By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 andagree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. In honor of Public Media Giving Days, a generous donor will DOUBLE your donation, which means itll go twice as far to support our independent journalism. Jane movie, and he ended up playing a small role on the film, because the guy that was supposed to play the Navy Seal instructor was terrified of the ocean. You will be launched to my site where you can watch the teaching. 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. Its a well-connected, Republican-controlled business that has made its fortune because of the Bush Administration. 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. 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. 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!! KATY HELVENSTON: They said Fallujah, and I said, well, Scotty, hes in Baghdad. And thats the type of conduct at Blackwater that were dealing with. It wasnt just a compilation of everything that was going on. And we knew that this was a key component of the insurgent strategy: Get the pictures out, make it look like theyre winning. The fact that these four Americans found themselves located in the high-risk, war-torn City of Fallujah without armored vehicles, automatic weapons, and fewer than the minimum number of team members was no accident, the suit alleges. Instead, this team was sent out without the required equipment and personnel by those in charge at Blackwater.. 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. 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 . What happened that day, as far as you have been able to understand and as your lawsuit alleges? Well, he was a Navy Seal for about 12 years, and he resigned from the Navy, and times got tough. I called every hour and talked to them for like 15, 20 minutes, and Scotty had been so good about calling me and emailing me, and I kept thinking, you know, he would have called me and let me know he was okay, because he knew how worried I was. Find 1 person named Justin Shreck along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. 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. Hes protecting Paul Bremer. But the day went on, and all of a sudden it was Blackwater. Lawyer Paul Dickinson: The U.S. And he did say, Well, its nice to meet you, and then he turned around and left. He would have to reimburse any monies that had been paid to him, and he was on his own to get home. AMY GOODMAN: That was President Bush at Johns Hopkins, answering no, not a reporters question a students question. If he had had the armored vehicle, if he had had the rear gunner, if he had been familiar with the area He asked. The original content of this program is licensed under a. And she was told that they would have to sue Blackwater to get that information. Potter persisted, insisting that his men be provided with armored vehicles. Theres a lot of innocent people that have died. While this suit doesnt mention the retaliatory US attack on Falluja that followed the Blackwater killings, the case is significant because it could blow the lid off a system that allows corporations to face zero liability while reaping huge profits in Iraq and other war zones. 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. And so, literally, the people that killed them were able to walk up and open fire on them. Were joined in our New York studio by Democracy Now! Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government. Justin McQuown is 50 years old and was born on 11/17/1972.Justin McQuown lives in Virginia Beach, VA; previous city include Joint Base Lewis McChord WA.Justin L Mcquown and Justin L Mcqvuwn are some of the alias or nicknames that Justin has used. Name. Help. Please do your part today. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, I was initially I was stunned that I actually had gotten through to Erik Prince. Eventually, their corpses are chopped and burned. units for the Middle East. Scotty had tried to call me in the middle of the night, Katy Helvenston remembers. MARTIN SMITH: Around 9:30 a.m., they approached the center of town. -Amy Goodman. Can you talk about that a little bit? Go ahead. And the noon news, it had this just all of a sudden it caught my attention, and I looked over there, and I thought, Oh, my god, you know. 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. Jane), and was also featured in the reality shows Combat . And they did approach the Zovkos and asked if they would meet Erik Prince in his office, and they did. KATY HELVENSTON: He has two beautiful children, and he was an incredible father. His family is linked in with Richard DeVos, the Amway founder who basically funded the Republican revolution of the 1990s. He was an extremely accomplished Navy Seal, was popular with other guys, and it seems very plausible that he viewed Scott Helvenston as a threat. The State Department regulations call for six people to be on a security detail in Iraq, because of the security situation, while these men were sent out with only four. And Blackwater has only scratched the surface of it.. Hidden Potential Official Site. And so, what happened that particular day from the evidence that Ive accumulated is that they were basically told to escort three flatbed trucks, which I understand were going to pick up some kitchen equipment, far different from what Scott Helvenston had understood, that he would be guarding an ambassador. And the email, its incredible, because Scott sort of makes all these apologetics. The insurgents made their own video of the aftermath. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, Donna Zovko and her husband Joe was there, and her son Tommy and his wife and kids were all there. And when we come back from break, Katy, I want to ask you if Scott felt ready to go out on that day, March 31, 2004. 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? None of that was true, says attorney Callahan. [6] But first we begin by going back to March 31 2004 the day Scott Helvenston and three other Blackwater contractors drove into Fallujah. KATY HELVENSTON: He did call me that morning from I assume it was from that base that he stopped at. But late on the evening of March 27, McQuown called Helvenston and told him that he needed to pack his things immediately, that he would be leaving at 5 am with a completely different team. 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. Tell us about your family, why he went into the military, and then what you understand about what he understood about the mission he went out on on March 31. Now, imagine that every person in that small town in America has guns and is running around with weapons. They didnt find out that they were lied to until they got into Baghdad and basically had no option but to go forward. 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. They could have easily traveled this route in a single day, and it would have been extremely less dangerous. Thank you so much. Previously, Justin was a Research Engineer at L una Innovations and also held positions at AeroVironment, Stryten Manufacturing, GE Healthcare, TopRank Marketing, Emerson, General Electric. Instead of being . And then you are sending them in undermanned. He is currently a Puffin Writing Fellow at the Nation Institute. One of the people profiled in the story is Katy Helvenston, the mother of 38-year-old Scott Helvenston, who was killed on that day in Fallujah. 