American Contractors in Iraq

"Although it is infrequently mentioned,
and it is often unfashionable to say,
the truth about most private military and security contractors
is that they are mostly regular folks
trying to make a living doing often difficult jobs in
frequently chaotic and dangerous conditions.

Yes, many of them are military veterans
but they are certainly not mercenaries in any
meaningful sense of the word.
But often they do have one thing in common with regular
military personnel, namely,
they frequently get screwed over."

by David Isenberg
visit his blog at Huff Post and
The PMSC Observer
www.americancontractorsiniraq.com

Overseas Civilian Contractor Jobs
Jobs Iraq    Jobs Afghanistan
Contractor Status
Updated July 11, 2007
Background, Legal status,
and Other issues   READ
HERE
WARNING
Iraq Infections

COMING SOON...
TO A HOSPITAL NEAR YOU
Acinetobacter baumannii
Iraqibacter

Contractor loses leg to
preventable infection

Paula Loyd dies from
infection
"We thought she was going to be
OK," Roberts said. "But then the
infection, and the pneumonia. It was a
shock."










Baghdad Boil
Leishmania is a very  variable bug,  
There still is much we do not know  
about it.  Very few people in this  
country have any reason to know  
anything about it, whether they be  
MD's or whatever.  
Persistant skin  rashes,
blistery rashes on the  scalp, sores
or wounds that do not  heal should all
be considered for  leishmaniasis.

Leishmaniasis from Iraq
and Afghanistan

The Baghdad Hack


Defense Base Act
DBA Attorneys
DBA Lawyers

These Attorneys have proven
track records and will serve
as your advocate only


Scott Bloch
William Skepnek
www.scottblochlaw.com

Deceptive Defense
Doctors
by Dorothy Clay Sims










When DMEs Selectively
Report Test Results
Defense doctors often pick
and choose which test results
to include in their reports,
slanting the report in favor of
the defense...
read more here

Dorothy Clay Sims takes on
Florida's Dr G and wins
Also read....
Cross Examining the
Psychiatric Expert
Dorothy C. Simms, Esq. Ocala,
Florida
San Francisco Giants
for them in 1984 as a September
call-up and quickly entrenched
himself as their starting third
baseman. In his first full season in
1985, Brown batted .261 with 16
home runs and 61 runs batted in
for the last-place Giants, made the
All-Rookie team, and finished 4th in
the National League Rookie of the
Year voting (Vince Coleman of the
St. Louis Cardinals won the award
by unanimous vote); Brown also led
the NL in times being hit by pitch
(11). In 1986, Brown batted .317
and made the NL All-Star team
after hitting nearly .350 in the
season's first half.

Life after baseball
Chris Brown lived in Houston,
Texas with his wife Lisa and their
two children, Paris and Chris Jr.
Brown, after retirement. In 2004,
Brown worked in Iraq driving an
18-wheel truck delivering diesel
fuel for Halliburton. He took fire on
numerous occasions, including in a
convoy that was attacked on April
9, 2004, in which six Halliburton
drivers and one soldier were killed
and another driver kidnapped and
later released.[1] By 2006, Brown
had returned to the United States.

Brown died at Memorial Hermann
Hospital in Houston on December
26, 2006, nearly a month after he
suffered burns in a fire on
November 30 at a vacant house he
owned in Sugar Land, Texas. He
was 45 years of age. Police have
never determined if his death was
a homicide, suicide, or an accident.
EXHIBITS
TO DETERMINE IF
THE METHODOLOGY is
“SCIENTIFICALLY
ACCEPTED”
Defense Base Act and
War Hazards
Compensation Act
Handbook
2008 Edition and a
newer edition

We call it
How to Screw the
Modern Day
Defense Base Act
Casualty

Roger A. Levy
Editor-in-Chief

When you see this book
being promoted you need
to be suspect of the
persons or websites
motives

Promoted by your
Department of Labor
(This year it's $60)

It doesn't matter how
severely injured the
contractor is,  the trick is
to find every little loop
hole you can to deny
them benefits

Is that what the
Department of Labor
thinks the DBA is all
about?

The Defense Base
Act (DBA):
The Federally Mandated
Workers' Compensation
System for Overseas
Government Contractors,
September 15, 2008
"The House Committee on
Oversight and Government
Reform held hearings in
2008 on the DBA. Current
DOD DBA policies have also
been criticized by the
Government Accountability
Office (GAO) and the Army's
own auditors. "
House Hearing, "Are Tax
Payers Paying Too Much"
Waxman May 2008.
Statement by Shelby
Hallmark


If you were injured prior to
2006, you are exempt  from
meeting the "TIME
REQUIREMENTS" for being
out of the country 330 days.!
THE United States Tax
Court ordered that  no
income TAX or penalties
are due for 2004, under
provision
IRC, 662 (a)
Form 2555 - IRS form ,
(was revised 2006)
Contingency Operations

