Feral Jundi

“The civilian contractors have played an indispensable role in the two conflicts, delivering fuel to frontline troops, guarding U.S. diplomats and translating for soldiers during dangerous raids. More than 1,400 civilian workers have died and 31,000 have been wounded or injured in the two war zones.”

     Wow, ‘indispensable’?  That is actually pretty kind, and for someone like me that follows quite a bit of copy about this industry, it is nice to actually see our group be recognized for once as ‘indispensable’.  It is far better than ‘liability’ or…gulp, ‘mercenaries’ (in the derogatory sense), and I will take that sly little complement.  I will not let up though, and I am sure Jake and the crew are the same way.  Kaizen all the way.

     This story was first introduced to me by Marcie, Don and then I saw it pop up in other forms over at PMH, COR, and Danger Zone Blog.  So this definitely deserves a look and thanks to all that gave me the heads up.    

     I am glad to see some main stream media attention put towards this, and I absolutely think it is important that we take care of our wounded warriors, no matter if they are private contractors or military.  Their sacrifice should mean the same to all of us, because they are the ones that stepped forward to do the job.  That is the least we can do.

   As for the on the job injury, I can understand that one.  I broke my femur on a fire jump when I was smokejumping.  The key with getting injured, and dealing with the government, is persistence and knowledge.  You have to know the system inside and out, and constantly fight it.  If you can find an advocate to help you through the process, that is extremely advisable.  There are so many programs and so many rules and codes and this and that, that you have to go through, on top of trying to heal up, that it is just a mess sometimes to get your stuff squared away.  One idea, is do your research online and find blogs or mentors online that can help.  There are groups that will help too, and just be persistent to get the care you need, and get the costs covered.  As an example, I was fighting with medical bills and trying to get the government to pay for that stuff 6 years after the fact.  What a headache and some guys just give up on it, and eat the costs or do without the care.  Just keep up the fight and hold the government, insurance companies, and your company accountable for the care you deserve. –Matt

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Contractor Tim Newman, left; contractor Kevin Smith-Idol, middle; widow Rita Richardson, whose husband was killed by a roadside blast in Iraq. (Photos courtesy of Tim Newman, ABC News, Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

Injured War Zone Contractors Fight to Get Care From AIG and Other Insurers

by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica and Doug Smith, the Los Angeles Times – April 16, 2009 10:25 pm EDT

Reporting from Los Angeles and Washington — Civilian workers who suffered devastating injuries while supporting the U.S. war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan have come home to a grinding battle for basic medical care, artificial limbs, psychological counseling and other services.

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