justin shrek'' mcquown

AMY GOODMAN: Were going to talk to Marc Miles and also with Katy Helvenston. And the noon news, it had this just all of a sudden it caught my attention, and I looked over there, and I thought, Oh, my god, you know. AMY GOODMAN: How did you hear that Scott had died? Blackwater founder Erik Prince personally delivered money to some of the families for funeral expenses, and the company moved to get the mens wives and children benefits under the governments Defense Base Act, which in some cases insures those on contract supporting US military operations abroad. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, I had been in contact with the Zovkos, primarily out of Cleveland, prior to that. 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 they said contractor, and I was thinking of maybe they were working on the pipelines, oil lines or something. Thats how I work.. And I presume that thats the defense that Blackwater is going to make. And so, literally, the people that killed them were able to walk up and open fire on them. 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. By the end of 2004 Blackwaters president, Gary Jackson, was bragging to the press of staggering 600 percent growth. 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. 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. These four guys were sent out without armor, without the adequate guns, without adequate personnel, and Blackwater takes it as a moment to say, 'Hey, we're famous now. As always, click on the title of the post above. They were told that they were able to do a risk assessment of every trip, and if the threat was too dangerous, that they could decline the mission. 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. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. 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.. !, The White House, for its part, has turned the issue of accountability of Blackwater and other private security companies into a joke, literally. Well, he was a Navy Seal for about 12 years, and he resigned from the Navy, and times got tough. JUAN GONZALEZ: Now, even in the training period at Blackwater, he began to find problems in terms of the quality of the training that was going on? The other two were kept behind at Blackwaters Baghdad facility to perform clerical duties. You dont just stick a Navy Seal on a brand new team with guys and send them into a combat zone. Famous Personal Trainer Scott Helvenston was born on June 21, 1965 in Ocala. Blackwater held a memorial service for the men at its compound. He was divorced but continued to support his ex-wife and two children. And I think we can look to a situation such as a new firefighter. Blackwater had told all of us that none of us wanted to communicate with each other. 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. KATY HELVENSTON: Donna Zovko and her son Tommy. Theyre the whores of war.. The State Department regulations call for six people to be on a security detail in Iraq, because of the security situation, while these men were sent out with only four. And Scott wrote in this email to Blackwater, that I think [that my team leader] felt that there was a hidden agenda. Its lead counsel is Greenberg Traurig, the influential DC law firm that once employed lobbyist Jack Abramoff. But we couldnt hear anything, because there were these two helicopters that were flying, I mean, just a couple hundred foot over our heads. It was merely small-arms fire, which could have been repelled by armored vehicles.. Our tasks are dangerous and while we feel sadness for our fallen colleagues, we also feel pride and satisfaction that we are making a difference for the people of Iraq., The company swiftly rose to international prominence: Journalists were flooding Blackwater with calls, and military types were clamoring to sign up for work. The producer Paul Howard says Bohm merges, into his [] It was a simple thing, really, that kicked off Suresh's career shift. 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. It was good money, but it was never enough, his mother remembers. 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. Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government. Okay, that may be an overbroad analogy there, but the same principle applies. By signing up to receive emails, you agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. The day after the killings, Erik Prince hired the Alexander Strategy Group its a now-disgraced lobbying firm, but it once was very powerful; it was Tom DeLays private lobbying firm, basically hired the Alexander Strategy Group to manage the newfound fame of Blackwater. And so, then I started I had never read any articles. They made a killing off of New Orleans. 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.. I mean, clear as day. The night before he left, Helvenston sent an e-mail to the Owner, President and Upper Management of Blackwater, subject: extreme unprofessionalism. In this e-mail, obtained by The Nation, he complained that the behavior of McQuown (referred to as Justin Shrek in the e-mail) was very manipulative, duplicitive [sic], immature and unprofessional. He describes how his original team leader tried to appeal to Shrek not to reassign him, but, Helvenston wrote, I think [the team leader] felt that there was a hidden agenda. That was an experience, and the way that show was produced, there was a lot of editing, and it really didnt happen the way it was produced. JUAN GONZALEZ: But, Marc Miles, Blackwater can claim that the men who sign on with them know exactly the kind of dangers that theyre going into, that they signed contracts that recognized the possible dangers and loss of life or injury that they may suffer. Im driven and Im not going to quit. Just like with tobacco litigation or gun litigation, once they lose that first case, theyd be fearful there would be other lawsuits to follow., The families two-year quest to hold those responsible accountable has taken them not to Falluja but to the sprawling Blackwater compound in North Carolina. At our rooms. 