Established in 1941, the
Defense Base Act (DBA)
provides the equivalent of
workers' compensation for
civilian contractors working
in contingency operations in
overseas countries such as
Iraq and Afghanistan. "As
designated by the Secretary
of Defense, Operation
Enduring Freedom (OEF) in
Afghanistan and Operation
Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in Iraq
are both contingency
operations.” [1] The Federal
Acquisitions Regulations
(FAR) 2.101 defines a
Contingency Operation (10 U.
S.C. 101(a) (13)) to be a
military operation that:

"(1) Is designated by the
Secretary of Defense as an
operation in which members
of the armed forces are or
may become involved in
military actions, operations,
or hostilities against an
enemy of the United States
or against an opposing
military force; or

(2) Results in the call or
order to, or retention on,
active duty of members of
the uniformed services
under section 688, 12301(a),
12302, 12304, 12305, or
12406 of 10 U.S.C., Chapter
15 of 10 U.S.C, or any other
provision of law during a
war or during a national
emergency declared by the
President or Congress." [2]
Racketeering and Comp
When the Denial of an Injury is an Injury









The Labor Department has failed to crack down on one of the agency’s
fastest growing and most expensive programs

Injured Abroad, Neglected at Home
Labor Dept Slow to Help War Zone Contractors
by T Christian Miller

Texas District Court Rules Iraq War Not Life Threatening

For AIG's Man in Jordan,  
War becomes a business opportunity

Foreign Interpreters Hurt in Battle
Find US Insurance Benefits Wanting

Lost in LImbo
Injured Afghan Translators Struggle to Survive



Study Proposes Overhaul of Defense Base Act to Cover Care
for Injured Contractors by
T.Christian Miller


After Injury, the Battle Begins:
Evaluating Workers’ Compensation for Civilian Contractors in War Zones
Video Link here
This link has been removed and we are awaiting a response


David W. Laconte killed by Roadside Bomb in Afghanistan
Retired US Navy SEAL from Va Beach


Civilian Contractor Toll in Iraq and Afghanistan  
Ignored by Defense Dept. by T Miller


Contractors in Iraq to be subject to American Law


E-mails show KBR feared causalties before deadly attack


SENATE DPC HEARING WILL EXAMINE FAILURE TO PROTECT
U.S. TROOPS FROM HEALTH IMPACT OF BURN PITS IN IRAQ


Senator Byrom Dorgan Receives Response From DOD IG


DOD INSPECTOR GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE ARMY’S RESPONSE TO
EXPOSURE OF U.S. TROOPS TO DEADLY CHEMICAL IN IRAQ


Unappreciated Patriots
Contractors in Iraq are Hidden Casualties of War

Congressman Elijah Cummings Announces Plan to Reform US System
to Care for Injured Civilian Contractors
By T. Christian Miller Propublica



Afghanistan Contractors Outnumber Troops

Contractor Electrocuted in Shower in Iraq

Contractor Shot Dead on Base in Iraq

Lucas Vinson, KBR Employee shot dead by US Soldier

British and Australian Contractors Killed in Iraq
British ArmorGroup Contractor Shoots Two Colleagues in Iraq

















Blackwater Founder Implicated in Murder











Tangiers International and the Department of Labor?














Happy Anniversary Merlin Clark
Blown up in Iraq Six Years Ago Today (July 7, 2003)
Still Getting Screwed Over by CNA



















DoDIG Blames System Failure in KBR Death of Ryan Maseth


Fluor Removes Internet Access from Mid East Servers
16 killed as civilian helicopter crashes at Afghan base
Sonny Hinchman killed in Iraq  Blackwater XE
Former KBR Employee (David Breda) Arrested For Raping A Woman

CNA Claims Adjusters

Risk Management without the Risk
“Something cruel, heartless and cynical took place in the back rooms of
carriers with responsibility for civilian claims. If you like Edgar Alan Poe,
you’ll love the claims files of AIG and CNA.”

These are the eyes behind the claims numbers of the  
Modern Day DBA Casualty
It's a look you recognize when you've been there
The Lives behind these eyes are the ones you've cast aside CNA

















Should this family have had to lose their home their credit too
?
How CNA treats foreign claimants













Note:  Daniel has now lost his family too
For more on Stellie and Daniels story go to  
South African Contractors in Iraq  

Foreign Workers for US are Casualties Twice Over
Insurance experts said the numbers suggest that many wounded
foreigners never apply for benefits, even though U.S. taxpayers have
paid more than $1.5 billion in premiums for the war-zone insurance.

Broad Agreement that Workmans Comp Program
for War Zone Workers Needs Fixing
by T. Christian Miller
















Daniel Brink, a South African, applied to Chicago-based insurer CNA for his
medical benefits but said CNA declined some benefits owed to him. (Francine
Orr/ Los Angeles Times)
Congressional hearings generally follow a script. Lawmakers publicly
vent their outrage, administration officials offer plausible defenses, and
the outcome is inconclusive. But last week's airing of complaints about
the government's system for taking care of civilian workers injured or
killed while on the job in Iraq and Afghanistan was notable for its
unanimity.


AIG in Iraq:  A cruel way to make a buck
AIG may not know diddly about the risk in risky financial vehicles, but they
certainly know how to make money in conventional comp insurance. Of
course, it helps that the injured workers are so invisible, like obscure figures
in a desert sand storm, struggling blindly to find some kind of shelter in a
harsh and unsympathetic world.

