You can read our Privacy Policy here. 2004 Fallujah Ambush - Ron Paul Forums KBR/Halliburton refuses to discuss the matter and will not confirm any relationship with ESS. Okay, that may be an overbroad analogy there, but the same principle applies. Thats whats very upsetting. Marc Miles, attorney for the families of the four Blackwater contractors killed in Fallujah, March 31, 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. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. Thats the only thing they understand, she says. tn_articleid: [72445], And just like any town in America of 20,000 to 30,000 folks, youre going to have situations where there are crimes committed and wrongful conduct. But he says he was, quote, very manipulative, duplicative, immature and unprofessional.. Katy, of course, can talk about how Scott ended up going there. 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 has fought to have the case dismissed on grounds that because Blackwater is servicing US armed forces it cannot be sued for workers deaths or injuries and that all liability lies with the government. And Bush jokes about it. Later that night, according to Scotts mother, McQuown came up to Helvenstons hotel room. And so, they didnt know what they were getting into. It was about what happened to Scotty and Jerry and Mike and Wesley. Scottys not going to die in vain, says his mother. Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government. Its going to be deliberate. Now, imagine that every person in that small town in America has guns and is running around with weapons. 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. There is not a whole lot of jobs out there for ex-Special Forces guys, and obviously he didnt realize that at the time. Username. At our rooms. MARTIN SMITH: By the time the press arrived, a mob had set the cars on fire. Helvenston's great-great-uncle was Secretary of War Elihu Root. 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. Were talking to Katy Helvenston, Scotts mother; Jeremy Scahill, whos breaking the story today in The Nation magazine; and Marc Miles, the attorney for the families of the four Blackwater employees. AMY GOODMAN: An excerpt from _Frontline_s program Private Warriors, documentary on the role of private military contractors working in Iraq. dr mark weiss psychologist; evaluate crossword clue 4 letters; pitt county jail bookings twitter. 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. But Blackwater was not aware of that. He is currently a Puffin Writing Fellow at the Nation Institute. 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. Ill be home soon. He said, Im going to spoil you. And, you know, he was already dead by the time I got that. But today, Blackwater is facing a potentially devastating battlethis time not in Iraq but in court. And Scott describes how his original team leader tried to appeal to Justin McQuown not to reassign Scott Helvenston at the last second, that this was an insane thing to do. Lets take this opportunity. Now, just recently, last month, Cofer Black, who is a former C.I.A. Is he okay? And they said they didnt know. Instead, the men set out at 8:30 in the morning with just two men per car, each short a rear gunner. KATY HELVENSTON: I was appalled at first that he would joke about such a serious issue. They could have easily traveled this route in a single day, and it would have been extremely less dangerous. Shortly after entering the city, they get stuck in traffic, and their small convoy is ambushed. In a moment she will join us along with her attorney Marc Miles who is representing the families, Marc Miles. KATY HELVENSTON: I was in my home office doing research, and I was on the computer and I had CNN on. Justin's ethnicity is Caucasian, whose political affiliation is unknown; and religious views are listed as Christian. Blackwater said that they would be operating in armored vehicles. MARTIN SMITH: Contractually, Blackwater was to supply two SUVs with three guards per vehicle. But he chose to go with Blackwater, because they had a two-month contract, and he did not want to leave his children more than two months. Several other contractors stepped forward, offering to go in his place. Copyright (c) 2023 The Nation Company LLC, By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 and, agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support. 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. And we knew that this was a key component of the insurgent strategy: Get the pictures out, make it look like theyre winning. AMY GOODMAN: Jeremy Scahill, unfortunately, we were not able to get Blackwater on, writing us the letter and saying no. . slotId: "thenation_right_rail_72445", According to the suit, McQuown lacked the credentials of Helvenston and other ex-SEALs. According to the lawsuit, It was virtually unheard of to take a single person, like Scott Helvenston, and place him on a different group with whom he had never trained or even met. Helvenston resisted the change. Its a well-connected, Republican-controlled business that has made its fortune because of the Bush Administration. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 Scott Helvenston Net Worth 2023: Wiki Bio, Married, Dating, Family We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. Jane how to behave like Navy Seals. On March 30, 2004, Helvenston, Teague, Zovko and Batalona left Baghdad on the ESS security mission. Helvenston et al. Hooyah! Justin McQuown Email & Phone Number - Caretaker.. | ZoomInfo And I had turned off the ringer on my bedroom phone, and he left this message, and he said, Mom, Im okay. And Blackwater has only scratched the surface of it.. And Donna, she misunderstood where this money was coming from. He was dead. But we couldnt hear anything, because there were these two helicopters that were flying, I mean, just a couple hundred foot over our heads. On the one hand, you have the allegations that Blackwater systematically defrauded these men by not providing them with the armored vehicles, the weapons, the adequate personnel for the mission, the opportunity to do a pre-trip risk assessment, etc., all the things that Marc Miles has laid out.