The Labor Department, which tracks injuries to contract workers abroad, recently updated the tally: Since 2001, more than 1,700 civilian contractors have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and nearly 40,000 have been reported injured.
More than a hundred contract workers have been given the Defense of Freedom medal, a Pentagon citation that is the civilian equivalent of the military’s Purple Heart.
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So wait, if there have been 40,000 contractors injured and 1,700 killed, shouldn’t there be 41,700 Defense of Freedom medals issued? If this medal is the civilian equivalent to the Purple Heart, then that would make sense to me. If any lawmakers are reading this, you would win a lot of contractor(voters) over if you were able to bring up legislation to make this happen. It is the least we can do for the contractor guy or gal that is missing a leg or an eye do to an injury from the war, or for the friends and family that lost loved ones. And I am not just talking about expats from the US, I am talking about guys and gals from all over the world that sacrificed in this war. The medal is a symbol of thanks and appreciation, and to not recognize that sacrifice is just wrong.
Either way, good article from T. Christian Miller, and I always enjoy reading his stuff. Pro-publica is doing good things by bringing to light what has happened to our dead and injured contractors in this war. They should not be forgotten, and they should be treated with the respect they deserve. It’s nice to know that at least someone in the media actually cares, so thank you. –Matt
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War Contractors Receive Defense of Freedom Medal for Injuries, But Attract Little Notice
by T. Christian Miller
February 18, 2010
Falls Church, Va. — A former sheriff’s deputy from South Dakota named Tate Mallory got a medal for service to his country on Wednesday, but it didn’t get much attention.
There was no top military brass at the ceremony, no long line of politicians waiting to shake his hand. Instead, Mallory stood on a dais in an anonymous hotel room in suburban Washington, D.C., looking pleased and slightly embarrassed as he was handed a Defense of Freedom medal.