Dropping the DBA Ball
Is it any wonder AIG and CNA get away with murder?

Remember them too
Don't Contractors Count When We Calculate the Costs of War?
Despite the light that Memorial Day will shine, briefly, on the U.S. death tolls in
Iraq and Afghanistan, don't expect an accurate accounting of the real human
cost of our military actions abroad. The numbers you'll see -- mostly likely just
under 5,000 fatalities -- won't tell the whole story.
read the whole story here


AIG Faces Hearing on Denial of Medical Claims by Contractors Injured in
Iraq and Afghanistan
Rep. Dennis Kucinich [1], D-Ohio, announced [2] today that a panel of the
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform [3] will hold hearings
on June 18 to examine whether AIG and other major insurance carriers have
inappropriately denied medical claims of contractors injured on the job in Iraq
and Afghanistan.

Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and
Afghanistan
At WHAT Cost?
Contingency Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan
Interim Report
J U N E 2 0 0 9
Commission on Wartime Contracting: Interim Findings and Path
Forward"
House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs
Wednesday June 10

Iraqi Judge releases American Contractors

Iraq says four US Contractors detained not five

Five US Contractors held in slaying of Jim Kitterman


CONTRACTOR SUPPORT OF U.S. OPERATIONS IN USCENTCOM AOR,
IRAQ, AND AFGHANISTAN
Operational Contract Support, "State of the Union" — May 2009


Roadside Bomb Kills Three Americans in Iraq

IRAQ: Leishmaniasis appears in southern province
If your working in Iraq remember it's sandfly season

Pentagon’s IG to Examine AIG Insurance Provided to Private
Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan
The Defense Department's inspector general is preparing a possible audit to
examine allegations that inadequate oversight by federal officials allowed AIG
and other major carriers to deny medical benefits due civilian contractors in
Iraq and Afghanistan.

Suicide from PTSD not compensible

When PTSD Comes Marching Home


War scarred contractors battle red tape
In fighting claims, the insurance companies have relied on doctors with
questionable expertise, according to court records and claimants' attorneys.
Civilian workers in Iraq suffering combat trauma
No one has studied the effects of wartime trauma on civilian contractors
working in Iraq, but experts say war affects contractors no differently than it
affects troops


Don Ayala Gets probation







Military security contractor Don Ayala and social scientist
Paula Loyd in Afghanistan.








Kucinich Asks AIG Why It’s Denying Claims From
Injured Contractors in Iraq

Military Fails to Collect from AIG for Care
to injured contractors
by T Christian Miller Propublica
WASHINGTON—The Pentagon has failed to bill American Insurance Group and
other major insurance carriers for millions of dollars in medical care provided
to private contractors injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new
federal report [1] (PDF).
The United States hired hundreds of thousands of civilians to work in the two
war zones. When injured on the job, their medical care is supposed to be paid
for by private insurance companies, primarily AIG.

Contractors Using Military Clinics
Civilians Also Are Not Paying, Audit Says

KBR has blocked MsSparky from their servers

Nine new lawsuits filed against KBR

Could it be true CNA is worse than AIG?

Injured War Zone Contractors Fight AIG and CNA to get care
on Democracy Now
Amy Goodman  with T Christian Miller, John Woodson, Keith Smith Idol

















read transcript here


Britian honors it's civilian contractors too
With equal solemnity, it concluded with M.A.M Usman, a civilian contractor
killed in a rocket attack on March 9.

Cummings Requests Congressional Hearing on
AIG Denying Claims for Civilians Injured
in Iraq, Afghanistan
Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), a senior member of the
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter (text
below) to Domestic Policy Subcommittee Chairman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio)
requesting a hearing to examine a recent investigation by the Los Angeles
Times, ABC News, and ProPublica. According to the investigation, AIG and
other insurance companies have been unnecessarily denying and prolonging
serious health insurance claims of civilian contractors who were injured or
killed while participating in U.S. combat activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The men and women who sacrifice their lives to protect our nation on the
battlefield should be able to return to their families without having to wage
another battle here at home to receive the health care they are more than
entitled to receive,” Congressman Cummings said. “I was absolutely
disgusted to read about the atrocities that individuals are being forced to
endure as they attempt to get treatment for the injuries they received while
serving our country.”   Read  full story here

Labor Department Enforcement Lacking, Report Finds

Craig Fuller 33 was killed,
along with a civilian Afghan leader of his team in a roadside firefight.  
Jeff Hermey, another Lee County man,
was injured by shrapnel

KBR’s own Memos Undermine Defense-Good Friday Massacre


Dyncorp Faces State Department Probe Following Death

Preston Wheeler Ambush Video and others
you got it here first !

Civilian Workers in Iraq suffering Combat Trauma

Injured War Zone Contractors Fight to Get Care From
AIG and Other Insurers

AIG Pampers Execs, Denies Claims of  
Contractors Injured in Iraq

Blind Amputee Has to Fight AIG for New Plastic Leg,
Wheelchair
While Executives Get Bonuses, John Woodson Gets "Cheapest They Could
Get Away With"

Pentagon Curbs Use of Hexavalant Chromium
Escalating health concerns prompt virtual ban of   chemical, often called
sodium dichromate.

