A monthly newsletter on the global fight for reproductive freedom. Well, that left Scott no choice. And at that point, they were on the east side of Fallujah. AMY GOODMAN: Now, he was on television before he went to Iraq, is that right? And so, then I started I had never read any articles. Helvenston's great-great-uncle was Secretary of War Elihu Root. Blood is Thicker Than Blackwater - Alternet.org He said, Im gonna go over there, make some money, maybe make a difference. 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. So Donna and I think the check was like it was quite a bit of money. Lawyer Paul Dickinson: The U.S. They say Blackwater refused to redraft the contract. However, when youre talking about an assumption of the risk, youre talking about a calculated assumption of risk. 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. Find 1 person named Justin Shreck along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. I couldnt believe I was talking to the man. Over a thousand people died because of what happened to Scotty that day, says Katy Helvenston. Its a well-connected, Republican-controlled business that has made its fortune because of the Bush Administration. And Scott wrote in this email to Blackwater, that I think [that my team leader] felt that there was a hidden agenda. About 6,000 of these are security contractors. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. 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. By the time I got the message hed already been killed., Shortly after Helvenston left that message, the men left the base and set out for their destination. Instead of being . Justin McQuown is a Director, Engineering at Caretaker Medical based in Charlottesville, Virginia. Justin's ethnicity is Caucasian, whose political affiliation is unknown; and religious views are listed as Christian. Every dollar makes a differencein fact, gets doubled! We will hunt down the criminals. Attorney Marc Miles says that shortly after the suit was filed, he asked the court in North Carolina for an expedited order to depose John Potter. freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ had a contract with Halliburton with K.B.R., the subsidiary of Halliburton. For most people, the gruesome killings were the first they had ever heard of Blackwater USA, a small, North Carolina-based private security company. KATY HELVENSTON: Yeah. Im gonna take care of you. You know, just stuff like that, which obviously wasnt true. cid exam previous question papers. He was exceptional. The lawsuit alleges that these men were defrauded, because Blackwater failed to provide them with the basic minimal guarantees of their contract, among them that they would be in armored vehicles, that they would have heavy weapons, something like a SAW Mach 46 machine gun that could fire up to 850 rounds per minute, and its very key. They were told that they were able to do a pre-trip inspection of the routes and be able to familiarize themselves with the area before going on routes. They deleted the word armored. And Marc Miles says that in doing that, Blackwater was able to save $1.5 million. Beast, he was the only contestant to defeat the beast, outmaneuvering a chimpanzee in an obstacle course. You know, at least I know he wasnt burned alive. We had argued about him going over there, she recalls. According to Callahan, there was a safer alternative route that went around the city, which the men were unaware of because of Blackwaters failure to conduct a risk assessment before the trip, as mandated by the contract. And at that point, Scotty was desperate for money, and he went in there. AMY GOODMAN: What about the other families? He says, you know, basically says, Im not the kind of guy who would normally complain about anything, but this has gotten so extreme that I want to raise this with you. And so, you have a convergence of Justin McQuowns alleged interventions that led to these guys being sent out the way they were, and Blackwater the allegations of Blackwater systematically defrauding these guys. KATY HELVENSTON: Yes, he was Demi Moores personal trainer for the G.I. 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. And thats the type of conduct at Blackwater that were dealing with. But on March 12, 2004, Blackwater and Regency signed a subcontract, which specified security provisions identical to the original except for one word: armored. Blackwater deleted it from the contract. 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. Helvenston Et Al. V. Blackwater Security - Facts & Allegations And so, corporate America is primarily concerned with their bottom line. The commander responsible for Fallujah was Marine Colonel John Toolan. There was a local minister that spoke, and then Erik Prince spoke. But we couldnt hear anything, because there were these two helicopters that were flying, I mean, just a couple hundred foot over our heads. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 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. In a moment she will join us along with her attorney Marc Miles who is representing the families, Marc Miles. In fairness, though, Justin McQuowns lawyer William Crenshaw did issue a statement to me, in which he said that there were numerous serious inaccuracies in the piece, and then he said that on behalf of his client Justin McQuown, that he wanted to extend his sympathy to the families and called it regrettable that anyone would imply that Justin McQuown had anything to do with the tragedy of what happened in Fallujah. The fact that [McQuown]was being exposed infuriated him. Scotts mother believes, based on Scotts e-mails and conversations with contractors who served with her son, that McQuown feared that Scott might replace him at the company. And finally, about midnight, I just started I started when Scotty was born, and I went through his entire life to some other unknown person on the other end at Blackwater, because I knew he was gone, and at 3:00 in the morning they finally said, Hes gone.. Instead, kitchen equipment, actually empty trucks that were going to get kitchen equipment. Lay out this story. They have no values, they have no morals. Scott Helvenston Net Worth & Bio/Wiki 2018: Facts Which You Must To Know! You need to show intent. Wikizero - Helvenston v. Blackwater Security Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government. People should understand, Scotty Helvenston wasnt even in Iraq for more than 48 hours before he was sent to Fallujah. But then things started to get strange. But their personal contracts also warned of death and/or injury caused by everything from civil uprising and terrorist activity to poisoning and flying debris. In filing its motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Blackwater quoted from its standard contract, insisting that those who sign it fully appreciate the dangers and voluntarily assume these risks as well as any other risks in any way (whether directly or indirectly) connected to the Engagement.. Help. Blackwater held a memorial service for the men at its compound. Unfortunately, what they didnt know was that there was a much safer route that took them around the north side of Fallujah. I was thinking of construction when they said contractor. And a couple hours later, they said security contractors, and I said, My god, Scotty is a security contractor, but hes not in Fallujah. 