Blackwater had told all of us that none of us wanted to communicate with each other. MARTIN SMITH: Around 9:30 a.m., they approached the center of town. 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. is funded by you, and thats why were counting on your donation to keep us going. We speak with Jeremy Scahill as well as Katy Helvenston, the mother of Scott Helvenston who was killed in Fallujah, and the attorney in the case, Marc Miles. And so, what happened is they set out on their mission, but because they didnt have G.P.S., because they didnt have maps of the area, because they werent able to do a pre-trip inspection of the route, they didnt necessarily know where they were going, so they essentially got lost. I was going to I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, Ive got an interesting question. Erik Prince and his late wife gave $275,000 since 1989 to various political candidates, not a single penny ever to a Democrat. There was a local minister that spoke, and then Erik Prince spoke. Sign up for our free daily newsletter, along with occasional offers for programs that support our journalism. He swam like a fish. Its that the United States has opened Iraqs door to mercenaries who roam the country with impunity. units for the United States, which doesnt do a lot of good over there. KATY HELVENSTON: And I had called I did several follow-up calls, and I said, I still dont have that information.. And the guard that was in charge of me, I said, You know, you really need to do something about these helicopters. You know, and he left for a minute or two, and finally the helicopters went away. JEREMY SCAHILL: Well, as we got a few of the facts of the case from the clip that we just played from Frontline, but I also want to say that the four men I just want to say their names: Scott Helvenston, of course, is Katys son; then there was Mike Teague; Jerko Zovko, who was known as Jerry; and then Wes Batalona, who was talked about there. But Katy mentioned the name of a guy named Justin McQuown, and I think its important to kind of back up for a second and explain who he is, because its a key part of this lawsuit. Well, that left Scott no choice. Thank you so much. McQuown refused to allow it. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution. AMY GOODMAN: And then he was in a Survivor-like program called Combat Missions? [Blackwater] then flew him to Jordan for ultimate deployment in the Middle East, Miles says. Scott Helvenston, Katys son, was the youngest Navy Seal ever. And I said, Well, youve already written a report. And I had actually flown up there one weekend and spent the weekend with them. And to understand what all of these shortcomings that day resulted in, you have to go back to March 31, 2004, and actually Marc Miles, the lawyer, can talk about some things that happened before that, as well. KATY HELVENSTON: Yeah. Lets see if we can screw with Scott. targeting:{ Name. But I hold Blackwater responsible one thousand percent., In late 2004 the case caught the attention of the high-powered California trial lawyer Daniel Callahan, fresh from a record-setting $934 million jury decision in a corporate fraud case. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Im going to call the secretary and say you brought up a very valid question, and what are we doing about it? And this Justin McQuown was the instructor there at Moyock, and he was outraged that Scott had the audacity to even suggest that there was a better way. Later that night, according to Scotts mother, McQuown came up to Helvenstons hotel room. They wrote back to us and said, Out of respect for the families and the integrity of the judicial proceedings, I cannot join you. 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. V. Blackwater Security - Facts & Allegations. If you think Democracy Now!s reporting is a critical line of defense against war, climate catastrophe and fascism, please make your donation of $10 or more right now. He said, you know, I have to have my gun. And they took that away from him. Simply Ernest: Pity the poor mercenary - Blogger Yes. The article is called Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater. JUAN GONZALEZ: Jeremy, in your article, you talk about some of the contracts that you were able to get copies of, where actually Blackwater was subcontracting to others, but in their contract they deleted certain provisions of the protections of these men, and the men actually complained about it, the superiors complained about it. And Im thinking this isnt even close to what Blackwater told me. The Uniform Code of Military Justice does not apply to these contractors in Iraq. K.B.R. It was about what happened to Scotty and Jerry and Mike and Wesley. But they assumed it based upon certain representations by Blackwater. dr mark weiss psychologist; evaluate crossword clue 4 letters; pitt county jail bookings twitter. You will be launched to my site where you can watch the teaching. And then, when we come back, I want to ask you about your request for an incident report from Blackwater to understand what had taken place and also about a memorial service that Blackwater held, and well continue this discussion. While the Iraq war has helped the company Blackwater USA see its profits soar, the company is facing a major battle here at homethis time in court. Instead, kitchen equipment, actually empty trucks that were going to get kitchen equipment. Callahan says that if Blackwater and McQuown had done in the United States what they are alleged to have done in Iraq, There would be criminal charges against them. What happened between McQuown and Helvenston was no mere personality conflict. AMY GOODMAN: Well, what was the memorial service itself like? Hidden Potential Official Site. 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. So on March 24 the company removed Potter as program manager, replacing him with McQuown, who, according to the families lawyers, was far more willing than Potter to overlook security considerations in the interest of profits. And so, in that whole pyramid scheme, what you saw was Blackwater had a subcontract with this Kuwaiti company, and the Kuwaiti company had the contract with E.S.S., so the contract with E.S.S., the company that provides the catering services, said explicitly because there is a very serious security situation in Fallujah it actually names Fallujah as one of the cities these men need to be traveling in armored vehicles. 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 I sent Blackwater about 23 specific questions, and from that first email that Chris Taylor sent me, I never heard back. Instead of being . COL. JOHN A. TOOLAN: Unfortunately, it was going out on CNN. JEREMY SCAHILL: Right. According to the suit, McQuown lacked the credentials of Helvenston and other ex-SEALs. Justin McQuown Email & Phone Number - Caretaker.. | ZoomInfo 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. mcquown in a sentence - mcquown sentence And they did approach the Zovkos and asked if they would meet Erik Prince in his office, and they did. For its part, Blackwater is represented by multiple law firms. And so, Scotty got over to the Middle East, and he was in Kuwait City for about a week, and then he was sent up to Baghdad, and all of a sudden, this same guy, Justin McQuown is Scotts boss. 