It wasnt just a compilation of everything that was going on. One point that I want to make, though, that I think is important is Katy Helvenston talks about the way that Erik Prince and others from Blackwater have dealt with these families. He spent twelve years in the SEALs, four of them as an instructor, and then tried his luck with Hollywood. And Scotty finally went to casting, and he said, This guy is just not going to work, because he will not get in the water. So, Scotty did play a small role. It was good money, but it was never enough, his mother remembers. Previously, Justin was a Research Engineer at L una Innovations and also held positions at AeroVironment, Stryten Manufacturing, GE Healthcare, TopRank Marketing, Emerson, General Electric. Blackwater founder Erik Prince personally delivered money to some of the families for funeral expenses, and the company moved to get the mens wives and children benefits under the governments Defense Base Act, which in some cases insures those on contract supporting US military operations abroad. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed . JUAN GONZALEZ: Marc Miles, I would like to ask you, obviously there have been about 425, now, Americans who have been working for contractors who have been killed in Iraq. Jeremy ScahillTwitterJeremy Scahill is the author of the best-selling Blackwater: The Rise of the Worlds Most Powerful Mercenary Army, published by Nation Books. Erik Prince refused to speak to me. In honor of Public Media Giving Days, a generous donor will DOUBLE your donation, which means itll go twice as far to support our independent journalism. Please do your part today. The State Department regulations call for six people to be on a security detail in Iraq, because of the security situation, while these men were sent out with only four. McQuown The suit also alleges that McQuown intentionally refused to allow the Blackwater security contractors to conduct ride-alongs with the teams they were replacing from Control Risk Group. Its natural to assume that the visibility of the dangers could drive up salaries for the folks who have to stand in the path of the bullets, he said. And by the end of the year, the companys president, Gary Jackson, was bragging of what he called a staggering 600% growth, and so Blackwaters prospects were very, very strong while the families were grieving. I wrote an email to Gary Jackson, the president of Blackwater. JEREMY SCAHILL: I think, just in closing, you know, this is such an incredible tragedy, and whats clear from this the allegations in this lawsuit is that it really appears like it was preventable. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, I had been in contact with the Zovkos, primarily out of Cleveland, prior to that. KATY HELVENSTON: Erik Prince told them that they would have to sue Blackwater to get that information. Hooyah!!. tn_articleid: [72445], Its a well-connected, Republican-controlled business that has made its fortune because of the Bush Administration. And, in fact, the first day that they set out, they were so lost and it was getting late that they ended up staying at an army base on the east side of Fallujah. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 Scott Helvenston | Military Wiki | Fandom And so, Scotty got over to the Middle East, and he was in Kuwait City for about a week, and then he was sent up to Baghdad, and all of a sudden, this same guy, Justin McQuown is Scotts boss. The Lafayette McQuown House is significant as a typical example of a late 19th-century miner's residence in good condition. Blackwater seems to understand money. About: Scott Helvenston Justin received a Bachelor of Science degree from . We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. According to the lawsuit, It was virtually unheard of to take a single person, like Scott Helvenston, and place him on a different group with whom he had never trained or even met. Helvenston resisted the change. He trained Demi Moore for her film G.I. These four guys were sent out without armor, without the adequate guns, without adequate personnel, and Blackwater takes it as a moment to say, 'Hey, we're famous now. We couldnt hear anything that was being said. Im going to call the secretary and say you brought up a very valid question, and what are we doing about it? This is a precedent-setting case, says Marc Miles, an attorney for the families. KATY HELVENSTON: They said Fallujah, and I said, well, Scotty, hes in Baghdad. Blackwater is being sued for the wrongful deaths of Stephen Scott Helvenston, Mike Teague, Jerko Zovko and Wesley Batalona by the families of the men slain in Falluja. In fairness, though, Justin McQuowns lawyer William Crenshaw did issue a statement to me, in which he said that there were numerous serious inaccuracies in the piece, and then he said that on behalf of his client Justin McQuown, that he wanted to extend his