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. It was good money, but it was never enough, his mother remembers. AMY GOODMAN: Were talking about a groundbreaking lawsuit against Blackwater, the security contractor in Iraq. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. Were gonna go have fun. Ill only be away from my kids for a couple of months. Thats why he chose Blackwater, she recalls. You said they had no map? He is the writer, with David Riker, and a producer of the documentary feature filmDirty Wars, released by IFC Films in 2013. It is regrettable and inaccurate to suggest that Mr. McQuown contributed in any way to this terrible tragedy.. KATY HELVENSTON: I called Blackwater at about 7:00 at night. Thats the only thing they understand, she says. Nation Books released his second book, Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield, in 2013. AMY GOODMAN: Well, what was the memorial service itself like? Domination, Sing Your Song: Remembering Harry Belafonte, Who Used His Stardom to Help. tn_articleid: [72445], This April at a forum at Johns Hopkins, Bush was asked by a student about bringing private military contractors under a system of law, to which Bush replied, laughing, that he was going to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, I was going toI pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, Ive got an interesting question [laughter]. And I had no idea it was Scotty, but I saw this burning vehicle, and I just said, This is insane. And I switched stations. Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater | The Nation 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. But because they didnt have a map, they didnt have G.P.S., and, in fact, funny story, I think they had G.P.S. Youre out of your mind. They were escorting three empty trucks on their way to pick up some kitchen equipment at a base west of Fallujah. AMY GOODMAN: When was it after the killing? 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. And he did say, Well, its nice to meet you, and then he turned around and left. 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. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. 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.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 . The suit also alleges that McQuown intentionally refused to allow the Blackwater security contractors to conduct ride-alongs with the teams they were replacing from Control Risk Group. And Im reading these articles, and all of a sudden . As we expose Blackwater in this case, it will also expose the inefficient and corrupt system that exists over there.. Blackwater and Regency had essentially wrestled the ESS contract from another security firm, Control Risk Group, and were eager to win more lucrative contracts from ESS in its other division servicing construction projects in Iraq. Initially they put us in separate hotels. But they assumed it based upon certain representations by Blackwater. And then I finally got one email back from Chris Taylor, who you guys also were dealing with, whos the Blackwater vice president. He spent 12 years in the Navy SEALs until he left in 1994 as an E-6 (Quartermaster First Class).Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. What Blackwater is trying to do is to sweep all of their wrongful conduct into the Defense Base Act, says Miles. Theyre whores. Jeremy ScahillTwitterJeremy Scahill is the author of the best-selling Blackwater: The Rise of the Worlds Most Powerful Mercenary Army, published by Nation Books. And Scott says, Youre nuts, you know, he says, Im not goin in there to Falluja. units, but Blackwater didnt provide them with the maps to go in the G.P.S. 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? 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. JEREMY SCAHILL: I think, just in closing, you know, this is such an incredible tragedy, and whats clear from this the allegations in this lawsuit is that it really appears like it was preventable. This is viewer supported news. Thats why the company moved swiftly to apply for benefits for the families under the Defense Base Act. I did get a call a few days later, and they all of a sudden were going to have this grand memorial. AMY GOODMAN: You were all staying in a hotel? Username. KATY HELVENSTON: It was probably 24, maybe 30-some hours before he was murdered. But three days before the deposition, Miles says, Blackwater hired Potter up, flew him to Washington where its my understanding he met with Blackwater representatives and their lawyers. Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security | Military Wiki | Fandom 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. The pictures are famous at this point of what happened to them on that day. Why cant I have it tomorrow? And I said, Are you going to rewrite it for my eyes only? I mean and I never did get that report. Company founder Erik Prince and his family have poured serious money into Republican causes and campaign coffers over the past twenty years. [6] 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. 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. KATY HELVENSTON: He did call me that morning from I assume it was from that base that he stopped at. They had breakfast, lunch, and dinner with us. When they finally said Blackwater, I thought, and I just looked up on the internet and got an 800-number, and I called them, and I said, My name is Katy. I said, Scotty Helvenston is my son. And they, at that time, asked specifically for the incident report and a copy of the contract. Jane and did a few stints on reality television. Erik Prince refused to speak to me. KATY HELVENSTON: They said Fallujah, and I said, well, Scotty, hes in Baghdad. But when these four men ended up in Fallujah that day, they were in Pajero jeeps that were not armored at all. VIDEO: People in Denmark Are a Lot Happier Than People in the United States. Eventually, their corpses are chopped and burned. And then the reports are that E.S.S. We can send our men out to die so that we can pad our bottom line, and if anybody comes back at us, we have insurance. Its essentially insurance to kill.. KATY HELVENSTON: Yeah. KATY HELVENSTON: He was told that he was going to be security for the ambassador, Paul Bremer. In an expose in the new issue of the Nation magazine, independent journalist Jeremy Scahill tells the story of the struggle of the four families of the slain Blackwater contractors to hold those responsible for their deaths accountable. A Blackwater official later boasted, the suit says, that they saved two lives by not sending all six men. And we knew that this was a key component of the insurgent strategy: Get the pictures out, make it look like theyre winning. 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. This is a billion-dollar industry, Jackson said in October 2004. Katy Helvenstons son Scott Helvenston is one of the four men who died, the security contractors working for Blackwater on March 31, 2004 in Fallujah. 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. So they announced there was going to be a memorial service after you made the call to the head of Blackwater, asking for an incident report.

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