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. At 17 he made history by becoming the youngest person ever to complete the rigorous Navy SEAL program. Scott was tall, tan and chiseled and, by all accounts, a model soldier and athlete. People should understand, Scotty Helvenston wasnt even in Iraq for more than 48 hours before he was sent to Fallujah. Those were all misrepresentation. However, Iraq is clearly not currently capable of enforcing its laws, much less against you know, over our American military contractors. 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. Lay out this story. And I presume that thats the defense that Blackwater is going to make. And I think that, you know, when we talk about Iraq corruption, a lot of times its Halliburton overcharged for this or Bechtel did this. According to the suit, McQuown lacked the credentials of Helvenston and other ex-SEALs. And there are other people that have talked to Katy and Marc that have affirmed all of this. As they tell it, after demanding answers about how the men ended up dead in Falluja that day and being stonewalled at every turn, they decided to conduct their own investigation. Justin Shreck. AMY GOODMAN: Were going to talk to Marc Miles and also with Katy Helvenston. 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. Scott Helvenston - Wikipedia 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. Every dollar makes a differencein fact, gets doubled! Thats how I work.. According to Department of Labor statistics, at least 425 U.S. civilians have died in Iraq including at least 22 Blackwater contractors. And both the boys knew that if they were going to go through college, they had to figure out a way. Today is the first of two Public Media Giving Days, a time to celebrate what public and independent media gives to you by giving back. 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. What theyre trying to do is to say, Lookwe can do anything we want and not be held accountable. Justin received a Bachelor of Science degree from . On January 5, 2005, the families filed the lawsuit against Blackwater in Wake County, North Carolina. slotId: "thenation_right_rail_72445", But we couldnt hear anything, because there were these two helicopters that were flying, I mean, just a couple hundred foot over our heads. But he says he was, quote, very manipulative, duplicative, immature and unprofessional.. 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. If it had been up to Katy Helvenston, her son wouldnt have been in Iraq at all. The pictures are famous at this point of what happened to them on that day. 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. Blackwater is being sued for the wrongful deaths of Stephen Scott Helvenston, Mike Teague, Jerko Zovko and Wesley Batalona by the families of the men slain in Falluja. Lets take this opportunity. Now, just recently, last month, Cofer Black, who is a former C.I.A. It will be precise, and it will be overwhelming. Within days of the ambush, US forces laid siege to Falluja, beginning what would be one of the most brutal and sustained US operations of the occupation. We had argued about him going over there, she recalls. He was taken out of that team and put in with men that were wonderful, good people, but he had never met them, he had never worked with them. Were gonna go have fun. He would have to reimburse any monies that had been paid to him, and he was on his own to get home. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Yeah, I appreciate that very much. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. And if you stop and you think about it, thats the size of some small towns here in America. None of that was true, says attorney Callahan. New Yorks Working Families Party Came Back From the Brink. And that night he was ordered to change teams and go into Fallujah. Our Daily Digest brings Democracy Now! I had my bedroom phone ringer turned offI didnt get the call, so he left me a message. Justin Shreck Facebook, Instagram & Twitter on PeekYou 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. 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. Thats not what I was hired to do. And at that point McQuown apparently told him that if he didnt do it, he would be fired immediately. When we cover the climate emergency, our reporting isnt sponsored by the oil, gas, coal or nuclear companies. STUDENT: My question is in regards to private military contractors. And so, this lawsuit represents the first whack at the giants legs, and if its successful, it will reverberate around the war profiteer community. We have seen numbers in the range of 20,000 to 30,000 contractors working in Iraq. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. 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. The lawyers for the families charge that Blackwater has continued its practice of stonewalling. And Im reading these articles, and all of a sudden . We will finish the job. Brig. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I was going to ask him. [6] He had two men with him that held Scotty down. He had a job waiting for him, but he needed to make some money in those two months. The suit alleges that there were six guards available that day, but McQuown intervened and ordered only the four to be sent. I mean, Scotty excelled at anything he attempted, and he always had to be the best. All four of these men were veterans of the U.S. military, of Special Forces. But first we begin by going back to March 31 2004 the day Scott Helvenston and three other Blackwater contractors drove into Fallujah. On March 30, 2004, Helvenston, Teague, Zovko and Batalona left Baghdad on the ESS security mission. [includes rush transcript]. And so, then I started I had never read any articles. KATY HELVENSTON: In the rooms on the balcony, because we had gotten so paranoid, we thought maybe the rooms were tapped or something. Initially they put us in separate hotels. Hooyah!!. The families of the four men killed at Fallujah have filed a lawsuit charging the company with wrongful death. Lawyer Paul Dickinson: The U.S. Potter persisted, insisting that his men be provided with armored vehicles. Famous Personal Trainer Scott Helvenston was born on June 21, 1965 in Ocala. Beast, he was the only contestant to defeat the beast, outmaneuvering a chimpanzee in an obstacle course. On April 17, President Bush spoke at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Their bodies were pulled into the streets, burned and their charred remains were beaten and dismembered. The men, it goes on, would be alive today had Blackwater not forced themunder threat of being firedto go unprepared on that mission. Wikizero - Helvenston v. Blackwater Security And I think we can look to a situation such as a new firefighter. 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. 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: Yeah. Helvenston et al. But one thing to stress here, and this is what the lawsuit alleges, its not just wrongful death, its also fraud. Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government. Its thats how I work. Im gonna take care of you. You know, just stuff like that, which obviously wasnt true. Blackwater is able to operate over there in Iraq free from any oversight that would typically exist in a civilized society. Okay, that may be an overbroad analogy there, but the same principle applies. It was one of these reality TV things. 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