billion-dollar industry, Jackson said in October 2004. Eventually, their corpses are chopped and burned. Thank you so much. And I do want to say we invited Blackwater on the program today. This April at a forum at Johns Hopkins, Bush was asked by a student about bringing private military contractors under a system of law, to which Bush replied, laughing, that he was going to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, I was going toI pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, Ive got an interesting question [laughter]. And just like any town in America of 20,000 to 30,000 folks, youre going to have situations where there are crimes committed and wrongful conduct. Your article, Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater, appears in The Nation magazine today, and we will link to it at democracynow.org. tn_keyword: ['academi', 'security-c'], slotId: "thenation_right_rail_72445", Name. Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government. Scott was tall, tan and chiseled and, by all accounts, a model soldier and athlete. Full Interview: Frank Mugisha on New Anti-, Former Guantnamo Prisoners Ask Biden to Let Them Keep Art They Made to Escape Inhumane Conditions. It was clear. This is what delegation - I dont mean to be dodging the question, although its kind of convenient in this case, but never- I really will. It mostly was, Mom, please dont worry, Im OK. Im gonna be home soon and Im gonna see ya. They said it was the direct line. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. My family wouldnt let me read any of the articles, they were so graphic. Now, they were ultimately to get to the other side of Fallujah. And, in fact, the first day that they set out, they were so lost and it was getting late that they ended up staying at an army base on the east side of Fallujah. Its going to be deliberate. On occasion, Helvenston would attempt to politely assist McQuown by offering his expertise on the correct manner of the particular training exercise. Democracy Now! JUAN GONZALEZ: But, Marc Miles, Blackwater can claim that the men who sign on with them know exactly the kind of dangers that theyre going into, that they signed contracts that recognized the possible dangers and loss of life or injury that they may suffer. It wasnt just a compilation of everything that was going on. 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 commander responsible for Fallujah was Marine Colonel John Toolan. The problem is that theyre working outside of the military structure, and therefore theyre not subject to court-martial or any particular chain of command, while at the same time theyre working within a country, such as Iraq, which really doesnt have a civil justice system or a police force, which would be able to hold American private security contractors accountable or liable for any of the conduct that they do over there. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. And so, then I started I had never read any articles. AMY GOODMAN: Were talking about a groundbreaking lawsuit against Blackwater, the security contractor in Iraq. In this email, Scott talked about Justin McQuown, who he refers to as "Justin Shrek." Scott apparently thought his actual name was "Shrek" because that's what everyone called him. The four men were, in fact, working under contracts guaranteeing that they would travel with a six-person team. They were not provided with the six folks that they were supposed to have in each vehicle. What happened that day, as far as you have been able to understand and as your lawsuit alleges? On April 17, President Bush spoke at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. They say Blackwater refused to redraft the contract. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I was going to ask him. They didnt find out that they were lied to until they got into Baghdad and basically had no option but to go forward. And each family was assigned a guard, literally, and it was to me, it was just so bizarre, because we were being watched 24/7. Im driven and Im not going to quit. AMY GOODMAN: You were all staying in a hotel? Its a well-connected, Republican-controlled business that has made its fortune because of the Bush Administration. Lets take this opportunity. Now, just recently, last month, Cofer Black, who is a former C.I.A. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. It was one of these reality TV things. COL. JOHN A. TOOLAN: Unfortunately, it was going out on CNN. Thats why this case is being watched so closely by other firms operating in Iraq. And he wrote me back and said, Hi, Jeremy, Im the appropriate person to deal with on this, and he said he would entertain my questions and go over them with counsel. And this Justin McQuown was the instructor there at Moyock, and he was outraged that Scott had the audacity to even suggest that there was a better way. The men got lost on the evening of March 30 and eventually found a Marine base near Falluja where they slept for a few hours. You will be launched to my site where you can watch the teaching. Kathy Potter told the News and Observer that Regency would quote ESS a price, say $1,500 per man per day, and then tell Blackwater that it had quoted ESS $1,200. ESS then contracted with Halliburton subsidiary KBR, which in turn billed the government an unknown amount of money for the same security services, according to the paper. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. HAROLD VIDINHA: The first thing that came up was a camera bouncing toward this SUV, and it went right into the car. JEREMY SCAHILL: Well, as we got a few of the facts of the case from the clip that we just played from Frontline, but I also want to say that the four men I just want to say their names: Scott Helvenston, of course, is Katys son; then there was Mike Teague; Jerko Zovko, who was known as Jerry; and then Wes Batalona, who was talked about there. And both the boys knew that if they were going to go through college, they had to figure out a way. And then, when we come back, I want to ask you about your request for an incident report from Blackwater to understand what had taken place and also about a memorial service that Blackwater held, and well continue this discussion. If it had been up to Katy Helvenston, her son wouldnt have been in Iraq at all. