Feral Jundi

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Industry Talk: U.S. Government Officials And DynCorp Honor Police Trainers Injured In Iraq

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq,Medical — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 12:00 PM

     Bravo to DynCorp and the government folks for honoring these men and their sacrifice. It is the least they could do, and other companies out there who have had injured or deceased contractors should take note.

      I also hope that DynCorp will continue to show it’s appreciation by being there for these men when they need help with medical, mental and pay issues. Handing out awards is one thing, but being there for your people when they need that help is the sign of a truly grateful and compassionate company. You will also attract good contractors who actually want to work for you and do a good job, because they know you care. –Matt

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Left to right: Tate Mallory, Bill Ballhaus of DynCorp International and Ken Leonard 

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U.S. Government Officials and DynCorp Honor Police Trainers Injured in Iraq

Mar 04, 2010

Representatives for the Department of Defense, the U.S. Congress, the Department of State, and DynCorp International (DI) gathered on February 17, to honor two former civilian police trainers who received injuries while working in Iraq to help build and strengthen Iraq’s police force.

According to the groups, Kenneth Leonard and Tate Mallory, the two trainers, were honored by a crowd of more than 200 people. Both worked for DI on the International Civilian Police Program (CIVPOL) contract with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). In Iraq they were under the Civilian Police Advisory Training Team, the component of the Multinational Security Transition Command responsible for the U.S.-led effort to train and equip the 135,000-member Iraqi police service.

The DynCorp International President’s Valor award was presented to Kenneth Leonard and Tate Mallory by Tony Smeraglinolo, president of DI’s Global Stability and Development Solutions (GSDS) division. The DI President’s Valor Award is the highest recognition given by the company, and has been awarded only 11 other times.

“This award is presented to individuals who have exemplified bravery and heroism in execution of their responsibilities in the most challenging of circumstances,” said Tony Smeraglinolo in his remarks. “These two men have demonstrated not only great bravery but resounding resilience, unequalled commitment to service and are truly great Americans.”

State Department INL Bureau Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary William McGlynn presented certificates of appreciation on behalf of the State Department and spoke of the men’s skills and contributions working in the most difficult of circumstances. The State Department also presented DI Care Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Director Mike Warren with a special certificate of recognition for his work in creating and running a program that assists employees and their families, and his personal commitment to helping each employee and family member who needs him.

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Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Industry Talk: Severely Injured as a Truck Driver in Iraq, Jeff Haysom Fights to Rebuild His Life

Filed under: Industry Talk — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 8:34 AM

   I wanted to post this as a reminder to all of us, just what happens when you get injured in this kind of work.  There are no ‘how to’ manuals on this stuff, nor is your care guaranteed to be complete or even good.  The one thing you can do is prepare yourself mentally for the possible outcomes when injured.  And if you read through Jeff’s story, as well as the many other stories printed about the subject, you will find that it is no easy fight. Companies like AIG will fight tooth and nail to pay as little as possible to cover your injury.  One thing is for sure, either spend the money on a good insurance policy that covers war zones or get a good lawyer, or get both if you can afford it.  Also get a good CPA, because you will need it for all the financial headaches involved with this stuff. –Matt

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Severely injured as a truck driver in Iraq, Jeff Haysom fights to rebuild his life

by LEAH BETH WARD

Yakima Herald-Republic

SARA GETTYS/Yakima Herald-Republic

Jeff Haysom sits with one of his family’s goats, Gizmo, at his home in Gleed. While he was working as a civilian contractor in Iraq, Haysom was injured by shrapnel from a bomb that tore into his shoulder and also left him with a traumatic brain injury. Haysom is still active around his home, but tires easily and has trouble remembering things — disabilities that have made it impossible for him to keep a job. Instead, he works around his home caring for his animals including turkeys, chickens and goats. Although he and his wife are still fighting for workers compensation benefits, he says that his injury has forced him to slow down. He says that although it might take him twice as long to complete a task as it did before his injury, he’s grateful for every day and the opportunity to spend time with his family and at his home.

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