Mercenary deaths top 1000
In outsourced U.S. wars, contractor deaths top 1,000
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The death toll for private contractors in the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has topped 1,000, a stark reminder of the risks run by civilians working with the military in roles previously held by soldiers.
In Iraq, their number is estimated to be close to 130,000 – not much less than the 157,000 U.S. troops presently deployed to the country. Their work ranges from driving fuel trucks, cooking meals and cleaning toilets to servicing advanced weapons systems and guarding senior U.S. officials.
The contractor death toll compares with 3,577 U.S. military deaths in Iraq and 342 in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. That means that on average, since the two conflicts began in 2001 and 2003 respectively, one civilian contractor is killed for every four members of the U.S. Armed Forces.</em>
What some people will do for money, huh? And make no mistake- if these “contractors” were doing it “to protect our freedoms” they’d have enlisted in the regular army.
But since we haven’t fought a war to protect our freedoms since, I dunno, the ’40s, it would all be for the money, wouldn’t it?