Helvenston's contract I would support them in any way I could, but they had to figure out how to get through college. President Bush issued a statement through his spokesperson. 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. This is not even close. Promised Iraqis Justice. The suit further alleges that McQuown intervened and ordered only a four-man team be sent, although six were available, the other two remaining to perform clerical duties. (In fact, the suit contends that Blackwater fabricated critical documents and created a pre-trip risk assessment after this deadly ambush occurred.), The men entered Falluja with Helvenston and Teague in one vehicle and Zovko and Batalona in the other. A new firefighter goes through the academy, is shown all these big hook-and-ladder trucks and pumpers and engines, all this equipment, and then is told to run into a burning building where a family is inside, but is given nothing other than a squirt gun. You dont just stick a Navy Seal on a brand new team with guys and send them into a combat zone. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yeah, I appreciate that very much. 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. He said, Give us a map. And they said, Youre going to have to wing it.. Blackwater founder Erik Prince personally delivered money to some of the families for funeral expenses, and the company moved to get the mens wives and children benefits under the governments Defense Base Act, which in some cases insures those on contract supporting US military operations abroad. There was a local minister that spoke, and then Erik Prince spoke. I asked your Secretary of Defense a couple of months ago what law governs their actions. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. They have no respect for me or the other mothers or brothers or children. AMY GOODMAN: You were all staying in a hotel? Its lead counsel is Greenberg Traurig, the influential DC law firm that once employed lobbyist Jack Abramoff. At our rooms. So what this lawsuit is about, its about creating accountability for those firms, those private military firms that are working in Iraq, and its also not only about holding Blackwater accountable for these four deaths, but its also about sending a message to the other private security firms out there that they cannot cut costs to increase their bottom line and put lives at risk. KBR/Halliburton refuses to discuss the matter and will not confirm any relationship with ESS. The families were gathered in a conference room, where they thought they would be told how the men had died. Justin McQuown is a Director, Engineering at Caretaker Medical based in Charlottesville, Virginia. 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? And so, I called a really good friend of mine, and they were godparents to both my children. You may unsubscribe or adjust your preferences at any time. It was clear. All four of these men were veterans of the U.S. military, of Special Forces. Its going to be deliberate. Justin Timberlake voices King Arthur, Fiona's distant cousin and next in line for the throne of Far Far Away after Shrek (who understandably just wants to return to his swamp). 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. The commander responsible for Fallujah was Marine Colonel John Toolan. They were escorting three empty trucks on their way to pick up some kitchen equipment at a base west of Fallujah. 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. This was not a roadside bomb, it was not any other explosive device. Heres Why. Helvenston's great-great-uncle was Secretary of War Elihu Root. 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. But then, theres something else that all too often gets left out of the mix here, and that is that tens of thousands of Iraqis have died in this war, and they dont have a voice in the legal system here. The pictures are famous at this point of what happened to them on that day. It has fought to have the case dismissed on grounds that because Blackwater is servicing US armed forces it cannot be sued for workers deaths or injuries and that all liability lies with the government. and State Department official that Blackwater hired up, was in the country of Jordan announcing that Blackwater was interested in essentially farming out its services to the highest bidder to engage in overt combat missions. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License, Fighting in Sudan Persists Despite Extended Ceasefires as U.N. I wasnt kidding. It is regrettable and inaccurate to suggest that Mr. McQuown contributed in any way to this terrible tragedy.. Okay, that may be an overbroad analogy there, but the same principle applies. He thought that was a really funny thing to and he was so glib and just blew it off. And they did approach the Zovkos and asked if they would meet Erik Prince in his office, and they did. The lawyers for the families charge that Blackwater has continued its practice of stonewalling. Blackwater is able to operate over there in Iraq free from any oversight that would typically exist in a civilized society. Altogether an estimated 20,000 non-Iraqi civilian contractors are now working for the United States inside Iraq. 