Feral Jundi

Friday, May 7, 2010

Jobs: Project Manager/Site Manager/PSS/DM-WPS, OCONUS

Filed under: Jobs — Tags: , , , , , , , — Matt @ 1:20 AM

   I am not the POC or recruiter and please use the email provided below in order to submit your resume. Now if this is another ‘notional opportunity’ thing, who knows, but it doesn’t hurt to get in the ring and submit anyways.  I noticed that Wakenhut was advertising as well for WPS guys. (I am sure all of the big companies are in on the bid) So we will see.

   A couple of things about this.  First, I mentioned yesterday that the requirements for security is pretty high right now in Afghanistan, and this drive to up the numbers of WPS folks is a part of that process.  The worldwide requirements for securing government employees out there is tremendous. So the WPS program will need some folks, and it will be interesting to watch that evolve and grow.  Although the one thing I continue to hear from contractors on this program, is that the rules and policies can get pretty ridiculous, and it is filled with typical government bureaucracy. But work is work.

   The other thing I wanted to mention, is that EODT has a great company website.  What makes it so cool is the RSS it has for company news.  Now if they could do the same for jobs, and if all the companies could set up RSS for their jobs and news, well then all of us would be happy.  I might have to do a post on this. –Matt

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Project Manager/Site Manager/PSS/DM

EOD Technology, Inc. (EODT), a global provider of professional support services to a broad range of Federal markets, is presently seeking qualified candidates for the Worldwide Protective Services (WPS) Program. This Department of State program will satisfy anticipated and unanticipated personal protective, static guard, and emergency response team security service requirements worldwide.

Some general requirements and information for these positions are:

• Projected start dates commence in the Summer/Fall of 2010

• 12 month contracts with various rotation schedules

• Must be at least 21 years of age

• Must have valid, current driver’s license and passport

• In the case of military service, all military discharges must have been under honorable conditions

• No impediments to traveling overseas to and within countries that are considered dangerous or unhealthy

• Must pass detailed medical evaluation and physical fitness test

• Must be able to qualify and remain current in weapons normally carried by law enforcement officers, e.g., semi-automatic pistol, rifles, sub-machine guns, and shotguns

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Personnel Security Clearance and/or Public Trust Certification

Some of the positions we are seeking are:

Project Manager

·         Must have a Bachelor’s degree by an accredited institution

·         Fifteen (15) years of experience

·         Ten (10) years of the fifteen years must have been working on or overseeing personal protective, static guard and emergency response team assignments

·         At least three (3) of the ten years must have been in a management or in-charge capacity

·         The remaining five (5) years of experience shall be generalized experience

Complex/Site Manager

·         Ten (10) years of military service as an Officer or Senior NCO, or similar police/local guard force supervisory experience

·         Experience and/or service shall include physical security, access control and force protection, and must be similar in complexity and scope to the specific requirements of the Task Order

Protective Security Specialist (PSS)

·         Three (3) years of experience

·         One (1) year of the three, shall include experience in protective security assignments

PSS/Designated Defensive Marksman

·         Three (3) years experience as a military sniper or police sharpshooter

·         Completed or served at least three (3) years in military, law enforcement, or executive commercial protection

(more…)

Friday, April 30, 2010

Military News: Military Pay Competitive With Private Sector

   I tend to agree that the total compensation package that the military offers these days, is pretty damn good.  I have yet to work for a company that has offered the same benefits that the military has to offer.  If anything, the only reason why salary is more for contractors, is because of this fact.  Not to mention that many companies that use independent contractors do not offer retirement plans or medical plans.  Nope, when you cut away from the military umbilical cord, you are on your own.  That is why I tell guys to save your pennies, because you never know how long your contract will last or even how long your company will be around.

   And to add further to this article, I know of some contractors that have gone back to the military.  One of the reasons for that is stability for their family, or to get certifications that are tough to get anywhere else (like clearances).  Some guys join up in Guard units so they can serve and be a contractor at the same time.  That is an optimum set up, but you don’t have much of a personal life with that one.