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. JUAN GONZALEZ: And how unusual is it to take someone out of their team and assign them to another team and send them out on a mission? I would submit to you that in this case, this is one case that privatization is not a solution. In fact, Blackwaters then-general counsel, Steve Capace, gave a workshop last May on the subject to an International Super-Conference for contractors. According to the suit, McQuown lacked the credentials of Helvenston and other ex-SEALs. He was exceptional. 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. This is life and death were talking about here, and as Marc Miles says, the commodity that Blackwater deals in is human beings. And by the end of the year, the companys president, Gary Jackson, was bragging of what he called a staggering 600% growth, and so Blackwaters prospects were very, very strong while the families were grieving. In addition, the paper reports, Blackwater billed Regency separately for all its overhead and costs in Iraq. Regency would then bill ESS an unknown amount for these services. Were gonna go have fun. Helvenston et al. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions . JUAN GONZALEZ: And this is a series of articles about this incident? Given the uncounted tens of thousands of Iraqis who have died since the invasion and the slaughter in Falluja that followed the Blackwater incident, some might say this lawsuit is just warmongers bickeringno honor among thieves. Theyre angrytheyre saying, Let me go over,' Blackwater spokesman Chris Bertelli told the Virginian-Pilot ten days after the killings, adding that applications to work for Blackwater had increased considerably in that time. . KATY HELVENSTON: I was in my home office doing research, and I was on the computer and I had CNN on. I asked your Secretary of Defense a couple of months ago what law governs their actions. Locations: Summerfield FL, Ocklawaha FL, . AMY GOODMAN: And who told them that they would have to sue? AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell us what happened when you asked for an incident report for what happened to your son? 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. 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. AMY GOODMAN: An excerpt from _Frontline_s program Private Warriors, documentary on the role of private military contractors working in Iraq. They will be accountable., Still, Blackwater has friends in high places. Now, thats not unusual for, you know, a lifelong Republican to give that kind of money. 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. He had a job waiting for him, but he needed to make some money in those two months. Since its filing in January 2005, the case has moved slowly through the legal system. KATY HELVENSTON: Yeah. KATY HELVENSTON: He was told that he was going to be security for the ambassador, Paul Bremer. The families of the four men killed at Fallujah have filed a lawsuit charging the company with wrongful death. Marc Miles, attorney for the families of the four Blackwater contractors killed in Fallujah, March 31, 2004. And Im reading these articles, and all of a sudden . He was told at that time that he was not going to be doing security for the ambassador, Paul Bremer, and he was going to escort a convoy of trucks to pick up kitchen equipment. [6] But one thing to stress here, and this is what the lawsuit alleges, its not just wrongful death, its also fraud. 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 suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. The other two were kept behind at Blackwaters Baghdad facility to perform clerical duties. 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. KATY HELVENSTON: And I had called I did several follow-up calls, and I said, I still dont have that information.. AMY GOODMAN: Jeremy Scahill, unfortunately, we were not able to get Blackwater on, writing us the letter and saying no. 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. For most people, the gruesome killings were the first they had ever heard of Blackwater USA, a small, North Carolina-based private security company. AMY GOODMAN: What did he think he was going to be doing? AMY GOODMAN: What about the other families? It is regrettable and inaccurate to suggest that Mr. McQuown contributed in any way to this terrible tragedy.. They said it was the direct line. Scotty chose Blackwater, because they had a two-month contract, and he could be back home. KBR/Halliburton refuses to discuss the matter and will not confirm any relationship with ESS. 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. tn_keyword: ['academi', 'security-c'], And that may work for some companies that are manufacturing staples or shoes or something along those lines, but what Blackwater doesnt understand here is that the commodity that theyre dealing with is not a paper clip or a staple, but its actually human life, and so what we want to do is we want to create a situation where these companies are held accountable. Justin Shreck. Helvenston Et Al. Lets see if we can screw with Scott. Those were like the last words that Scott Helvenston basically wrote before being sent over there to Baghdad. KATY HELVENSTON: Donna Zovko and her son Tommy. When less business is being done, and you have more time on your hands, we wanted to bring something positive to your . Blackwater is scooping up lucrative Homeland Security contracts. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. MARTIN SMITH: By the time the press arrived, a mob had set the cars on fire. tn_articleid: [72445], According to former Blackwater officials, Blackwater, Regency and ESS were engaged in a classic war-profiteering scheme. 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. 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. 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. All four guards were shot and killed. Mr. Rumsfeld . And Scott wrote in this email to Blackwater, that I think [that my team leader] felt that there was a hidden agenda. At 17 he made history by becoming the youngest person ever to complete the rigorous Navy SEAL program. And then the reports are that E.S.S. The GOPs War Against Trans People Is a War Against Democracy, Green Rationales for Harsher Immigration Policies Are Nothing New, Gun Violence: A Week of Response to the Weak Republican Response to Mass Shootings in the USA. And I think there were ten in all. They were killed by insurgents literally walking up and shooting them with small-arms fire. There should be three men per team. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ }); In the Oval Office the killings were taken as a challenge to Americas resolve, according to the Los Angeles Times. We will finish the job. Brig. Well, Scotty chose the military, and he wanted to continue his education through that. There he was. They had done everything in their power to keep us apart. Scott Helvenston was a walking ad for the military.

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