Monday, January 29, 2007
Blackwater USA - We Share Their Losses
Last week 5 employees of Blackwater USA were killed when their helicopter was shot down in Baghdad. Four personnel died instantly, while the fifth fought off enemy forces to the last round. The battle, and the retrieval of the bodies, was reportedly similar in ferocity to that of the 'Black Hawk Down' Mogadishu battle... and was fought by an all civilian force.
I can't say enough about the men and women working for Blackwater. They're truly some of the most professional and dedicated people in the world, and it's a tragedy that the organization has lost so many great people. I hope and pray that this never happens again.
And on a side note, those who are against this war repeatedly claim that Blackwater is a mercenary force. This is as far from the truth as possible. These guys do a lot of things, including providing security to people who are working and living in a war zone, but they are not paid to conduct offensive military operations against an enemy. They simply protect those who need protecting. They play the defense.
If you get a chance, head out to the Blackwater USA site and look around. I never knew they sold tactical gear and other stuff I wish I had for my last deployment. I'll be ordering some of this stuff before my next go-around in the sandbox.
posted by El Capitan at 4:19 PM
1 Comments:
said...
It really is a shame when people get so locked in on something, such as being against the war, that they refuse to look at the facts and instead start belittling the efforts of the brave folks like this.
11:28 AM