What are the motives to misdiagnose PTSD?
The truth might rest in math.

"I am under a lot of pressure to not diagnose PTSD"
A secret recording reveals the Army may be pushing its medical staff not
to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder. The Army and Senate have
ignored the implications.
"he also received pressure not to properly diagnose
traumatic brain injury"

Tales of the secret Army tape
After a soldier taped a psychologist saying he'd been pressured not to
diagnose PTSD, the Army launched an investigation. Read the details of
how the Army declared itself innocent.

Reducing Contractors Numbers:  Is it possible?

Republican Governor's Association and
Halliburton Kellogg Brown Root

VA SAYS NO PRESUMPTIVES FOR HOST OF ILLNESSES
AFFLICTING GULF WAR VETS

Traumatic Brain Injury and the DBA
Brain Injuries go undiagnosed in contractors
CNA  and AIG refuse to pay for screening

Report to Congress Urges Accelerated Efforts to Create Breakthroughs
on Traumatic Brain Injury

Better Brain Trauma testing called for in Iraq
Traumatic Brain Injury page

Brain Injured Troops Face Unclear Long Term Risks

Was your cancer caused by toxic exposures in
Iraq?
Were you exposed to Depleted Uranium, Hexavalent
Chromium, Sodium Dicromate,  TCE Trichloroethylene, or
BURN PITS in Iraq?

Oregon's Own Toxicologist Points Out Toxicity of
Hexavalent Chromium
"greatly increases the risk of lung cancer"

KBR Work Presents 'Security Risk'  

Pinoy carpenter killed, another injured in Afghanistan mortar attack

AIG: Failure's Fat Rewards

New Day for OSHA?

KBR keeps witness info concealed

Department Of Defense Latest Contracts

Who got AIG's bailout billions?

Pentagon knowingly exposed troops to to
cancer causing chemicals

KBR Whistleblower on Rachel Maddow

Justin Pope Dyncorp Killed in Iraq

Update Justin Pope killed by accidental gunshot wound

Tampa Contractor Killed in Afghanistan       
Santos Cardona was on a patrol early Saturday morning. There had been many
roadside bombs in the past few days, and "they wanted him to go out with his
dog. The explosion split the Humvee he was in, and it landed on top of him. He
was killed instantly."  Cardona was a contractor with American Canine, a
Florida-based contracting company. The 34-year old had been working with a
bomb dog since November 2008

A drawdown of contractors in Iraq
The reduction of civilian contractors in Iraq, ordered by Gen. Ray
Odierno, will pose challenges as troop reductions are carried out.

Outsourcing Peacekeeping

Blast kills contractor in Afghanistan

AIG in talks with Feds over another bailout?
How about bailing out the injured contractors that they refuse to provide
benefits for?

Contractor Numbers as of Dec 31 st

CNA refuses to approve TBI screening  for
Bomb Blast Victim
He needs to provide them with medical evidence that he has TBI
so he can be tested for TBI
Walter Reed intentionally did not test for this when he was there
being put back together
DOD avoided TBI Screening

ALJ William Dorsey Deals Blow to Blackwater Families

Blackwater misrepresents their employees as contractors so they don't
have to pay taxes but they magically become employees so the taxpayer
has to pay for their Defense Base Act insurance
This insurance for PSC's runs 50% and more of  their yearly salary

Isn't this either tax evasion or fraud?

read here
and here misrepresenting the employee as a contractor
Blackwater Dodges Taxes

Job Openings for Security Iraq
SR PM for Afghanistan

Civilian Surge
a preliminary report

Pentagon Boosts Spending on PR
In the process, it is raising concerns of spreading propaganda at home
in violation of federal law.

Houston Lawsuit blames Halliburton, KBR in Iraq Death
Kristen Martin alleges wrongful death, fraud and conspiracy regarding
the February 2007 shooting of her father, Donald Tolfree.

Halliburtons Army:   How a well connected Texas Oil Company
Revolutionized the Way America Makes War

Hard Lessons
The Iraq Reconstruction Experience
Download here

The Hidden Casualties of War

Tangiers International LLC of Louisianna has an agreement
with the
?? Department of Labor ??
Tangiers has since changed their statement regarding their
relationship with the DoL

Tangiers and your rights under the DBA

Pentagon letter undercuts DOJ in Blackwater case

Sailor Electrocuted
WASHINGTON (AP) — A third U.S. service member has been determined
to have been electrocuted in a shower in Iraq

KBR Awarded Convoy Support Center in Iraq Contract
and YES it does involve electrical work

Army Report: Negligence by KBR Caused Soldiers
Electrocution
An Army investigation calls the electrocution death of a U.S. soldier in
Iraq "negligent homicide" caused by military contractor KBR Inc.


