Sent home dead, not a word said

The privatisation of war. It has become big business, but is still a taboo. When a soldier is killed his/her flag/draped coffin is paraded through town and mentioned in dispatches. Not so the privateer.
In Iraq it is estimated there were 160,000 private contractors of which 50,000 were armed security personnel. Some stories of shoot outs, killings, maiming and abuse, have surfaced, notably Blackwater when 17 Iraqi civilians died. Most haven’t been reported and there is a leagcy of bitterness and resentment towards them.
The mercenaries who have been killed remain unaccounted for and will not appear on any war memorials. What happens to their next of kin,or for that matter those who survive but are left wounded. Presumably it is the responsibility of the employer to determine what benefits, if any they might get.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.