Feral Jundi

     Mr Fitzsimons posted details about his military past on a Facebook page set up to honour fallen service personnel. He tells of his time in 2 Para and his 3½ years in private security work. He advises soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan: “Stay safe and to those who will return to fight a different battle … A war inside your head.” 

   Ever since this story came out in regards to the Armor Group shootings and this Fitzsimons guy, I have been thinking about the FJ point of view on this.  More specifically, the Jundism point of view.  The one thing I keep coming back to as far as the correct point of view, is ‘have the courage to do what is right’ or in the case of this story, have the courage to say what is right.

   Even though this guy killed two of his comrades in cold blood, as well as wounding an Iraqi, I think what is even more important out of all of this, is that Mr. Fitzsimons gets a fair trial in Iraq.  And if he cannot get a fair trial there, then I think it would be better to get him back to the UK to try him.  I want justice, as do most, but I do not want to witness something that is even more ‘ugly’ and vile.  So the question is, would he get a fair trial in Iraq?

   Undoubtedly, contractors are not liked in Iraq, and it would not surprise me that he would be given a death sentence in Iraq.  And you know, the death sentence is a part of the Iraqi justice system (they have hanged quite a few guys, to include Saddam).  It’s just that in this case, Fitzsimons killed an Australian and a Briton, and wounded an Iraqi, while in Iraq.  I guess he would fall under the laws of Iraq, based on the SOFA agreement, but there is an argument that he should fall under British law or even UCMJ, if he was under contract through a DoD gig.  I don’t know, but I do know that the imagery of a contractor hanging from the gallows of Iraq would be quite the message.  Not only to the industry but to the public and especially to Iraqis.  That message is another area we need to go over.

   Is Iraq a better place now that Saddam is gone, would be one message?  Under Maliki, is there true justice, would be another? I think what is extremely important in this case, is that the trial for this individual has all the trappings of a fair trial, and if this thing is at all taken as a ‘lynching of one of those evil contractors’, then that would not be good for Iraq.  It would also not be good for those that have fought so hard to get Iraq where it is today.  All that sacrifice and death, and for what cause?  The justice system of Iraq, and what they do to this guy, would be on display to the world.  I guess what I am saying, is that I want justice for the victims, but what is even more important is a fair trial for the guy and as a representation of the kind of justice in Iraq we can all respect and be proud of.

    If this trial becomes some kind of politicized parade just before Iraqi elections, with politicians using this trial as a sort of ‘this is for the Blackwater deal, so let’s hang this contractor good’, then I think we need to rethink what justice is in this case.  We can only watch, and wait and see, and there really isn’t much that can be done other than to demand a trial that is just.

   Now if Iraq truly approaches this with an utmost respect for a fair trial and the rule of law, then I could accept the outcome.  It is their country, and their laws, and we are all there as ‘guests’, wether we want to acknowledge this or not.  The SOFA and UCMJ, and the laws of our homelands should all be respected and adhered to.  This upcoming trial will make this point pretty clear to all of us, if we hadn’t already gotten the picture.  I just hope it doesn’t swirl out of control and turn into something even more ugly than what it is.

    One more thing while I am on a roll.  For all of you supposed human rights folks and anti-contractor journalists, I better hear you speak up in defense of a fair trial for this guy.  Because if I don’t hear that, then I really do know that you assholes could care less about the rights of humans.  Also, as much as you might hate us or hate this individual, the purpose for us being in these war zones was to defend life and property in the first place.

    We are not warmongers, because we were never hired to be warmongers.  Nope, we are there to protect your dad or mom, brother or sister, aunt or uncle, son or daughter.  We are there because most who could be there, are not.  We are there, so that your special loved one will get their food or water or mail or ammo delivered, so that they can do the war fighting and live as comfortably as possible while doing it.  We are a service provider, and our job is to protect.  Certainly someone with a pen could eventually comprehend this concept as a noble one? (Wait, my bad, that would take a dedication to the truth, and that is just way too much work for some folks in the MSM…..)

   And on to the companies. You guys do have a responsibility to insure that you are hiring individuals that are not a risk to self or others.  That means doing a background check on folks, and properly vetting people.  It also requires fielding sound leadership that is trained to identify these kinds of things.  Once folks are identified as being a risk, then get rid of them!  There are so many hundreds, if not thousands of guys and gals out there that are hungry for work and come with excellent backgrounds, that to continue hiring folks that suck is just mind boggling.  This guys slipped through the cracks big time, and with a little bit of effort, he could have been identified as a liability.