sympathy to the families and called it regrettable that anyone would imply that Justin McQuown had anything to do with the tragedy of what happened in Fallujah. They have no respect for the families. While it is not unheard of for a successful business to cast its lot entirely with one party, it has clearly paid off. The man heading the training was Justin McQuown, nicknamed Shrek, after the green ogre movie cartoon character. And then I finally got one email back from Chris Taylor, who you guys also were dealing with, whos the Blackwater vice president. Youre out of your mind. There was a local minister that spoke, and then Erik Prince spoke. Contract - ww-article-cache-1.s3.amazonaws.com He wouldnt accept anything but the very best, and he became a Navy Seal, and he considered that the best. A few nights before Scott was killed, and actually the night before he left Kuwait to go to Baghdad, he sent an email to the owner, president and upper management of Blackwater, and the subject of that email was extreme unprofessionalism. And in this email, which we have, he is complaining about Justin McQuown, who he refers to as Justin Shrek. Scott Helvenston apparently thought his actual name was Shrek and was referring to him as Justin Shrek throughout the email. We will finish the job. Brig. KATY HELVENSTON: It was a brand-new area. What happened that day, as far as you have been able to understand and as your lawsuit alleges? You will be launched to my site where you can watch the teaching. By signing up to receive emails, you agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. AMY GOODMAN: At the memorial service for your son? And thats the type of conduct at Blackwater that were dealing with. Lawyer Paul Dickinson: The U.S. Blackwater was paying its men $600 a day but billing Regency $815, according to the Raleigh News and Observer. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. units for the Middle East. The suit further alleges that McQuown intervened and ordered only a four-man team be sent, although six were available, the other two remaining to perform clerical duties. And Im reading these articles, and all of a sudden . Their bodies were pulled into the streets, burned and their charred remains were beaten and dismembered. The men, it goes on, would be alive today had Blackwater not forced themunder threat of being firedto go unprepared on that mission. The families of the four men, led by Scott Helvenston's mother Katy Helvenston-Wettengel and Donna Zovko, Jerry Zovko's mother, filed suit against Blackwater with lawyer Daniel . Erik Prince comes from a major powerful Republican family in Michigan. You said they had no map? Our Daily Digest brings Democracy Now! Regards, Chris Taylor of Blackwater.. We will hunt down the criminals. has denied any relationship to this and wont talk about it anymore. Were gonna go have fun. Stephen "Scott" Helvenston (June 21, 1965 - March 31, 2004) was a United States Navy SEAL.He was working as a security contractor for Blackwater Security when he was killed in the 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush within days of arriving in Iraq.. Helvenston was a personal trainer for Hollywood celebrities such as Demi Moore (for G.I. The families of the four men killed at Fallujah have filed a lawsuit charging the company with wrongful death. Suit Alleges | Technology Trends They could have easily traveled this route in a single day, and it would have been extremely less dangerous. And so, what happened is they set out on their mission, but because they didnt have G.P.S., because they didnt have maps of the area, because they werent able to do a pre-trip inspection of the route, they didnt necessarily know where they were going, so they essentially got lost. Full Interview: Frank Mugisha on New Anti-, Former Guantnamo Prisoners Ask Biden to Let Them Keep Art They Made to Escape Inhumane Conditions. AMY GOODMAN: And so, were you able to talk out of the presence of the guards? McQuown refused to allow it. STUDENT: My question is in regards to private military contractors. Well, Scotty chose the military, and he wanted to continue his education through that. They were killed by insurgents literally walking up and shooting them with small-arms fire. HAROLD VIDINHA: The first thing that came up was a camera bouncing toward this SUV, and it went right into the car. AMY GOODMAN: Were talking about a groundbreaking lawsuit against Blackwater on behalf of the families of the four contractors who were killed on March 31, 2004 in Fallujah, the famous photographs of two of them hanging from the bridge over the Euphrates. Scott Helvenston - Net Worth, Bio, Age, Height, Family, Wiki! Now, back in the United States, these killings were taken as a threat or a challenge to Americas resolve in the White House and immediately became a sort of turning point in the war.
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