Blackwater: Inside America's Private Army

Actually, the French didn't charge us. They were on poor terms with the British and our revolution offered an opportunity to cut their enemy off from a major source of natural and economic resources, thereby making war with Britain viable. I would argue further that there is a difference between a nation acting, through loyal soldiers, in what it perceives to be its best interests, and a private company acting, through the state, in what it perceives to be the best interests of its soldiers. A man who is fighting for money will shoot first and ask questions later. He isn't there to further a cause, he's there to earn a buck. Blackwater's recent activities serve as a prime example of the problem with this.

Great. You read a story, now you know everything about every member of Blackwater, right? No? Well, you're sitting there pretending you do. I, myself, have considered joining Blackwater. Does that make me a money-grubbing mercenary in the making? A heartless pig? What? Or does that make me someone that wants to provide for my family? If I join, does that mean I did it because I get to carry a gun and like to kill people? Point is that there's more than one side to every story - in this case, if there are 500,000 Blackwater employees, there are at least half-a-million stories. Stop stereotyping and focus on the issues. Yes, there are some nuts in that company. That's sort of expected in that line of business.

No amount of personal accounts will detract from the fact that these guys are in it for the money. OK? It's that simple!
There should be no place on American soil for this type of organization which feeds off the misery of war and disasters.
Despite what is claimed, there is no public accountability from these gun-happy goons and it wasn't till very recently that Congress itself finally woke up to that fact and suggested that organizations like Blackwater be brought under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. These are overgrown boys with their favorite toys! For example, take their guns away and see how quickly they fade away.
It takes a pretty miserable mind to look at the ravages of war and see a profitable industry. Shame on us

These people are not hero's for God Sake! These are nothing more than a bunch of thugs milking the US taxpayers of millions. I suggest people do their homework. Start with
"Jeremy Scahill The rise of Blackwater USA, the world's most powerful mercenary army." Check out the youtube of these cowards shooting form atop a building and laughing and making jokes. "This is just like a "blanking turkey shoot! Please do not call these people "warriors". they are nothing but a bunch of disgusting Mercenaries milking America. Check out how these war profiteers were started by a nut from the evangelical far right! A whacked out brat from a wealthy family deep in the Bush political Pockets! They are not hero's , they are disgrace to our country! Shamful

I am happy for the authors of this series. It was excellently written, very informative at a time before most of the rest of the nation had ever heard of Blackwater. I thought it was very objective & dispassionate. At the time I read it, I thought it would be awarded a Pulitzer prize, & I so noted in my comment. Very timely, excellent writing, reporting.

Its amazing how Americans will invest billions of dollars to watch people play ridiculous games. Though, everyday men and women sacrifice their lives for a 100 times less than what these sport players whine, protest, and complain about. In fact military members do not get to protest how much they get paid. Instead we get to watch these athletes complain about how they like or dislike the war in the middle east. Personally, I think its about time military members created a service that provides better benifits than what they receive on active duty. Of course people are going to whine about being greedy. However, the ones who complain are probably the same people who sit in front of their TVs watching billion dollar athletes play a sport will not change the world. So, keep it up Blackwater, don't listen to the whiners, and thank you for providing a service that many Americans would not volunteer to do.

Mercs-killers for hire. Unlike our soldiers who give their life on command, for little money, bad hospital care, mercs do it for the joy of killing.
These people are not heroes, their job is not a glamorous one. They live to kill. Blackwater goes where Congress will not allow our soldiers to go. For a policy that is suspect, and at times illegal, mercs are hired.
You can never trust a man who works for money and not country. Our soldiers die for America,
mercs die for money.

This was a thorough report on Blackwater that appeared to be neutral and objective. There has always been a need for men who can ride and shoot, and these skills can easily get lost in the daily shuffle of military career officers and NCO's.

Blackwater missions, as much as I understand them, are not wrapped in the military political power struggle that would have their men raking leaves on post, answerring to company clerks, and becoming entrenched in the main phony excuse for all manner of unfair treatment of real soldiers in the military: We are one Army (military), and every man is treated the same.

In reality that is illogical, especially directed at combat troops by clerks, it predominates the pecking order of the interpretation of accomplishments that seperate the men from the boys.

The West Point guys, Annapolis guys, and political appointees run the show, whether they are the best qualified or not. There may be less room for this systemic error to exist at Blackwater.

Our Military works for me and my family. The Blackwater Gang works for money. That's it. They are mercenaries, plain and simple, and should be outlawed. We should be giving our Military more money instead of hiring these thugs!

If you don't like it, then move somewhere that you don't have security contractors or service men and women putting their life on the line for your safety and freedom. maybe you should live somewhere females have to cover there face or you have to live in fear............ To all the men and women that make my days of freedom possible i think you!!!

Blackwater provides retired Military a way to stay in the game of fighting for freedom, justice, and the right to bear arms...or is it profit!? From my point of view, these soldiers are using their years of experience in the Military, which is mostly all they know, to prove a just service that's apparently in demand! So what if they make in 6 months what it would take the rest if us to earn in a couple years!? They are willing do to a job that very few of us can do! Not only can they do it, but they are experts in their fields!

I enjoyed reading all six articles about Blackwater and it's contractors. Can I have a job and stay here in the good ole USA? Sometimes Americans don't realize just how good we have it in the land of the free.

Sorry for the familys of the dead. Not sorry for the dead. If you live by the sword you die by the sord. They saw a way to make money in what they like to do "play sholder and kill" the rest is history. Pay our forces better... the marines will get the job done if you leave it to the marines...... guranteed. Just tell them what you need done then look the other way for a while.