    The drinking thing needs to be re-evaluated as well.  I know guys like their booze, but personally folks, when I am working in a war zone, the drug called alcohol has no place. (I don’t drink anyways, so I am biased).  In Iraq and Afghanistan, I am surprised we haven’t seen more of these incidents?  There are better ways to cut loose and de-compress out there, and booze is not the way.  I know some would disagree with me, but that is my opinion.  Wait to go home to get drunk and play hard.  But when you are on the job in a war zone, stay away from the stuff because it is a quick ticket to losing control and losing your job.  And losing control is the last thing you want to do in a war zone.

    And for those that are staunch supporters of drinking in war zones, then at least do the right thing and keep each other in check.  To have a firearm while drinking is just not a good practice to get into and you should put away that firearm at the least.  Companies would be wise to initiate common sense policies in regards to this stuff, and make sure your leaders are strong enough to do the right thing.  Notice that one of the dead in this incident, was a detail leader.

   Not to mention that the countries we are operating in, are muslim countries.  The cultural offense of drinking, is a no-brainer, even though there those in these countries that drink. But still, on a grand scale, the white Christians hanging out in a muslim dominated country would do well by at least respecting the host nation’s practices.  Especially if we want to be a good idea amongst the local populations (hint, hint–COIN alert)

   Another way to look at this is preservation of the contract.  How would the customer react if they saw their protective detail armed and getting drunk?  How does this incident look to Armor Group’s customer(s) now?  It has embarrassed the company, shamed the industry, infuriated the local populations as well as the folks back home, and has taken away two lives and crushed the souls of their family and friends, all because a guy with PTSD got drunk and went on a shooting spree.

   Which takes me to the next point.  PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a serious thing.  It is really bad in the military forces right now, and it is an issue that is constantly being worked on and addressed by leadership in the armed forces.  The commercials on AFN are riddled with suicide prevention and PTSD announcements by various commanders, and there is a genuine push on this stuff to get a handle on it.  Where is the compassion in the security contracting industry?

   Perhaps the companies out there, in their quest to be the best, could initiate some programs dealing with PTSD and trying to help folks out?  Boy, how cool would that be, if a contractor knew the company they were working for cared about their mental welfare? (Jundism hint- ‘take care of your people’)  Think about it, and start investing in your leaders and people a little.  Or you can continue to foster the image of the money hungry company with little regard for their contractors or for the local populations in these war zones.

     I mention the local populations, because if you hired the guy that went psycho, that wounded or killed an Iraqi or Afghani while drunk, and didn’t do the things necessary to vet this person or insure they were not a liability, then you are a part of the problem as well.  You seek out contractors with extensive combat experience, who have plenty of wartime trauma experience already, and ask them to protect life and property with their lives.  The decent thing to do here is actually be a company that cares if any of your guys need help. Or even offer post contract assistance that contractors could come back to if needed. In fairness to some companies, I have heard of this practice of offering help to contractors, but believe me, it isn’t that common of a practice.

    Lets not forget that contractors are experiencing trauma in the war zone as well.  When these men and women go back home, and they have left the company and are off on their own, what do we do for them?  You have all heard of the stories of guys committing suicide back home on leave, or getting into some extreme trouble or whatever deal, and you have to think, that some friend or comrade could have seen something that was a clue.  Sometimes, you just can’t see it in a person, and it is a shock to all.  But others, it is outright blatant that they have PTSD, and what do we do for that?

   The big one, is be a friend and let them know you care.  The other one, is tell them to maintain contact with their buddies–either from the military or that company they worked for.  Often times, these groups that the individual was a part of, became the support group for that person.  As soon as persons go back into the wild, and left on their own, they tend to get lost in their own demons and thoughts.  It sounds like Fitzsimons was one of those guys. Be the friend, and reach out to those that need it.

   If you think you have PTSD, then I advise maintaining contact with your buddies.  Get on Facebook or the phone, and just keep contact.  If you are prior service, try to take advantage of any veterans groups through the VA or whatnot. Seek therapy and find a solution to your set of problems. Things will get better, but you have to reach out and get that help brother.  The big one, is do not get lost within your head.  Find your people, and keep talking and get help, because it will be alright.  You are not alone and all it takes is for you to apply Kaizen to your working through your set of issues.  Don’t give up, and have the resolve necessary to find a way.