   Finally, there are the tax incentives of military versus contractor.  If a contractor does not get their 330 days overseas, or is not able to claim residency in a foreign country, they will be taking a huge hit in taxes.  Some guys are able to get their 330 days, but many are not able to enjoy the foreign earned income tax credit.  The reason for that is a family emergency or the company just doesn’t have enough work for you to stay overseas for that long.  Or your contract could end. There is a number of things that could happen to you last minute, that could screw up your plans for taxes, and it pays to be prepared. –Matt

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Military pay competitive with private sector

April 30, 2010WASHINGTON: Military compensation is competing well against the private sector, as evidenced by the high rate of recruitment and retention, a Defense Department official told a Senate subcommittee today.

Therefore, the department is focusing on targeted special pays and bonuses as an efficient means to give incentives for people to sign up for hard-to-fill and hard-to-retain specialties, William J. Carr, deputy undersecretary of defense for personnel policy, told the Senate Armed Services Committee’s personnel subcommittee.

Using regular military compensation – basic pay combined with housing and food allowances and federal tax advantages – as a comparison, military members are paid higher than 70 percent of their private-sector peers of similar education and experience, Carr said.

(more…)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Afghanistan: Did Afghan Police Kill U.N. Guard Louis Maxwell On Accident, Or On Purpose To Take His Gun?

One official who had seen the video said “it looks like an execution”.

Mr Maxwell came down from the roof after the attack and was shot minutes later officials said.

The video shows Mr Maxwell wounded in a group of Afghan police when a single shot is fired, Stern reported.

He screams and collapses to the ground. None of the police reacts.

Three more shots are fired, then a policeman takes Mr Maxwell’s weapon from next to his corpse and leaves.

The motivation for the shooting is unclear from the video and an official said it was possible police had mistaken Mr Maxwell, an African American, for a foreign terrorist.

Stern reported another theory was that the Afghan police officer wanted to steal his sophisticated assault rifle.  

*****

   What I would like investigators to talk about is the video that was taken of the whole thing. If the video ‘looks like an execution’, then that should throw up some red flags.  Read the initial report based off of what was seen in the video, and this does not at all match up with what the UN briefing is talking about?  Where is this video and where is Louis’ HK G36 rifle? Someone please make sense of all of this, because this smells.

   I also want to direct the readership to a guy that was within 50 meters of this incident when it happened and has been writing about it in his blog called Knights of Afghanistan.  Both he and Tim Lynch have talked about the rifle and the possible motivation of the police to kill Louis for that rifle. Or how a convenient friendly fire accident could help put that rifle into an officer’s hands. I guess there could be confusion as well, but take a good look at the picture below and tell me that Louis looks like a Taliban or Al Qaeda operative.  I didn’t know the booger eaters were carrying high end 5.56 HK’s with ACOGs mounted these days? Who knows, but I do know that there is video that needs to be looked at by some independent media out there, or a third party investigator.

   Louis is a veteran (former Navy) and a contractor that laid down his life in the defense of others. The main stream media might not care about the sacrifice of this contractor, but we do.  It is the least we can do, to make sure the story gets straight and the truth gets out there.-Matt

Edit: 04/28/2010- Here is the cellphone video of the incident.  Louis looks like he was leaning against the hood of the Vehicle and possibly wounded already, and officers were walking away with his weapon.  Then he was shot at multiple times until he went down.  If you look at the police around him, they are not looking in the direction of the sniper or combatant shooting at Louis, they are looking at Louis as he is being killed.  The officer holding Louis’s gun is not running away or taking cover, nor are any of the other officers.  They are just standing around and watching Louis get killed.  Watch the video and let me know what you think?

   I also found the press briefing the UN secretary gave in regards to Maxwell’s death and his weapon.  They do have his weapon in their control.  Why this took so long to come out, I do not know.  They have been pressed about the location of the weapon in other briefings, without any clarification.