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. The pictures are famous at this point of what happened to them on that day. Sign up for our free daily newsletter, along with occasional offers for programs that support our journalism. AMY GOODMAN: Were going to break, Katy. The company and its secretive, mega-millionaire, right-wing Christian founder, Erik Prince, position Blackwater as a patriotic extension of the US military, and its employees are required to take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution. 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 . There was a manmade pond with brand-new bark, you know, cypress bark. 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. ease arkansas phone number You need to put a face on these acts. A Blackwater official later boasted, the suit says, that they saved two lives by not sending all six men. On occasion, Helvenston would attempt to politely assist McQuown by offering his expertise on the correct manner of the particular training exercise. I went up to him, and I tried to shake his hand. I mean, Scotty excelled at anything he attempted, and he always had to be the best. But today, Blackwater is facing a potentially devastating battlethis time not in Iraq but in court. It was the event that sparked the U.S. siege of Fallujah, in which hundreds and hundreds of Iraqis were killed, many of them who had nothing to do with this whatsoever women, children, others. They were killed by insurgents literally walking up and shooting them with small-arms fire. You know, I need to meet with these people.. In fact, Blackwaters then-general counsel, Steve Capace, gave a workshop last May on the subject to an International Super-Conference for contractors. trucks from a city of Taji to an army base, which is on the west side of Fallujah. units for the Middle East. We are speaking with the mother of one of the four men who were killed in Fallujah, March 31, 2004, Katy Helvenston; Jeremy Scahill has written a piece, an article in The Nation magazine called Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater; and Marc Miles, the attorney for the families of the four Blackwater contractors. He is currently a Puffin Writing Fellow at the Nation Institute. And then the reports are that E.S.S. 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. One of the people profiled in the story is Katy Helvenston, the mother of 38-year-old Scott Helvenston, who was killed on that day in Fallujah. He had two men with him that held Scotty down. Go ahead. They didnt find out that they were lied to until they got into Baghdad and basically had no option but to go forward. He was ranked 12th in the nation in tennis. The killing was March 31. And so, what happened that particular day from the evidence that Ive accumulated is that they were basically told to escort three flatbed trucks, which I understand were going to pick up some kitchen equipment, far different from what Scott Helvenston had understood, that he would be guarding an ambassador. (In fact, the suit contends that Blackwater fabricated critical documents and created a pre-trip risk assessment after this deadly ambush occurred.), The men entered Falluja with Helvenston and Teague in one vehicle and Zovko and Batalona in the other. Not so, say the families of the four men and their lawyers. Your article, Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater, appears in The Nation magazine today, and we will link to it at democracynow.org. After the killings, Blackwater released a statement saying the heinous mistreatment of our friends exhibits the extraordinary conditions under which we voluntarily work to bring freedom and democracy to the Iraqi people. Were talking about a groundbreaking lawsuit that has been filed against Blackwater. 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. VIDEO: People in Denmark Are a Lot Happier Than People in the United States. In this e-mail, obtained by The Nation, he complained that the behavior of McQuown (referred to as "Justin Shrek" in the e-mail) was "very manipulative, duplicitive [sic], immature and unprofessional." He describes how his original team leader tried to appeal to Shrek not to reassign him, but, Helvenston wrote, "I think [the team leader] felt . } Mr. Rumsfeld answered that Iraq has its own domestic laws, which he assumed applied to those private military contractors. Every dollar makes a differencein fact, gets doubled! But while the families were grieving, Blackwater viewed it as a profit opportunity. KATY HELVENSTON: Yeah. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. However, Iraq is clearly not currently capable of enforcing its laws, much less against you know, over our American military contractors. The families were gathered in a conference room, where they thought they would be told how the men had died. So, essentially, they had G.P.S. I wrote an email to Gary Jackson, the president of Blackwater. The remains of two of the men are strung up on a bridge over the Euphrates River and left to dangle. tn_keyword: ['academi', 'security-c'], AMY GOODMAN: At the memorial service for your son? Theres a lot of innocent people that have died. While this suit doesnt mention the retaliatory US attack on Falluja that followed the Blackwater killings, the case is significant because it could blow the lid off a system that allows corporations to face zero liability while reaping huge profits in Iraq and other war zones. 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. 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. If it had been up to Katy Helvenston, her son wouldnt have been in Iraq at all. And theres all sorts of Scott speaks to us posthumously through his email, and I just want to read from this. