A memorial on campus at Xe honors fallen comrades.
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What Memorial Day Means To A Security Contractor
5/30/2010
What does Memorial Day mean to a security contractor? Well for one, it is an American holiday, so I imagine that American security contractors would be more in the position of remembrance than any other contractors from other countries. But under contract with companies who work for US DoD, DoS, etc., many contractors from other countries have died. That includes local nationals like Iraqis or Afghanis, or third country nationals who include everyone else. I guess my point is that do we only recognize the sacrifice of American fallen during this day, when so many have died in support of America and this global war? Or do these contractors only get recognized by their country for their sacrifice in this war, and we only focus on American contractors during our Memorial Day? Because on this day and in this war, a security contractor has many deaths to remember and pay respects to.
For one, a security contractor in this war usually is a military veteran and from the combat arms. So more than likely, they knew men or women that died in the war when they were in the military. When that veteran got out of the military and went back into service as a security contractor, they might have been in a position to lose fellow contractors as well. Those fallen contractors could be American, or they could be South African, or they could be some Iraqi team member. It could be all three in an attack, and an IED does not discriminate. The common bond between all parties is the service given during the war and the companies they worked for.
So the question comes up again. What does Memorial Day mean to a security contractor? Well to me it is a remembrance for all of those who died in the first Gulf War (I was a Marine in this war). I also have a profound respect for all the fallen soldiers of all other wars the US has been in. It is not a day of picnics on the lake, or sales at shopping centers. Memorial Day is a somber day, in which you are reminded that you are the lucky one who lived, and those that are in the ground are the ones who did not.
Then there is the other side of me who is a security contractor. As a contractor, I remember three groups who have all made sacrifices. I remember the Iraqi jundis that I worked with who were killed in the war. I remember the South African I worked with who was killed. And I remember the Americans I worked with who were killed. All of these deaths are sacrifices that have meaning to me and to my fellow contractors who worked in those companies and on those contracts.
On this day I give equal attention to both the military deaths and contractor deaths, and that is what Memorial Day means to a security contractor. The difference between the sacrifice of both sides, is that the military deaths are paid the ultimate respect by society, and the contractor deaths are ignored by society. There are no holidays dedicated to fallen security contractors, no monuments at the Mall in Washington DC for security contractors, and no special headstones for fallen security contractors in cemeteries. If anything, a fallen security contractor is buried with a headstone that has dedications to their military service.
But that is changing, and private industry has found ways to remember the fallen. For an example, the company Xe (Blackwater) has a memorial for it’s fallen contractors. I imagine that the families and friends of fallen Xe contractors will be going to this memorial as well as to the cemetery where that individual was buried on Memorial Day. So that is two places for the friends and family to go and bravo to Xe for building such a thing.
Still, there is nothing in the US that is dedicated to contractors who have perished in the war. There isn’t even an accurate accounting of all the contractors that have been killed in this war. At this time, I can’t even give a statistic like who was the first security contractor or regular contractor killed in the war. Were they an expat, local national, or third country national? I could speculate or maybe just go off of wikipedia or icasualties.org, but both of these sites have proven to be insufficient in providing a complete database. Even the Department of Labor’s count of deaths based on death benefits and insurance claims is incomplete. But we certainly know who was the first soldiers or federal employees to die in the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Then there is the historical perspective on contractor deaths in war. Is there a monument or memorial for the privateers that were killed during the early wars of the US? Or do their sacrifices not count when it comes to the founding of this country? How about the thousands of men and women who perished in all of the wars that the US has fought, who worked as contractors (or whatever name given to private industry warriors over the years). I have made a point of bringing that history back into the discussion about contractors, because these are all sacrifices given during the process of defending and supporting the US over the years, and that should mean something.
Perhaps one day congress will recognize the sacrifice of private industry during times of war. A monument that serves to recognize all types of contractors, and from all countries, who have all participated in and died in our wars. I could not foresee the names of all of those contractors on a monument like this, because unfortunately there is no list for such a thing. Either way, a monument would be a great way to show that contractors are not forgotten and that their sacrifice does matter.
So to answer the question I brought up in the beginning. Memorial Day for me is a remembrance for both the military and civilian deaths in this war, and wars past. I also remember those who died who were not only Americans, but were from other countries. And when I walk through a cemetery and see the head stones with crosses and military honors on them, I also think about the civilian contractors out there who were killed in the war that have nothing on their head stones to identify their service. If there is a monument locally where a veterans group is putting on a ceremony, I often like attending those. Guys like myself pay their respects in ways that best suit them. I like to write, and this blog gives me the opportunity to pay tribute.
Others might be overseas working during this day, and paying tribute could mean attending a ceremony on some FOB or outpost. In this digital age, many go on to the forums and pay their respect online. Contractors remember their fallen brothers when they were in the military, and they remember their fallen brothers in the various companies they have worked for. Most of all, military veterans and contractors remember their dead every day, and it doesn’t take a holiday to remind them to do so. But it is a day designed to put attention on war time sacrifice, and reminds those who have not served or have not lost someone that such a sacrifice exists. That is Memorial Day for a security contractor, and my personal thoughts on the matter. Rest in peace to the fallen. –Matt