Edit: 04/29/2010- I made a mistake about the designation of G36, and I apologize.  Sometimes I miss this stuff.  It appears that the rifle is not a K version, but a C version. Thanks to my readership for catching this, and giving me the heads up.  Here is the definition of the C version from wikipedia:

G36C: This subcarbine (C—compact) model is a further development of the G36K. It has a shorter barrel (than the G36K), and a four-prong open-type flash hider. The extremely short barrel forced designers to move the gas block closer to the muzzle end and reduce the length of the gas piston operating rod. The handguard and stock were also shortened and the fixed carry handle (with optics) was replaced with a carrying handle with an integrated MIL-STD-1913 Picatinny rail. The dual optical sight found on the standard G36 and G36K models was replaced with a set of rail-mounted detachable iron sights that consist of a semi-shrouded front post and a flip-up rear sight with two apertures of different diameter. The short handguard has six accessory attachment points, one of which could be used for a vertical grip. 

Edit: 04/30/2010 – Louis Maxwell was not a Marine, and according to news out of Miami in his obituary, he was in the Navy.  I have no clue what his MOS was, and maybe he was attached to the Marines at one point or another.  Who knows.  Here is the report.

G36K up top, G36C on bottom.

Louis Maxwell, Navy.

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Louis Maxwell

HK G36C with ACOG scope…In the hands of hero Louis Maxwell. 

Afghan police likely killed U.N. staff by mistake: U.N.

By Louis CharbonneauMonday, April 26, 2010

United Nations investigators believe that Afghan police mistakenly shot and killed four U.N. employees during a Taliban attack in October 2009, U.N. officials said on Monday.

Susana Malcorra, a top U.N. peacekeeping official, made the remark in a briefing about a U.N. board of inquiry into an October 28 Taliban attack on a guest-house in Kabul that resulted in the deaths of five U.N. employees.

She described confusing circumstances in which Taliban attackers and Afghan security forces who responded were dressed in identical police uniforms.

It was a “very, very chaotic situation in the middle of the night,” she said.

Investigators believe three U.N. employees were shot and killed by the Afghan police while trying to escape from the guest-house, Malcorra said.

(more…)

Monday, April 26, 2010

Medical: Xe Contractor, Wounded In Iraq, Works To Help Others

   This is a great story about a wounded contractor giving back and helping out our wounded veterans.  If you would like to contact Ron, just follow the TBI link below.  On his profile page, you can also see pictures of him in the hospital and with his Mamba team in Iraq.

   The other thought that came to my mind, is the treatment of wounded contractors versus wounded soldiers.  The amount of resources available to the wounded soldier far surpasses the resources available to a wounded contractor.  What I mean by that, is family support networks and support from a soldier’s command is a given, and with the companies, it isn’t.  Some companies do a good job at supporting their guys, where others fall short.  That is the down side with contracting, and just expect that if you get wounded, that you will need all the help you can get from some kind of support network you can form.  That is why guys like Ron are so inspirational.

   You also need someone who knows how to navigate insurance and medical claims, while you are injured.  When I was injured with the smokejumpers, I was assigned a nurse/advocate who did exactly that.  She knew how to navigate OWCP and was there to insure I didn’t get screwed over while I was mentally ‘out of it’.  Because when you are seriously injured, and especially if you have a TBI, a nurse who can help you make sound decisions about your health will be vital.  If there is nothing but pain on your mind, or you can’t concentrate, a lot of stuff can get messed up unless you have someone who can watch your back. An advocate is necessary even if you don’t have TBI, just because some of the processes for getting care can be confusing at times.

   Even your family life needs a support mechanism, because when you are at that level, you are in no shape to be the guy that can watch out for your family.  TAPS , Special Operations Warrior Foundation or Wounded Warrior Project are networks to get a hold of, that can help contractors.  Lining up some trusted friends or family to help out is another.  Planning and being prepared is key, and you cannot expect the company to do this for you.

