What we have right now is something worse than the wild, wild west going on in Iraq, Callahan says. According to the suit, Blackwater was gung-ho to start in order to impress ESS and win further contracts. } But we couldnt hear anything, because there were these two helicopters that were flying, I mean, just a couple hundred foot over our heads. Anyway, there was a safer route that they could take north of the city that would take them about three hours to get to the other side. There should be three men per team. Helvenston et al. More than 428 private contractors have been killed to date in Iraq, and US taxpayers are footing almost the entire compensation bill to their families. Thats whats very upsetting. When Helvenston set off for the Middle East, his family thought he was going to be working on Blackwaters high-profile job of guarding the head of the US occupation, Paul Bremer. They made a killing off of New Orleans. 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. [Blackwater] then flew him to Jordan for ultimate deployment in the Middle East, Miles says. covers war or gun violence, were not brought to you by the weapons manufacturers. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, not just at the memorial service. Jeremy ScahillTwitterJeremy Scahill is the author of the best-selling Blackwater: The Rise of the Worlds Most Powerful Mercenary Army, published by Nation Books. MARTIN SMITH: Contractually, Blackwater was to supply two SUVs with three guards per vehicle. Scott Helvenston (US Navy SEAL) ~ Bio Wiki | Photos | Videos A day after the killings, Prince enlisted the services of the Alexander Strategy Group, a now disgraced but once powerful Republican lobbying and PR firm. navy seal scott helvenston death video - indigocreativity.com This month marks the two-year anniversary of the first US siege of Fallujah, in which at least 600 Iraqis were killed. KATY HELVENSTON: In the rooms on the balcony, because we had gotten so paranoid, we thought maybe the rooms were tapped or something. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security explained The company has been slapped with a lawsuit that, if successful, will send shock waves through the world of private security firms, a world that has expanded significantly since Bush took office. Lay out this story. According to Department of Labor statistics, at least 425 U.S. civilians have died in Iraq including at least 22 Blackwater contractors. tn_subject: ['criminal-j', 'society', 'us-wars-an', 'war-and-pe', 'war-on-ter'], [6] He was dead. 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. 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. Scott Helvenston - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies AMY GOODMAN: But you did meet at the memorial service. It is regrettable and inaccurate to suggest that Mr. McQuown contributed in any way to this terrible tragedy.. The Lafayette McQuown House is significant as a typical example of a late 19th-century miner's residence in good condition. On April 17, President Bush spoke at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Erik Prince refused to speak to me. In the presentation, called Managing Contracting Risks in Battlefield Conditions, Capace laid out a legal strategy for deflecting the kind of lawsuit Blackwater now faces. 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. Did they assume the risk? They charged the government $400,000 for 14 guys for 28 days in September of 2005 14 guys, $400,000 for 22 days in September. The U.S. attack was sparked by the gruesome killing of four private contractors inside Fallujah. ' Those were some of the last words Helvenston would ever write. Democracy Now! Blackwater sent my son and the other three into Falluja knowing that there was a very good possibility this could happen, says Katy Helvenston, the mother of 38-year-old Scott Helvenston, whose charred body was hung from the Falluja bridge. The man heading the training was Justin McQuown, nicknamed Shrek, after the green ogre movie cartoon character. My family wouldnt let me read any of the articles, they were so graphic. And I called them, and I said, Thats just not acceptable. There he was. And he did say, Well, its nice to meet you, and then he turned around and left. Later that night, according to Scotts mother, McQuown came up to Helvenstons hotel room. These men and women are never included in the death tolls provided by the Pentagon or reported on in the media. 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. Katy, of course, can talk about how Scott ended up going there. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, Jay Price, who writes for the News & Observer out of the Raleigh-Durham area, had come down and talked to me, and he wrote a series of articles. Scott Helvenston Net Worth & Bio/Wiki 2018: Facts Which You Must To Know! Well, Scotty chose the military, and he wanted to continue his education through that. But one thing to stress here, and this is what the lawsuit alleges, its not just wrongful death, its also fraud. Blackwater was paying its men $600 a day but billing Regency $815, according to the Raleigh News and Observer. And he came up to Scotts room a couple days before Scott was murdered and got into an altercation, and he took Scotts gun away from him. JUAN GONZALEZ: Now, at what point did you communicate with the other families of the men who died that day, and how did you decide that you needed to pursue legal action? AMY GOODMAN: And who told them that they would have to sue? PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I was going to ask him. Katy Helvenston, your response? There is not a whole lot of jobs out there for ex-Special Forces guys, and obviously he didnt realize that at the time. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. And then I finally got one email back from Chris Taylor, who you guys also were dealing with, whos the Blackwater vice president. President Bush issued a statement through his spokesperson. And theres all sorts of Scott speaks to us posthumously through his email, and I just want to read from this. Social:Helvenston v. Blackwater Security - HandWiki Now, back in the United States, these killings were taken as a threat or a challenge to Americas resolve in the White House and immediately became a sort of turning point in the war. Well, Blackwater then, when they cut their subcontract with this Kuwaiti company for this deal, kept intact the entire part of the contract that went over the security provisions, except for one word: armored. JEREMY SCAHILL: A couple things here. They say Blackwater refused to redraft the contract. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia During training, McQuown would often improperly instruct the class or provide erroneous information, tactics or techniques, the suit alleges. At 17 he made history by becoming the youngest person ever to complete the rigorous Navy SEAL program. STUDENT: My question is in regards to private military contractors. None of that was true, says attorney Callahan. In an expose in the new issue of the Nation magazine, independent journalist Jeremy Scahill tells the story of the struggle of the four families of the slain Blackwater contractors to hold those responsible for their deaths accountable. Find 1 person named Justin Shreck along with free Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok profiles on PeekYou - true people search. He was divorced but continued to support his ex-wife and two children. And like thousands and thousands of people in this war, their financial situation was one of the motivations that brought them to Iraq, where they could some of these guys would make $600 a paycheck in the United States, and they could make $600 a day by going to work for Blackwater or DynCorp or other companies. KATY HELVENSTON: Donna Zovko and her son Tommy. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. And Erik had a check for the Zovkos. Hooyah!!. units for the United States, which doesnt do a lot of good over there. is funded by you, and thats why were counting on your donation to keep us going. 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. And both the boys knew that if they were going to go through college, they had to figure out a way. I didnt want to watch it. units, but Blackwater didnt provide them with the maps to go in the G.P.S. What theyre trying to do is to say, Lookwe can do anything we want and not be held accountable. 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. And Scotty finally went to casting, and he said, This guy is just not going to work, because he will not get in the water. So, Scotty did play a small role. In an expose in the new issue of the Nation magazine, independent journalist Jeremy Scahill tells the story of the struggle of the four families of the slain Blackwater contractors to hold those responsible for their deaths accountable. We couldnt hear anything that was being said. This is a rush transcript. Stephen "Scott" Helvenston (June 21, 1965 - March 31, 2004) was a United States Navy SEAL.He was working as a security contractor for Blackwater Security when he was killed in the 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush within days of arriving in Iraq.. Helvenston was a personal trainer for Hollywood celebrities such as Demi Moore (for G.I. KATY HELVENSTON: They said Fallujah, and I said, well, Scotty, hes in Baghdad. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. The GOPs War Against Trans People Is a War Against Democracy, Green Rationales for Harsher Immigration Policies Are Nothing New, Gun Violence: A Week of Response to the Weak Republican Response to Mass Shootings in the USA. At the top, the federal government could be getting billed as much as like $2,000 $1,500 to $2,000 for these men. Im gonna take care of you. You know, just stuff like that, which obviously wasnt true. Its going to be deliberate. Helvenston et al. v. Blackwater Security | Military Wiki | Fandom KATY HELVENSTON: And I was just literally stuttering. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. Justin McQuown is 50 years old and was born on 11/17/1972.Justin McQuown lives in Virginia Beach, VA; previous city include Joint Base Lewis McChord WA.Justin L Mcquown and Justin L Mcqvuwn are some of the alias or nicknames that Justin has used. After the training session, Helvenston got on a plane to Kuwait, where he touched down on March 18. MARTIN SMITH: By the time the press arrived, a mob had set the cars on fire. KATY HELVENSTON: He was told that he was going to be security for the ambassador, Paul Bremer. The deposition was set for January 28, 2005, and Miles was to fly to Alaska, where the Potters were living. You raised a whole issue of the contract that required a risk assessment on their part and an overview of the mission that they were involved in. But, anyway, thats another story. [6] But because they didnt have a map, they didnt have G.P.S., and, in fact, funny story, I think they had G.P.S. This is not even close. While some of that may be legitimate defense tactics, the lawyers argue that the company has actively prevented court-ordered depositions from taking place, including taking steps to prevent a key witness from testifying: John Potter, the man who blew the whistle on Blackwaters removal of the word armored from the contract and was subsequently removed. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security - Wikipedia Thats how I work.. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, I was initially I was stunned that I actually had gotten through to Erik Prince. At $21 million, it represented the companys biggest contract in Iraq. 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.