   I also think war time service is a big reason why guys get into contracting in the first place, and that is for the comradery.  The money is good too, because most have a family or some house payment to support, or lost a job at home, or that job at Home Depot just isn’t cutting it.  So guys get back into contracting to be with their people again, and that is good.  I say people meaning other veterans who know exactly what they have been through.

     I guess that would be the positive side of contracting, that most in the world would have a hard time understanding.  Guys join to serve in the war again, yet they just don’t want to go back into the military.  Shorter deployments and having control is a huge appeal to the veteran who wants to get back into the mix.  The money is cool too, but there is a lot more to it than that. Maybe that is why we haven’t seen more incidents like this happen, because in essence, contracting is a great place for a veteran to be? Or not.  Each guy has their reasons.

    I don’t know, but I do know that we need to watch out for one another and keep the industry in check or others will put it in check for us.  My view is that we have been doing well out there, and certainly have sacrificed for the cause.  But we can always do better, because that is the Kaizen way.

    And for Fitzsimons and for the families and friends of the victims, I only wish for a fair trial and that justice is served.  I feel bad for Fitzsimons, but I also feel bad for those that lost loved ones in this deal.  I would not be surprised if he gets the death penalty, and I hope that a verdict like this was only reached via true justice and a strict adherence to a fair application of the law, and not some politically fueled public lynching.

     The real tragedy and question that I keep thinking about, is could this have been prevented with a little dose of humanity and some vetting by the company, along with some strong leadership or some aware friends and co-workers?  This is a tragedy on many levels, and not unlike the tragedy that happened at Camp Liberty in Iraq where a soldier shot and killed five comrades. Like with the military, this incident should be a wake up call to our industry and get us thinking about what we need to do to ‘take care of our people’.-Matt

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Saddam Hussein and his execution.

Briton facing death penalty in Iraq ’suffering from stress’

The parents of an ex-Paratrooper who allegedly shot two fellow security guards in Iraq have said he was suffering from a stress disorder triggered by his experience of conflict.

By Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent11 Aug 2009

Darren Hoare pictured in Iraq

In a statement the family appealed for assistance to ensure that Daniel Fitzsimons, who faces the death penalty, is granted a fair trial in Baghdad.

The former soldier has reportedly said that colleagues, Paul McGuigan and Darren Hoare were shot after he received a “beating” from the two men after a drinking session in the city’s Green Zone.

    He is being held at a jail in central Baghdad under Iraqi law and could be the first Westerner to go to court on criminal charges since immunity was lifted earlier this year.

“We are seeking funding in order to get a fair trial for Daniel, who served his country in Afghanistan and Iraq and left the Army suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder,” the statement from father Eric and stepmother Liz, from Whitworth, and mother Beverley, from Blackley, said. “This situation is every parent’s worst nightmare. We have been unable to speak directly to Daniel and are currently in contact with the Foreign Office, Fair Trials Abroad and our local MP, Jim Dobbin.”

Mr Fitzsimons was born in Rochdale and grew up in New Moston, Manchester. He went to school at Our Lady’s Catholic school in Royton, Oldham, before joining the Army.

Friends have revealed Mr Fitzsimons lived by himself in a flat in Rochdale and that he had told only his father and doctor about the trauma he had suffered.

Mr Fitzsimons had returned to Iraq as a private security contractor, ‘on and off’, for around three years. “I got into a fight with two colleagues and they had me pinned down. I received a real beating,” he told the Times. “They beat me and that’s when I reached for my weapon. I was drunk and it happened very quickly.”

An Iraqi military spokesman, Major General Qassim al-Moussawi said the circumstances of the fight were well established. “It started as a squabble. The suspect is facing a premeditated murder charge,” he said. “The matter is now in the hands of Iraqi justice.”

Another British man was questioned by police and later released, the Foreign Office confirmed.

A friend of Fitzsimons told ITV News that the former soldier had struggled to recover from serving in Iraq. “He’s not a cold-blooded murderer, he’s just someone that has basically been in a war zone and is reaping the effects,” he said. “He’s been through some very tragic and hard-core events and you know, seeing friends killed and colleagues killed has an effect on you.”

Story here.

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From The Times

August 10, 2009

Briton may hang for killings in Baghdad

Oliver August in Baghdad

A British guard working for a security company inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone was arrested yesterday after two of his colleagues were killed and another wounded in a reported alcohol-fuelled rampage.

Danny Fitzsimons, who fled the scene with a pistol, was held after a shootout and handed to Iraqi police.

A judicial official in Baghdad said that Mr Fitzsimons could face the death penalty. He is the first British national and the first foreign security guard since the 2003 US invasion to face criminal charges in Iraq.