The Department of Labor sets up PTSD TBI Website for Veterans
America's Heroes at Work
At the same time they are allowing AIG and CNA to deny medical,
psychiatric, and disability payments to the Contractors, most of whom
are Veterans, with the same diagnoses' from the same Wars









Secretary Chao has set back decades of progress at the Department of
Labor by stonewalling investigations, embracing corporate special
interests, and showing general contempt for working families.
Lets hope that  under incoming Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis the
Department of Labor will properly oversee the implementation of the
Defense Base Act in the spirit in which it was written, not how it is being
"interpreted".


Defense Department Establishes Civilian Expeditionary Workforce
WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 – The Defense Department is forming a
civilian expeditionary workforce that will be trained and equipped to
deploy overseas in support of military missions worldwide, according to
department officials.


Daylight hits Covert NLV Airline
Vision Air is being sued by employees who say the company withheld
millions in government hazard pay they earned for flying into war zones.
The government requires contractors and subcontractors to swear in
affidavits that the hazard pay is given to the employees who earned it.


Where are the future markets for Private Security Contractors?
Bleeding Heart Humanitarian Contractors :)
Like them or hate them, we still need private security contractors
Iraq Won't Grant Blackwater a License


Why Contractor Fatalities Matter


In the Line of Fire
“It was the contractors’ war,” Fainaru writes. “Not just the
[mercenaries] but the janitors and the cooks, the bean counters and the
bomb-disposal experts.   
“The government didn’t even have the decency to count them, maybe because if it did, all the
basic barometers that the Pentagon had been using to measure how the war was going — troop
levels, number and frequency of attacks, and especially, casualties —   would have gone straight
out the window.
The mercs didn’t die or get wounded or engage in combat in Iraq. They were like cardboard
soldiers.”

Happy New Year
Greatest Hits of 2008
Bullshit as Science
The Fake Bad Scale

The AIG Saga:  Farewell My  (Not-So) Lovely?
How AIG was allowed to borrow the money put aside for your claims
Contractors vs employees: KBR and Blackwater shell games
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Not in This Army!
Independent Contractor or Employee?
and here
Thank you Workman's Comp Insider for these and more here

KBR seeks to blame US Army, Insurgents for Iraq Convoy Deaths
Oregon Troops Exposed to Toxic Chemicals
by KBR contractors


The Unreported Death of Staff Sgt Paula Loyd of the Human Terrain
System

Paula Loyd died from infection at Brooke Army Medical Center

Don Michael Ayala
Third 'Human Terrain' Researcher Dead
AIG faced workmans comp audit in 2005
Gear up EOD Contractors
US Pullout from Iraq to hit private contactors
AIG, the DBA, and Iraqi Interpreters

Shell companies in Cayman Islands
allow KBR to avoid Medicare, Social
Security deductions-Boston Globe

Injured contractors sometimes
caught in legal wrangle for
disability compensation-MEDILL
REPORTS WASHINGTON,by
Mrinalini Reddy

Back from Iraq, contractors in U.S.
face combat-related stress
NY Times-

Bush’s Private Armies Suffering
Breakdowns

For war zone workers, a new fight
Some US firms deny injury claims
Boston Globe-Jan-07

Civilian Casualties from Iraq: Caring
for the Forgotten Wounded

Silent surge in contractor 'armies'
From the July 18, 2007
edition -csmoniter

American Contractors in Iraq Face
Risks  New York Times July 16,2007

The Contractor's Fight at Home-
David Phinney

Contractors Back From Iraq Suffer
Trauma From Battle

Overseas Contractors Seek
Support Back Home  Thursday,
June 14th, 2007

'War, Red Tape Haunt Civilian
Workers.' L.A,. Times-T. Miller

Overseas Contractors Seek
Support Back Home,Thurs, June
14, 2007  

Iraq: Blood, Sweat and Tears at  
New U.S. Embassy  Thurs., June 14,
2007

Gimme Shelter-Some Iraq veterans
are returning home, only to face
homelessness and mental
problems. Meanwhile, the VA is MIA.

US CONTRACTORS FACE PERIL,
NEGLECT ,
Boston Globe

Contractor Families Network at
Home- Fox News

Building Support

Ohio mom wants Iraq contractors
honored

The Contractor's Fight at Home

US: The battle scars of a private
war  ,
LA Times 2007

A crusader for civilian casualties

Nearly 800 Contractors Killed
in Iraq

John, Don't Surrender, Daivd Pinney

Iraq Contractors Convene in TN.

Iraq Wounded
Fight for Insurance Coverage

(SF) Civilian workers in Iraq
suffering combat trauma

Two truckers return from Iraq
disillusioned , E Trucker 2007

A 'Clara Barton' of the Web
for Civilian Contractors
Injured in Iraq

Contractors Wounded in Iraq
Meet for Support

Marines Jail Contractors in Iraq

More than 500 Contractor
Deaths  in Iraq?

On the Wrong Side of
'Friendly Fire'- CorpWatch by David
Phinney

Contractors In Iraq
Are Targets  For Attack

Census Counts 100,000  
Contractors
in Iraq, Civilian Number,
Duties Are Issues

IRAQ: Security Contractor Detained-
Corp Watch

Thoughts on War Contractors
CANCER
Soldiers and civilians who are
currently working in
or have previously worked in the
war zones are developing
cancers at an alarming rate
Will the DBA cover
your cancer?
Toxins take toll
War Zone
Cancer  Registry
The
DBA X FILES
Unravelling the mysteries of the
abducted PTSD cases

Where you'll find the
MOST BIZARRE
decisions by ALJ's &
diagnoses by   DME's

Case by case analysis
A poorly run Pentagon program for
providing workman's
compensation for civilian
taxpayers, a House oversight
committee said Thursday.