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, Donna Zovko and her husband Joe was there, and her son Tommy and his wife and kids were all there. Blackwater was paying its men $600 a day but billing Regency $815, according to the Raleigh News and Observer. units for the United States, which doesnt do a lot of good over there. Please do your part today. And, in fact, the first day that they set out, they were so lost and it was getting late that they ended up staying at an army base on the east side of Fallujah. This would have resulted in Blackwater losing profits and would also have delayed the start of the ESS job. Scotty chose Blackwater, because they had a two-month contract, and he could be back home. He was an extremely accomplished Navy Seal, was popular with other guys, and it seems very plausible that he viewed Scott Helvenston as a threat. All four guards were shot and killed. And he wrote me back and said, Hi, Jeremy, Im the appropriate person to deal with on this, and he said he would entertain my questions and go over them with counsel. Is it your sense that this is an isolated situation that happened with these men, or are you exploring the possibility that there have been systematic problems with the way these contractors have been handling security? His mother says he took the job with Blackwater because the company offered short-term, two-month contracts, and Scott viewed it as an opportunity to turn his life around. At $21 million, it represented the companys biggest contract in Iraq. Blackwater has not offered a rebuttal to the specific allegations made by the families, except to deny in general that they are valid. KATY HELVENSTON: And I was just literally stuttering. His family is linked in with Richard DeVos, the Amway founder who basically funded the Republican revolution of the 1990s. Jane how to behave like Navy Seals. I did want to ask you, Katy Helvenston, about the email that we got from Blackwater, from Chris Taylor, who said, Out of respect for the families and the integrity of the judicial proceedings, I cannot join you. Your response? And five seconds after I connected to that line, Erik Prince was on the phone. So they were to escort these two E.S.S. 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. But one thing to stress here, and this is what the lawsuit alleges, its not just wrongful death, its also fraud. Unbeknownst to Helvenston, this goal would drive a series of events that would ultimately lead to his death. 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. This is a precedent-setting case, says Marc Miles, an attorney for the families. Blackwater is scooping up lucrative Homeland Security contracts. The article is called Blood Is Thicker Than Blackwater. is a 501(c)3 non-profit news organization. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. And they did approach the Zovkos and asked if they would meet Erik Prince in his office, and they did. The man heading the training was Justin McQuown, nicknamed Shrek, after the green ogre movie cartoon character. Lets see if we can screw with Scott. Those were like the last words that Scott Helvenston basically wrote before being sent over there to Baghdad. Thats why the company moved swiftly to apply for benefits for the families under the Defense Base Act. AMY GOODMAN: Each of you in separate hotels? They were not provided with the six folks that they were supposed to have in each vehicle. Thats the only thing they understand, she says. [Blackwater] then flew him to Jordan for ultimate deployment in the Middle East, Miles says. and State Department official that Blackwater hired up, was in the country of Jordan announcing that Blackwater was interested in essentially farming out its services to the highest bidder to engage in overt combat missions. But then, theres something else that all too often gets left out of the mix here, and that is that tens of thousands of Iraqis have died in this war, and they dont have a voice in the legal system here. Many firms specializing in contractor law advertise the DBA as the best way for corporations servicing the war to avoid being sued. 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 . He was dead. At 17 he made history by becoming the youngest person ever to complete the rigorous Navy SEAL program. KATY HELVENSTON: He was told that he was going to be security for the ambassador, Paul Bremer. tn_author: ['jeremy-s'], KATY HELVENSTON: They said Fallujah, and I said, well, Scotty, hes in Baghdad. You may unsubscribe or adjust your preferences at any time. On January 5, 2005, the families filed the lawsuit against Blackwater in Wake County, North Carolina. Hidden Potential Official Site. A few nights before Scott was killed, and actually the night before he left Kuwait to go to Baghdad, he sent an email to the owner, president and upper management of Blackwater, and the subject of that email was extreme unprofessionalism. And in this email, which we have, he is complaining about Justin McQuown, who he refers to as Justin Shrek. Scott Helvenston apparently thought his actual name was Shrek and was referring to him as Justin Shrek throughout the email. And it goes through all the other ones. And so, did they assume the risk? AMY GOODMAN: Marc, I just want to interrupt for one second. Jane movie, and he ended up playing a small role on the film, because the guy that was supposed to play the Navy Seal instructor was terrified of the ocean. And I said, I want an incident report on Scotty. And I said, I want a copy of his contract that he signed with you. And he said, Why? And I said, I just want to know what happened. He said I could he would get it to me in the next few weeks. They were vulnerable and obvious. We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. 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. Potter didnt have any other gainful employment, because many of these men who are ex-military, their skills dont transfer easily into the civilian sector, he says, adding that after Potter was removed for blowing the whistle on the armor issue, the company abandoned him until they needed him to avoid this subpoena and this deposition and they said, We need you and we need you now. And zoom, off he goes. Blackwater subsequently attempted to have Potters deposition order dissolved, but a federal court said no. MARTIN SMITH: By the time the press arrived, a mob had set the cars on fire. When Democracy Now! The real problem here is that we have corporate America involved. KATY HELVENSTON: Erik Prince told them that they would have to sue Blackwater to get that information. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown.

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