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. Instead, each vehicle had only two men and far less powerful Mach 4 guns, which they had not even had a chance to test out. And so, corporate America is primarily concerned with their bottom line. AMY GOODMAN: Well, what was the memorial service itself like? Erik Prince, himself, for this piece I worked with the Center for Public Integrity, and we put together a profile of Erik Princes familys political contributions. McQuown Hes protecting Paul Bremer. But the day went on, and all of a sudden it was Blackwater. And I said, What do you mean you dont know? And they said, We dont know. And I said, Well, dont you know where your employees are? And they said, Not really., And I was on the phone. And we welcome you all to Democracy Now! Within moments, their bodies are dragged from the vehicles and a crowd descends on them, tearing them to pieces. has denied any relationship to this and wont talk about it anymore. Those were all misrepresentation. The article is called Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater. 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 did get a call a few days later, and they all of a sudden were going to have this grand memorial. MARTIN SMITH: By the time the press arrived, a mob had set the cars on fire. AMY GOODMAN: What about the other families? 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. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, apparently he had the audacity to suggest that maybe there was a better way of running these certain missions, in that the people who were subcontracting out with Blackwater would actually survive the mission. 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. [6] And so, literally, the people that killed them were able to walk up and open fire on them. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. And, Mr. President, how do you propose to bring private military contractors under a system of law? AMY GOODMAN: And so, were you able to talk out of the presence of the guards? Corporations are fictional entitiesthey only act through their personnel, explains Miles. AMY GOODMAN: And then he was in a Survivor-like program called Combat Missions? While the Iraq war has helped the company Blackwater USA see its profits soar, the company is facing a major battle here at homethis time in court. Were joined in our New York studio by Democracy Now! They said it was the direct line. It was merely small-arms fire, which could have been repelled by armored vehicles.. JUAN GONZALEZ: Now, at what point did you communicate with the other families of the men who died that day, and how did you decide that you needed to pursue legal action? Mr. Rumsfeld answered that Iraq has its own domestic laws, which he assumed applied to those private military contractors. We had argued about him going over there, she recalls. This is about holding Blackwater accountable and about creating accountable and sending a message to other private military firms operating over there. But we couldnt hear anything, because there were these two helicopters that were flying, I mean, just a couple hundred foot over our heads. Without a detailed map, they took the most direct route, through the center of Falluja. carson hunter massena, ny; what type of bonding is al2s3; did arsenic and old lace win any academy awards And five seconds after I connected to that line, Erik Prince was on the phone. What theyre trying to do is to say, Lookwe can do anything we want and not be held accountable. VIDEO: People in Denmark Are a Lot Happier Than People in the United States. Hooyah!!. 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. 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. We speak with Jeremy Scahill as well as Katy Helvenston, the mother of Scott Helvenston who was killed in Fallujah, and the attorney in the case, Marc Miles. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. And we knew that this was a key component of the insurgent strategy: Get the pictures out, make it look like theyre winning. Right now, its my understanding that U.S. law doesnt apply, because it did not happen in the U.S.; military law doesnt apply; and Iraqi law, well, there is no Iraqi law, and so, as things stand now, they literally can get away with murder. And I said, Well, youve already written a report. And she was told that they would have to sue Blackwater to get that information. AMY GOODMAN: Months later. I said, Ill take any statement you want to give. I wanted to interview Justin McQuown. And I presume that thats the defense that Blackwater is going to make. And to understand what all of these shortcomings that day resulted in, you have to go back to March 31, 2004, and actually Marc Miles, the lawyer, can talk about some things that happened before that, as well. AMY GOODMAN: What did he think he was going to be doing? Now, thats not unusual for, you know, a lifelong Republican to give that kind of money. Ill be home soon. He said, Im going to spoil you. And, you know, he was already dead by the time I got that. Justin McQuown's nickname, according to documents we've gotten and to other people who were in Kuwait and Iraq at the time, was "Shrek," after the green ogre character, and it doesn't . 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!! And like thousands and thousands of people in this war, their financial situation was one of the motivations that brought them to Iraq, where they could some of these guys would make $600 a paycheck in the United States, and they could make $600 a day by going to work for Blackwater or DynCorp or other companies. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. KATY HELVENSTON: It was a brand-new area. Over a thousand people died because of what happened to Scotty that day, says Katy Helvenston. -Amy Goodman. That, in and of itself, is quite unusual, that these guys would not get a chance to acclimate themselves to the very hostile environment that theyre going to be operating in. Your article, Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater, appears in The Nation magazine today, and we will link to it at democracynow.org. They charged the government $400,000 for 14 guys for 28 days in September of 2005 14 guys, $400,000 for 22 days in September. We will finish the job. Brig. The men were working for Blackwater USA, one of the biggest security firms operating in Iraq. Katy, of course, can talk about how Scott ended up going there. Can you talk about that a little bit? 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. When we cover the climate emergency, our reporting isnt sponsored by the oil, gas, coal or nuclear companies. KATY HELVENSTON: I was appalled at first that he would joke about such a serious issue. Blackwater is being sued for the wrongful deaths of Stephen Scott Helvenston, Mike Teague, Jerko Zovko and Wesley Batalona by the families of the men slain in Falluja. For more on this ground-breaking lawsuit, we are joined by the three guests: JUAN GONZALEZ: This is an excerpt from _Frontline_s program Private Warriors, a documentary on the role of private military contractors working in Iraq. Did you have luck getting Blackwater responding? Their bodies were pulled into the streets, burned and their charred remains were beaten and dismembered. The men, it goes on, would be alive today had Blackwater not forced themunder threat of being firedto go unprepared on that mission. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. 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. Donna got so mad, she just tore up the check and threw it at Erik Prince, and I thought, You go, girl! But weve never gotten the report, obviously. KATY HELVENSTON: He was told that he was going to be security for the ambassador, Paul Bremer. You need to put a face on these acts. Its Departing Leader Recalls the Battle. Every dollar makes a differencein fact, gets doubled! AMY GOODMAN: Each of you in separate hotels? What Blackwater is trying to do is to sweep all of their wrongful conduct into the Defense Base Act, says Miles. Democracy Now! The suit alleges that there were six guards available that day, but McQuown intervened and ordered only the four to be sent. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. Helvenston et al. Our Daily Digest brings Democracy Now! Prince has never given a penny to a Democrat. KATY HELVENSTON: And I was just literally stuttering. But then things started to get strange. It is unusual, though, for the head of a company to cast its lot entirely with one party, and it has paid off, because Blackwater literally is making a killing right now, to the point where Gary Jackson, the president of Blackwater, after Bush won the election in 2004, sends out an email to Blackwaters mailing list that says, Bush wins, four more years!! 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 . Please give today. 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. Would he speak to them? 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. And I think there were ten in all. He said, you know, I have to have my gun. And they took that away from him. But, anyway, thats another story. When they took that word armored out, Blackwater was able to save $1.5 million in not buying armored vehicles, which they could then put in their pocket, says attorney Miles. Hidden Potential Official Site. MARTIN SMITH: But the men were uneasy. Justin McQuowns nickname, according to documents weve gotten and to other people who were in Kuwait and Iraq at the time, was Shrek, after the green ogre character, and it doesnt sound like he was too popular of a guy and really sort of targeted Scott Helvenston. AMY GOODMAN: Jeremy Scahill, unfortunately, we were not able to get Blackwater on, writing us the letter and saying no. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. This month marks the two-year anniversary of the first US siege of Fallujah, in which at least 600 Iraqis were killed. I did want to ask you, Katy Helvenston, about the email that we got from Blackwater, from Chris Taylor, who said, Out of respect for the families and the integrity of the judicial proceedings, I cannot join you. Your response? You did the piece, the investigation into this case. But they had put all of the news stuff in a closet, and I pulled it out, and I got the names of the other three families. Lets take this opportunity. Now, just recently, last month, Cofer Black, who is a former C.I.A. And Im reading these articles, and all of a sudden . KATY HELVENSTON: Well, Donna Zovko and her husband Joe was there, and her son Tommy and his wife and kids were all there. What happened that day, as far as you have been able to understand and as your lawsuit alleges? targeting:{ What we have right now is something worse than the wild, wild west going on in Iraq, Callahan says. It mostly was, Mom, please dont worry, Im OK. Im gonna be home soon and Im gonna see ya. JEREMY SCAHILL: Right. MARC MILES: Well, what were going to prove at trial is that because Blackwater essentially cut corners and because of this personal animosity that Justin McQuown had with Scott Helvenston, they werent allowed to gather intelligence and do the pre-tip inspection and all of the things that they were told that they would be allowed to do and that is actually represented in the contracts for the mission that they were doing work under.