   Another idea is talk it up on your contracts about what the company did for injured contractors in the past, and formulate a plan from that information. Hell, some companies like in the case with Xe, have continued to employ their wounded contractors. That is awesome and those are the little things that make a world of difference in the life of a wounded warrior, so bravo to Xe and bravo to Ron Grigsby.-Matt

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Idaho man, wounded in Iraq, works to help others

April 26, 2010

By BILL BULEY

Ron Grigsby didn’t know the man who bought him and his wife and sister drinks the night after an awards ceremony in which he was honored.

But when he went to thank him for the Coke, the man looked Grigsby in the eye and squeezed his hand.

“Bulldog, I was there that day. I watched you die,” he said.

The ever-tough Grigsby stopped, stood and stared. Then a big smile broke out and he gave the man a hug.

“He thought he’d never see me again,” Grigsby says.

The 48-year-old Hayden man did die that day in Iraq. Four times. Each time, they brought him back.

“I went down for the count that day. They had to keep jump-starting me,” he says with a little laugh. “That’s what I call it.”

Grigsby was nearly killed March 21, 2007, while working as an independent contractor for Blackwater in the Middle East. He was part of a convoy, assigned to protect a convoy, when it was hit by enemy fire. The blast threw him more than 40 feet. His helmet was caved in an inch and a half. He suffered multiple injuries that included a broken neck and a traumatic brain injury.

(more…)

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Iraq: Aegis Defense Contractor Robbie Napier Killed, Others Wounded And Killed In Separate Incidents

   I had no idea that this happened several weeks back, and there is nothing on the Aegis company website or Army Corps of Engineers website about this death, or even the other attacks. Supposedly another contractor was killed by a sniper, and others severely wounded, but there is nothing in the news about it.  If a reader could please pass on the news link to the death related to that sniper, I will definitely make an edit to this post.

   The other deal with this, is that I found out about this because of a story a blogger put together, who also happens to be a contractor and artist.  Perhaps he can come over and fill in some of the blanks.  Good on him for at least writing the story up on this, because if it wasn’t for him, I would have never have known. I also checked the icasualties site, and others, and I could not find anything at all about these deaths. Yet again, if the Army Corps of Engineers or Aegis Defense posted a press release about this, I could have blogged about this awhile back–but there was nothing. (someone please correct me if I am wrong on this, but I found nothing in my searches)

   With that in mind, if you are reading this and you are seeing no attention at all about a security contractor death in your company, or a death you heard about somewhere else, please let me know and I will put it up on the blog.  I have a multitude of media folks reading FJ, and I will definitely get the word out.  These are our fallen brothers, and their deaths mean something.  But if know one knows that they were killed, other than their family, then no one will ever have an idea about that sacrifice.

   Iraq is also at a very interesting point in the war.  We are at the end there, but make no mistake about it, things are still dangerous and just because the media is not reporting it, doesn’t mean it is not happening.  With the draw down, it requires a lot of road work.  We are moving all this stuff out of theater, and contractors are going to be the guys doing it all–much like we were the ones that helped to bring it all in.  And as we see Iraq take more of the security duties, and Coalition forces take less, the possibility for attacks only increase, because the insurgency feels it has a better chance of getting in a punch or two as we are leaving. Watch yourselves out there. –Matt

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Wakefield bomb blast victim had just delivered baby

20 March 2010

By Stuart Robinson

A SECURITY contractor was killed in an explosion in Iraq just three months after delivering his baby daughter in the kitchen of his home.

Ex-Marine and father-of-two Robbie Napier, 36, from Wakefield, died after the explosion this month.

On Friday, his grieving father told the YEP that just last Christmas he had returned home and delivered his baby daughter at his family home in Stanley.

An inquest in Wakefield into his death heard that Mr Napier was a front seat passenger in the front of a three-vehicle convoy on March 10.

Coroner’s officer Anthony Lancaster told the hearing: “Mr Napier sustained fatal injuries in an explosion of a detonated explosive device.”

The court heard that following the explosion in Baghdad Mr Napier was taken to a nearby base but was pronounced dead a short time later.

(more…)

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