The two dead, also security guards, were named as Paul McGuigan, from Britain, and Darren Hoare, an Australian. The men, who all worked for the British company ArmorGroup, were drinking alcohol together inside the company compound in the Green Zone, the capital’s administrative centre.

“They were all very drunk and started shouting at each other. They had a big argument and suddenly [Mr Fitzsimons] pulled out a gun and shot his two friends,” a witness said. “An Iraqi was standing behind him and tried to take away the gun. But he turned around and shot him … Then he ran away.”

Foreign security contractors were immune from Iraqi law until this year when the Iraqi Government demanded changes after alleged unprovoked killings by contractors.

The incident will embarrass the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which had contract links with ArmorGroup, and the American administration in Iraq which had given the company a prime location.

It will also lead to renewed calls for tighter regulation of the industry, rocked last week by claims in court that the founder of the US security company Blackwater had encouraged the senseless killing of Iraqis.

ArmorGroup is one of the several dozen international security companies still operating in Iraq, fulfilling lucrative contracts to protect foreign officials and businessmen as well as a growing number of wealthy Iraqis.

The men, almost all former soldiers, usually work long, non-stop shifts and few get a day off while in the country. They come for the money and rarely leave their compounds. Their free time is mostly spent on the internet, watching videos and drinking alcohol.

It was one such drinking session in the early hours of yesterday that ended in death. Mr Fitzsimons and several of his colleagues were downing vodka in the ArmorGroup compound near Saddam’s Republican Palace.

At about 4am the men began to argue, a witness told The Times, and Mr Fitzsimons brandished a Beretta pistol. His colleagues tried to overpower him, but two of them were shot dead.

Mr Fitzsimons then allegedly turned towards an Iraqi colleague, shot him in the leg and ran towards the compound’s main vehicle exit. The Iraqi, though severely wounded, followed him and shouted: “Help. The foreigner has killed other foreigners.”

The Iraqi collapsed by the compound exit, outside a white-coloured guard house, breaking a window and leaving a 5ft-long bloodstain still visible on the floor yesterday afternoon. Shouting wildly, Mr Fitzsimons then ran onto a single-lane road bordered by 15ft-high concrete blast walls on both sides, past the former villa of one of Saddam’s wives, Sajdeh, and the residence of Rafi al-Isawi, the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister.

At the entrance to the nearby American base, known as Camp Liberty, guards alerted military police to the sound of gunfire. United Nations security personnel were also alerted. As they closed in they exchanged fire with Mr Fitzsimons and eventually overpowered him. According to Iraqi sources, Mr Fitzsimons was persuaded to drop his weapon and surrender.

Along with the bodies of his two dead colleagues, he was taken to a police station where he is being held in a small concrete cell with air-conditioning and a single window covered in black wire mesh. A guard outside said: “He gets his human rights.”

Consular officials from the British Embassy have visited Mr Fitzsimons, as well as a second British national, believed to be another ArmorGroup employee, who was being held there but was not considered a suspect and has been released.

Iraqi officials yesterday claimed sole responsibility for prosecuting Mr Fitzsimons, having taken over full control of the Green Zone from the Americans in early July. A judicial official said: “The possible punishment for a crime like murder is execution.”

Mr Fitzsimons arrived in Baghdad a few days ago, but has worked as a security guard in Iraq periodically for the past five years. He is said to have “military operational experience” and worked for ArmorGroup as well as other private security companies. Most recently he took a one-year vacation. British guards with a military background can earn up to £80,000 a year in Iraq.

Mr Fitzsimons posted details about his military past on a Facebook page set up to honour fallen service personnel. He tells of his time in 2 Para and his 3½ years in private security work. He advises soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan: “Stay safe and to those who will return to fight a different battle … A war inside your head.”

Story here.

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From The Times

August 11, 2009

Iraq guard Fitzsimons tells The Times he killed in self-defence

Oliver August in Baghdad

Danny Fitzsimons is accused of gunning down fellow Briton Paul McGuigan and Australian Darren Hoare after a row in Baghdad’s Green Zone

A British security guard facing trial for murder in Iraq told The Times last night that a drunken brawl led to him shooting to death two colleagues, in what he claimed was self-defence.

Danny Fitzsimons, an employee of the British security company ArmorGroup, was arrested in Baghdad early on Sunday in connection with the killing of Paul McGuigan, a Briton, and Darren Hoare, an Australian.

