interesting conversation about Iraq & private contractors

I met a gentleman last night, who appears to be in his early 50's, and who is missing his nose (it's covered with a bandage and he is preparing for re-constructive surgery). His nose was blown off his face north of Basra, Iraq when an IED tore through his vehicle as he was driving in a convoy toward the Baghdad airport last year. He is former military, with 20 years service, and was over there working as a private contractor training Iraqi medical personnel (he holds a masters degree and is working on a PhD in International Relations with his focus on U.S./Japan relations). He was working for what he says was "very good money" but in retrospect - it's "bottom money" compared to the amount of money being bandied about by contractors and whomever else has their hands out over there. He says it was a huge mistake to go there. He took a shit load of shrapnel in his body and two men in his vehicle were killed. He said he was conscious the entire time and that the British were "Johnny on the spot" when they came in to extract him and the other wounded men in the convoy.

What struck me was his take that the situation in Iraq is so absolutely hopeless - a churning sea sectarian hopeless chaos. He said he realized that soon after he got there he was not part of any real solution but part of a very real problem, and that as a private contractor, his being there was one of the reasons for the very real animosity felt by the Iraqi people. "If you want to see what I am talking about concerning our problems there with contractors you have got to look first at Blackwater (our "private army") - the ex-military, special forces/special ops types, arrogant, un-checked, and who follow no rules of engagement and who strut around Iraq caring not a lick for the local population."

One of the things he said he witnessed was that he personally helped escort large amounts of cash money - suitcases full of U.S. dollars - taken from Iraq and flown down to Dubai and deposited in Dubai banks - with no paper trails, no receipts. Where did this money come from and where was it going - a mystery - but he said it was routine.

Anyway, here are some clips about Blackwater.