The price of being a mercenary
Labor Dept.: 1,001 Contractors Have Died in Iraq
By David Ivanovich, The Houston Chronicle
Washington - More than 1,000 civilian contractors have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion more than four years ago, according to Labor Department records made available Tuesday.
In response to a request from Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., the Labor Department revealed that 1,001 civilian contractors had died in Iraq as of June 30, including 84 during the second quarter of the year.
So far in 2007, at least 231 contractors working for U.S. firms have died in Iraq.
Those contractor fatalities are in addition to the 3,668 military personnel the Defense Department had confirmed dead in Iraq from the start of the war in March 2003 until today.
"We are not getting the full picture" of the cost of the war in Iraq, Schakowsky said in a recent interview.
Another 76 civilian contractors have died in Afghanistan since the start of operations there, the Labor Department records show.
(More here.)
By David Ivanovich, The Houston Chronicle
Washington - More than 1,000 civilian contractors have been killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion more than four years ago, according to Labor Department records made available Tuesday.
In response to a request from Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., the Labor Department revealed that 1,001 civilian contractors had died in Iraq as of June 30, including 84 during the second quarter of the year.
So far in 2007, at least 231 contractors working for U.S. firms have died in Iraq.
Those contractor fatalities are in addition to the 3,668 military personnel the Defense Department had confirmed dead in Iraq from the start of the war in March 2003 until today.
"We are not getting the full picture" of the cost of the war in Iraq, Schakowsky said in a recent interview.
Another 76 civilian contractors have died in Afghanistan since the start of operations there, the Labor Department records show.
(More here.)
Powered by Blogger
1 Comments:
The price of the dead and wounded mercenary to the taxpayer is another number that is being overlooked.
All employees working under US Government Contracts, no matter how many subcontractors down the line they are, must be covered under the Defense Base Act, DBA, Workmans Compensation Insurance.
The premiums run 10% and more of the employees salary which is added to the cost of the contract.
Death benefits, medical, lost wages, disability payments are reimbursed to the DBA insurance companies by the Federal Government under the War Hazards Act.
This ACT/insurance relieves the contract company of all liability for any reason and from litigation by the employee or his family members.
The DBA enables the companies at the taxpayers expense to send employees into a war zone with no concerns for safety.
The DBA enables this war though I doubt it was the intent of the lawmakers sixty years ago.
www.dbacomp.com
Post a Comment
<< Home