Insurance companies alone have
pocketed $600 million in excessive
profits over the past five years,
says a staff report from the House
Oversight and Government Reform
Committee, but the Defense
Department refuses to adjust its
approach for managing the
program.

According to the committee, the
Pentagon allows its contractors to
negotiate their own insurance
contracts. By contrast, the State
Department, U.S. Agency for
International Development and the
Army Corps of Engineers have all
selected a single insurance carrier
to provide the insurance at fixed
rates.

"What makes the situation even
worse is the people this program is
supposed to benefit - the injured
employees working for contractors
- have to fight the insurance
companies to get their benefits,"
committee Chairman Henry
Waxman, D-Calif., said at a hearing
Thursday. "Delays and denials in
paying claims are the rule."

KBR Inc., one of the largest defense
contractors in Iraq, paid the
insurance giant AIG $284 million
for medical and disability coverage
under the Defense Base Act, a
reference to the federal law
mandating the insurance. Due to
the way KBR's contract is
structured, this premium, along
with an $8 million markup for KBR,
gets billed to the taxpayer.

"Out of this amount, just $73 million
actually goes to injured
contractors, and AIG and KBR
pocket over $100 million as profit,"
Waxman said.    Full Story READ NOW!
Disposable Army

Civilian Contractors in
Iraq and Afghanistan
T Christian  
Miller
CIVILIAN TOLL
Dead:      3,258
Injured:   89,182
Unknown:  1,101

Source: Labor Department, Dec 31,
2012.  Figures reflect number of
Defense Base Act claims filed on
Civilian Contractors of all
nationalities reported injured or
dead in Iraq and Afghanistan and
elsewhere.

93,566
Defense Base Act Claims filed since
Sept 30, 2001

Reminder to
Contractors







Regarding Iraqi
Jurisdiction
Company That Probes War
Contractor Injuries for AIG Is
Itself Under Scrutiny
by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica

Tangiers Medical
We'll amputate your leg, give AIG
or CNA your disability rating, and
spy on you and your family when
we get you home
Conflict of Interest
A former Blackwater employee and an
ex-US Marine who has worked as a
security operative for the company
have made a series of explosive
allegations in sworn statements filed
on August 3 in federal court in
Virginia. The two men claim that the
company's owner, Erik Prince, may
have murdered or facilitated the
murder of individuals who were
cooperating with federal authorities
investigating the company.  

The War Inside
Your Head
Could a little screening by
ArmorGroup have prevented this?
YES

Danny Fitzsimons
was diagnosed with PTSD

Briton facing death penalty in
Iraq ’suffering from stress’
Commentary by
T.Christian Miller
In Sundays Washington
Post

Sometimes It's Not
Your War,
But You Sacrifice
Anyway

These workers have been
wounded like soldiers.
They have died like
soldiers.
Defense Base Act Compensation Blog
Need to know DBA claims information for injured contractors

Civilian Contractors Blog
International News and Views for the Overseas Civilian Contractor
Top Ten Worst DBA Offenses of 2009
If your an injured contractor you'll want to read these
If your not injured, your just a bomb away
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis Avoids Interviews
and
Meetings with Contractor Groups
The Labor Department, which runs the system, required by a law known as the Defense Base
Act, has exercised little oversight over the treatment provided to foreign workers. Despite
promises  to better enforce labor laws and widespread agreement that the contractor health
care system is costly and ineffective, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has largely avoided
interviews and meetings with contractor groups seeking to reform the system.
Our Articles on Wounded Iraq and Afghan Interpreters
Now in Arabic
by T.Christian Miller
Pentagon Identifies Abducted
Contractor

Issa T Salomi, 60, went missing
on Jan. 23 in Baghdad. He was
working with the U.S. Forces as
a civilian employee, according to
the Department of Defense.
2 Ex-employees say
Blackwater Billed
Government for Prostitute
Justice Department refuses
to investigate
read here
The Other Victims of Battlefield Stress
by T Christian Miller

No agency tracks how many civilian workers have killed themselves
after returning from the war zones. A small study in 2007 found that 24
percent of contract employees from DynCorp, a defense contractor,
showed signs of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, or
PTSD, after returning home. The figure is roughly equivalent to those
found in studies of returning soldiers.














On the one-year anniversary of her husband’s suicide, Barb Dill breaks
down at her husband’s tombstone. Wade Dill, a Marine Corps veteran,
took a contractor job in Iraq. Three weeks after he returned home for
good, he committed suicide
Birgitt Eysselinck has spent years
trying to prove that her husband's
death in Iraq was related to stress
from his job with a company
specializing in the removal of
land mines and explosive
ordnance. So far, courts have
sided with the insurance firm,
Chicago-based CNA, in denying
Eysselinck's claim.

