My Risky Hol On Iraqi Front Line

[News]

WITH his heart racing, Greg Waggett tried desperately to hold his nerve as he looked into the danger zone.

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[Sotiris]

Wow.

Does anyone know what it takes to enter the private security world? I've always been confused by it...huge companies like Black Water who are more or less large private armies..basically civilians with guns and for some reason are allowed to kill people?

I didn't know Britain was involved in this as well.

 

[Deleted]

Black Water are mostly ex-military personell, who can do the troops out there a big favour, taking the load from the military. Without them a lot more troops would be in Iraq. There's also a video of hte USMC and Blackwater staff fighting alongside eachother.

I'd love to join one of those once my military career ends. Plus they get paid bucket-loads, something like 8 times what they'd get for the equivalent job in the Military

 

[Sotiris]

Aye true...I know for Blackwater you need to have at least two tours under your belt. Another plus for them is that you can kit yourself out with anything you like.

However they are involved in hundreds of accounts of atrocities...which is why the government loves using them. They do can do what they like and who's going to punish them? After all they are an army...and a very well equipped one at that...they just purchased a massive tank range!

Their atrocities go unaccounted and their deaths go un counted. Apparantly for ever one US servicement that has died 3 "private security" personnel have been killed.

 

[FletchPRMC]

In all honesty I thought private security was just a few guys who got hired and walked around, I didnt know about their deaths and the heavy fighting role they did, nor the amount they get paid! But I suppose very high risk.

 

[Deleted]

There's a video of where Black Water storm a building from a rooftop with some US Soldiers. I think they fast-rope in from their own helicopter aswell.

 

[Sotiris]

Yea, another of some yanks of a roof top sniping large groups of men. Apparently those 2 yanks they got a couple of dozen in an hour.

 

[Jewell]

dads mates are over in Iraq now...

he gets paid atleast £90,000 a year,tax free....

He told me that security guys get "picked" on more as they haven't the back up like the Armed forces have.....
Also mentioned hes seen more action working private for the last 2 years than 15 years in the paras.

 

[Sotiris]

I don't know man...there's something about going merc in a situation like that that doesn't sit well with me.

Mercenaries in the Middle East have done some pretty awful things, no one to control them. Lose cannons and trigger happy, not a good combination.

You want to go merc? Go to Somalia and work for a shipping/fishing company fighting off pirates.

My dad funds at least 23 personnel to protect his ships. It's pretty sweet stuff. And you have the luxury of knowing that any guy that comes after you is an *text deleted* pirate who deserves what he's about to get.

 

[margetts]

wat a mess

they are either brave! (most probably idiots) though!
no back up.
might have good funding but if they get in the sh*t they are on there own!
brave and idiots i think.
maybe one or two many rambo films eh

 

[Ninja_Stoker]

they are either brave! (most probably idiots) though!
no back up.
might have good funding but if they get in the sh*t they are on there own!
brave and idiots i think.
maybe one or two many rambo films eh

You have hit the nail on the head.

The money is excellent for a good reason- there's no back-up on the scale of coalition forces. Likewise, as it's a commercial enterprise, the job is taken on to the "highest bidder". This could realistically entail a "Blue on Blue".

Similarly there are the legal issues regarding carrying arms in a foreign country without political or UN mandate. Were you to be taken prisoner, it's debatable whether diplomatic efforts would be undertaken on your behalf.

To put it another way, how would the UK react to a foreign individual operating on behalf of a paramilitay organisation in mainland Britain, paid by a private overseas organisation, summarily killing British citizens?

 

[Sotiris]

Argh...haha they'd probably hold him in a 4 star prison establishment where he'd live in greater comfort then many of our country's servicemen.

Sorry.

Did you guys ever see the coverage of what they did to those Blackwater agents they caught in Iraq?

Towed their bodies through the streets by cars, covered their corpses in fuel and burned them to a crisp. Then hung them from a bridge. The footage is on You-tube somewhere, pretty grisly stuff...sounds like something from the Illiad!

 

[jm745]

Mate they'd probably do that to Coalition soldiers too,
granted Mercenaries aren't properly protected by the geneva convention,
but when has anyone ever cared about that?
They'll chop your head off if they capture you,
most likely anyway.

Joe

 

[Sotiris]

True, very true.

 

[hughbrown]

my cousins husband is a combat medic in Iraq
its a risky job evn tho he is in charge of a civi clinic
but he gets paid in dollars and by the bucketload
(dollars being 7 times more powerful than our rand)