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions . At our rooms. to your inbox each morning. This is an excerpt from Frontlines program Private Warriors, a documentary on the role of private military contractors working in Iraq. The insurgents made their own video of the aftermath. Can you talk about that a little bit? And, Katy, I know this is difficult for you, and its the first time youre speaking out in a live national broadcast, but I would like to step back for a minute and have you tell us about your son Scott. Warns of Humanitarian Breaking Point, Israeli Forces Kill Two More Palestinian Teens in Occupied West Bank, Over 200 Bodies of Drowned Migrants Found by Tunisian Coast Guards in Less Than 2 Weeks, Santiago Pea Elected President of Paraguay, Keeping Dominant Pro-Taiwan Party in Power, Climate Defiance: Protesters Disrupt White House Correspondents Dinner, Montana Governor Signs Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Minors, First Republic Becomes Second-Largest Bank to Fail in U.S. History, Texas Suspect Used AR-15 Rifle in Execution-Style Killings of Five Neighbors, Colorado Governor Signs Bills to Curb Gun Violence, May Day Rallies and Protests Worldwide Mark International Workers Day, Jeffrey Sachs on Chinas Historic Push for Multipolar World to End U.S. So I sent Blackwater about 23 specific questions, and from that first email that Chris Taylor sent me, I never heard back. All four of these men were veterans of the U.S. military, of Special Forces. They do not deny that the men were aware of the risks they were taking, but they charge that Blackwater knowingly refused to provide guaranteed safeguards, among them: They would have armored vehicles; there would be three men in each vehiclea driver, a navigator and a rear gunner; and the rear gunner would be armed with a heavy automatic weapon, such as a SAW Mach 46, which can fire up to 850 rounds per minute, allowing the gunner to fight off any attacks from the rear. Helvenston's contract And this is something that I actually think Marc Miles would be very good on, but just in short, in studying this case, you sort of look at the pyramid scheme that exists in these war zones, where Blackwater is paying these guys $600. On the one hand, you have the allegations that Blackwater systematically defrauded these men by not providing them with the armored vehicles, the weapons, the adequate personnel for the mission, the opportunity to do a pre-trip risk assessment, etc., all the things that Marc Miles has laid out. And then you are sending them in undermanned. However, Iraq is clearly not currently capable of enforcing its laws, much less against you know, over our American military contractors. It is one of the most infamous incidents of the war in Iraq: On March 31, 2004, four private American security contractors get lost and end up driving through the center of Falluja, a hotbed of Sunni resistance to the US occupation. Sign up for our free daily newsletter, along with occasional offers for programs that support our journalism. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. In one of its few statements on the suit, Blackwater spokesperson Chris Bertelli said, Blackwater hopes that the honor and dignity of our fallen comrades are not diminished by the use of the legal process. Katy Helvenston calls that total BS in my opinion, and says that the families decided to sue only after being stonewalled, misled and lied to by the company. Were gonna go have fun. And she was told that they would have to sue Blackwater to get that information. Helvenston et al. They made a killing off of New Orleans. What we have right now is something worse than the wild, wild west going on in Iraq, Callahan says. KATY HELVENSTON: Donna Zovko and her son Tommy. Unbeknownst to Helvenston, this goal would drive a series of events that would ultimately lead to his death. According to Department of Labor statistics, at least 425 U.S. civilians have died in Iraq including at least 22 Blackwater contractors. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. There should be three men per team. JUAN GONZALEZ: Jeremy, in your article, you talk about some of the contracts that you were able to get copies of, where actually Blackwater was subcontracting to others, but in their contract they deleted certain provisions of the protections of these men, and the men actually complained about it, the superiors complained about it. Its Departing Leader Recalls the Battle. New Yorks Working Families Party Came Back From the Brink. And whats important here is that the lawsuit alleges that because of Justin McQuowns personal animosity toward Scott Helvenston, he intervened to have only four men sent, that only four were sent on Justin McQuowns order that day, instead of six, and the other two were held back to perform clerical duties in the Blackwater facility in Baghdad. I was going to I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, Ive got an interesting question. In early 2004 Helvenston was between jobs and was eking out a living with the stints on reality TV, the movie consulting and the fitness videos. Potter persisted, insisting that his men be provided with armored vehicles. Over a thousand people died because of what happened to Scotty that day, says Katy Helvenston. They wrote back to us and said, Out of respect for the families and the integrity of the judicial proceedings, I cannot join you. STUDENT: I was hoping your answer might be a little more specific. You know, at least I know he wasnt burned alive. 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. Thats whats very upsetting. If you think Democracy Now!s reporting is a critical line of defense against war, climate catastrophe and fascism, please make your donation of $10 or more right now. As always, click on the title of the post above. Now, thats not unusual for, you know, a lifelong Republican to give that kind of money. When Helvenston set off for the Middle East, his family thought he was going to be working on Blackwaters high-profile job of guarding the head of the US occupation, Paul Bremer. We will finish the job. Brig. AMY GOODMAN: An excerpt from _Frontline_s program Private Warriors, documentary on the role of private military contractors working in Iraq. He says, you know, basically says, Im not the kind of guy who would normally complain about anything, but this has gotten so extreme that I want to raise this with you. And so, you have a convergence of Justin McQuowns alleged interventions that led to these guys being sent out the way they were, and Blackwater the allegations of Blackwater systematically defrauding these guys.

Cpap Cough In The Morning, Lionsdive Beach Resort Day Pass, When Do Carter And Abby Break Up On Er, A J Johnson, Articles J