Eysselinck, 44, said that neither
federal judges nor insurance
adjusters understand that civilian
contractors face many of the
same risks in Iraq and
Afghanistan that soldiers do. Her
husband, Tim Eysselinck, endured
mortar attacks and frequently
traveled across Iraq's dangerous
highways.
Three-year-old Thyra helps to “plant
roses” at her father’s burial in
Namibia, sprinkling sand from a
little spade onto roses as they are
tossed into the grave.
Civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan
Contingency and War Zone Operations
Peacekeeping Operations

Injured or
Family Member Killed
Working Overseas
on a US Gov Funded
Contract?

Call
The Law office of
Scott J Bloch
here

Never hire a DBA
Attorney who wants you
to pay them out of your
settlement

Weltin, Streb, and
Weltin

website here













Jobs Afghanistan

Jobs Iraq

Overseas Civilian
Contractor
Jobs

Private Security
Contractor Jobs

How to get a job
as a civilian contractor


Danger Zone Jobs
Industry
Organizations

IPOA
International Peace
Operations Association
!! Junket Time !!
Loyola Annual Longshore Harborworkers Conference 2010
The Department of Labor Sponsors conference heavily biased
for the Insurance Companies
Casualties not Counted
Tim Eyesslinck
"There is a huge percentage of contractors who are silently
suffering," Eysselinck said.
"That obviously puts them and their families at risk.
Communities are bearing the brunt of this, especially the families."
Back from Iraq
Injured War Zone Workers Fight Insurance Giants AIG and CNA
Face Financial Ruin

Colonel to Admit
Role in Iraq War
Corruption
U.S. Army Veteran Is
Accused of Taking More
Than $50,000 in Bribes
Article here
Leishmaniasis
in Iraq and Afghanistan
a hazard yes
a War Hazard Act
reimbursement NO

Unless the Sandflys in Iraq
and Afghanistan have taken
up arms against the
Contractors
AIG, CNA, and ACE should
be picking up the tab
not the taxpayer

More on Leish here

The Acinetobacter Threat
epiNews
Investigative Medical Reporting

Medical issues effecting Military and Contractors
Toxic Exposures, Leishmaniasis, Acinetobacter,
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injury
Medical Care Workers Executed in Afghanistan
The workers — six Americans, a German, a Briton and two Afghans
— were shot to death in a remote region of northeastern
Afghanistan. Their bullet-riddled bodies were found Friday.

Dr. Karen Woo, Glenn Lap. Cheryl Beckett
Dr Thomas Grams,  Dr Tom Little, Brian Carderelli
Dan Terry, Daniela Beyer,  Mahram Ali, Jawed
Never Attend an
Insurance Company
"IME"
Unarmed

Never attend any medical or
psychiatric evaluation on
behalf of the DBA insurance
company without your lawyer or
an advocate that your attorney
provides and

Never attend one of these
without a videographer.
Federal Judge Denies Defendants
ArmorGroup’s and Wackenhut’s
Motions to Dismiss False Claims Act Whistleblower Lawsuit Involving
Fraudulent Practices at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul
read here
Gordon Duff at Veterans Today
Zombie Contractors
PENTAGON SCAM
ENRICHES “REVOLVING DOOR” BUDDIES
This Year, Contractor Deaths Exceed Military Ones in
Iraq and Afghanistan
by T Christian Miller at ProPublica
Story here

Marcie Hascall Clark, an advocate for contract workers, said that
contractor deaths and injuries reflected contractors’ importance in
fighting the wars.  
.  “I don’t think most contractors expect to be treated as nobly as our
soldiers, but they don’t expect to be forgotten, either,” said
Hascall Clark, who runs a group called

American Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan

Be sure to visit
Raw Story
for breaking stories sometimes before they break!!
Attention KBR Truck Drivers Past and Present
Working Off the Clock
MsSparky
Linda Norgrove USAID DAI
Killed in Afghanistan by her Captors
Story with updates here
(Update:  Likely killed by her rescuers)
Update
Killed Accidently by US Soldier
Another Episode of the DBA X Files Mystery is
Solved                         
ALJ Paul Johnson and Dr John Dorland Griffith
Overturned
by the Benefits Review Board

the administrative law judge was to assess the weight to be
accorded to the medical evidence of record, without substituting
his judgment for that of the physicians.

here for the full story

Special Thanks to our X Files crew
VA Recognizes
"Presumptive" Illnesses in
Gulf War, Iraq, and
Afganistan Veterans: here

VA Burn PIts
Information about potential
exposure to toxins from
burn pits, possible
health-related problems
Rufford "Hobby" Hobson
EOD, Contractor
Remains found
Hobby went missing not long after being
let go by Ronco Consulting after
working for them for many years
read here
German National, Aid Worker, Killed in Afghanistan
A German national has died of his wounds in a hospital in
Afghanistan’s northern Balkh Province as Taliban step up
their attacks against foreign troops in the country.
The Khost Bombing
One Year Ago Today    December 30, 2009
Danny Fitzsimons, ArmorGroup, Murder Trial Updates
ArmorGroup fails to Vet mentally ill contractor resulting in the
murder of two others and the wounding of one
Staff Sgt David P.Senft
dies of “injuries sustained in a noncombat related incident”
Army ignores blaring symptoms of Mental Health Problems
Wackenhut Information Breach
?? Wackenhut keeps employees personal information on
individual computers in Iraq ??
The Danny Fitzsimons Trial

We  Ask Again Why ArmorGroup is not on trial for
endangering the lives of everyone they exposed to an
armed Danny Fitzsimons?