Mr Fitzsimons, from Manchester, appeared in court yesterday, Iraqi investigators saying that they had all the evidence they needed to put him on trial for murder.

He would be the first private security guard to face Iraqi justice and he could receive the death penalty.

“This will not take long,” an Iraqi police source said, speaking by telephone from inside the Green Zone police station, where Mr Fitzsimons is held.

Former and current colleagues of Mr Fitzsimons said he had been in and out of Iraq for the last five years and had worked for several security companies, including Aegis. An Aegis spokeswoman said that the firm had fired Mr Fitzsimons in 2007 after just a few months for “extreme negligence” and fined him $3,000.

Yesterday, showing a black eye and bruises on his back, Mr Fitzsimons recounted his version of the events that led to the deaths of the two guards and the wounding of an Iraqi man in the compound of an ArmorGroup client.

He told an Iraqi interpreter working for The Times: “I got into a fight with two colleagues and they had me pinned down. I received a real beating. They beat me and that’s when I reached for my weapon. I was drunk and it happened very quickly.”

Mr Fitzsimons also has stitches in a wound on his hand where he was shot with a rubber bullet during his arrest.

He was held in an isolation cell for the first 24 hours of his detention but has been transferred to a general holding area together with about a dozen Iraqi men.

According to the police source he has taken over one corner of the cell and has no contact with his fellow inmates. The source said: “He sleeps on a mattress supplied by ArmorGroup. He also has his own chair. Employees from his company come to check on him every hour and supply him with fresh Western food. Mr Fitzsimons, who in his late twenties, is said to be the only man in the cell to be handcuffed. “We consider him very dangerous. We were told that he has a history of violent attacks,” the Iraqi policeman said.

He was questioned by prosecutors yesterday morning, during which he expressed contrition for the incident, the source claimed. “He told them he is very sorry for what happened,” said the source. “He regrets it very much.”

Later Mr Fitzsimons was taken before a judge. So far he has refused legal representation but he is being visited by British Embassy staff and by representatives from his company.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is looking into how it can help Mr Fitzsimons but there appears to be little chance that he will stand trial in Britain.

The two ArmorGroup guards were killed shortly before Mr Fitzsimons was observed running into the street brandishing a handgun. He was detained by US and UN forces, who promptly handed him over to the Iraqi police, under a new protocol.

A current Iraqi employee of ArmorGroup said: “He was a very bad guy. We were afraid of him. His ways are very aggressive.”

Another said: “We heard that he also had problems with the authorities in his home country. His foreign colleagues told us not to trust him and to stay away from him.”

One former British soldier who had worked alongside Mr Fitzsimons, who previously served as a Paratrooper, claimed he had a history of violent conduct. “This should have precluded him from being hired,” he said. “This guy should never have been out here.”

A contractor based in Britain who also worked with Mr Fitzsimons agreed. “We have guys working in Iraq whose backgrounds are not checked as they should be,” he said. “This guy has been a loose cannon for years.”

ArmorGroup said it had a strong vetting and screening process for its employees. “We have been presented with the allegations regarding Mr Fitzsimons today and they are currently under thorough investigation. Until that is complete, we are not able to comment further,” a spokeswoman added. Existing employees in Iraq, however, said that on-the-job monitoring of staff was at best cursory.

ArmorGroup used to have the contract for guarding the British Embassy in Baghdad but lost it to another firm. The private security business in Iraq employs thousands of ex-soldiers from Britain, the US, Australia and South Africa. There are calls for the numbers of firms and employees to be curbed.

In Scotland Mr McGuigan’s mother, Corinne Boyd-Russell, who lives in Peeblesshire, were too upset to comment. Her husband James said: “We would prefer to be left alone at this time.”

The partner of Mr McGuigan, who was 37, is expecting his child.

Mr McGuigan was brought up in Peebles where he attended school and then left to join the Royal Marines.

One former neighbour said: “He was a daft big laddie at times but he could certainly look after himself. He was well-built.

“After he left the Marines he went over to Ireland and worked as a plasterer with his dad John but he went into the private security industry and had been in Iraq for a while.

“Although he had a lot of school pals from his days in Peebles he rarely came back here.”

At the Peebles Ex Servicemen Club bar staff said that Mr McGuigan had always wanted to work abroad.

One member of staff, who did not wish to named, said: “I knew Paul well. When he was home he would always come full of stories and seemed to really enjoy what he did.

“He went all over the world but we had not seen him for a very long time. Not since he joined the security company in Iraq.”

Story here.