Paul McGuigan and Darren Hoare are dead because of ArmorGroup’s
negligence in failing to Vet a known mentally ill employee.  Danny ran
out on a pending weapons charge in England and was on probation
for previous convictions.
Danny Fitzsimons also had  known alcohol and drug problems.
Farewell Good Friend
Justice
for
Injured Contractors

South African Injured War Zone
Contractors
Advocating for Injured Contractors
PTSD Suicide Finally Justice Prevails
See
Wade Dill Casualty Counted
ALJ Awards Widow Defense Base Act benefits
Raymond Allen Davis,
Former Blackwater Security Contractor,
works for the CIA
Check out his website
Hyperion Protective Consultants
and get the details here
Defense Base Act Insurance Company CNA
Hires Double Agent, convicted murderer, Kevin Woods
as TPA for
South African Injured War Zone Contractors
here
Eight UN Workers Killed in Mazar-e-Sharif Afghanistan,
2 beheaded
Five Nepalese Guards, One Swedish, Romanian, Norwegian
Tim Eysselinck
Ronco Consulting Casualty
April 23 2004
Two Contractor PTSD Suicides This Week
Both Former DynCorp Employees
CNA Insurance Company Defense Base Act Coverage
read more here
CNA DBA Insurance Company
Finally recommended for
Criminal Investigation
read here
CNA's failure to pay out benefits underscores the continuing problems
with the Defense Base Act, essentially the workers compensation system
foroverseas federal contractors.
Careful who you follow







Ronco Consulting sued for negligence by United Nations Mine Action
Employee severely injured by landmine in cleared area
Fartham vs Ronco Consulting

Class Action Tax Misclassification Filed Against
Xe/Blackwater

Ronco Consulting did this for many years also
Fluor employee victim of brutal rape at
FOB Shank in Afghanistan
in Critical Condition in Germany
read here
SIGAR Audit says
CNA DBA Insurance Company
May owe US Taxpayer $58.5 Million Dollars
read here
Kraig Vickers Navy EOD
Dies in SEAL Team
Chopper Crash
here
US Engineer, James W “Will” Coker
remains found in Afghanistan
initial reports indicate beheading
Read more here
Injured War Zone War Contractors File
Defense Base Act Class Action
Brink vs CNA et al












“This abusive and illegal scheme by the defendants has been
allowed to go on for too long.  We are talking about loss of
life, suicide, loss of homes, marriages, families split up, “
Bloch said, “and the culprits are the large government
contractors who should have treated their employees better,
and the mega-insurance companies who were paid a hefty
sum to make sure the employees were taken care of with
uninterrupted benefits in the event of injuries in these war
zones.”

Join in our class action here
Fluor loses seven contractors in Kabul Bombing
Eight Civilian Contractors Reported Killed in
Kabul Afghanistan Suicide Bombing
Two British Contractors Electricians killed worked for Fluor
Stephen Brown David Quinn
here for details and updates
Include U.S Civilian
Contractors in
Deaths/Injured in Iraq &
Afghanistan
Please go here to sign
Petition
Do Not Go To Iraq
Mark Fisher, Triple Canopy,  speaks out on Iraq Imprisonment
Chad Regelin,
Explosive
Ordnance
Disposal, US
Sailor of the Year
Killed in
Afghanistan
read here
KBR wins appeal
in Fifth Circuit
Fisher vs
Halliburton
The Defense
Base Acts
Exclusive
Remedy Holds
up as a License
to Kill
IRS Targets US
ExPats
The time to prepare is
before
you deploy
War's Risks Shift to Contractors
by Rod Norland at The New York Times
Elijah Cummings, House Oversight Committee Ranking Democrat
Introduces Legislation to Reform the
Defense Base Act
We are the best kept secret of the wars
Nine Years Ago Today
Still Getting Screwed Over by CNA
Dan Hoaglands Death Sentence at the Hands of
AIG's Overly Zealous Defense
CNA Defense Base Act Insurance Company
Caught Lying to Department of Labor
not for the first time

Department of Labors Presumption
That Claimants Doctors Lie but CNA is telling the truth

Department of Labor and Supreme Group
Conspire to Cover Up the Untimely Filing of Nearly 200
Death Claims?
Half of which were filed to uninsured employer
here

T Christian Miller
Interviews Bill Carlisle Jr.
on ProPublica Podcast

Bill Carlisle to lose his home while
KBR, AIG, DoL, and the lawyers all
go home comfortable with what
they've done to him in order to
fatten their own bank accounts.
Veterans and Civilian
Contractors
looking for federal jobs get help here
American Civilian Contractor, Police Advisor
Killed in Kabul Afghanistan Christmas Eve  More here