Katy Helvenstons son Scott Helvenston is one of the four men who died, the security contractors working for Blackwater on March 31, 2004 in Fallujah. We will not be intimidated, he said. tn_keyword: ['academi', 'security-c'], -Amy Goodman. Blackwater has not offered a rebuttal to the specific allegations made by the families, except to deny in general that they are valid. JUAN GONZALEZ: But, Marc Miles, Blackwater can claim that the men who sign on with them know exactly the kind of dangers that theyre going into, that they signed contracts that recognized the possible dangers and loss of life or injury that they may suffer. But today, Blackwater is facing a potentially devastating battlethis time not in Iraq but in court. The pictures are famous at this point of what happened to them on that day. And the email, its incredible, because Scott sort of makes all these apologetics. [6] He was taken out of that team and put in with men that were wonderful, good people, but he had never met them, he had never worked with them. People should understand, Scotty Helvenston wasnt even in Iraq for more than 48 hours before he was sent to Fallujah. It was one of these reality TV things. In Defense of Blackwater's Private Contractors - Daily Kos Scott Helvenston and his team were to deploy to Iraq on March 29. According to the suit, McQuown lacked the credentials of Helvenston and other ex-SEALs. Prince has never given a penny to a Democrat. It has fought to have the case dismissed on grounds that because Blackwater is servicing US armed forces it cannot be sued for workers deaths or injuries and that all liability lies with the government. So I sent Blackwater about 23 specific questions, and from that first email that Chris Taylor sent me, I never heard back. AMY GOODMAN: Months later. Hidden Potential Official Site. The gruesome image is soon beamed across the globe. Youre out of your mind. But then things started to get strange. [includes rush transcript]. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security explained Blackwater seems to understand money. And they did approach the Zovkos and asked if they would meet Erik Prince in his office, and they did. AMY GOODMAN: Moyock in North Carolina, where Blackwater is based. After the training session, Helvenston got on a plane to Kuwait, where he touched down on March 18. You did the piece, the investigation into this case. This is viewer supported news. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. AMY GOODMAN: Now, he was on television before he went to Iraq, is that right? Jane and did a few stints on reality television. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. Its Departing Leader Recalls the Battle. Jeremy ScahillTwitterJeremy Scahill is the author of the best-selling Blackwater: The Rise of the Worlds Most Powerful Mercenary Army, published by Nation Books. I was thinking of construction when they said contractor. And a couple hours later, they said security contractors, and I said, My god, Scotty is a security contractor, but hes not in Fallujah. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. But he says he was, quote, very manipulative, duplicative, immature and unprofessional.. The insurgents made their own video of the aftermath. Contract - ww-article-cache-1.s3.amazonaws.com And this becomes very important, as Marc Miles talks about, because you have to prove intent. In early 2004 Helvenston was between jobs and was eking out a living with the stints on reality TV, the movie consulting and the fitness videos. 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 . Justin McQuown Email & Phone Number - Caretaker.. | ZoomInfo The man heading the training was Justin McQuown, nicknamed Shrek, after the green ogre movie cartoon character. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, not just at the memorial service. None of that was true, says attorney Callahan. There he was. But Katy mentioned the name of a guy named Justin McQuown, and I think its important to kind of back up for a second and explain who he is, because its a key part of this lawsuit. 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. During training, McQuown would often improperly instruct the class or provide erroneous information, tactics or techniques, the suit alleges. Im gonna take care of you. You know, just stuff like that, which obviously wasnt true. The families were gathered in a conference room, where they thought they would be told how the men had died. Once the cover boy on a Navy calendar, he also had several workout videos. You said they had no map? [Blackwater] then flew him to Jordan for ultimate deployment in the Middle East, Miles says. When Helvenston set off for the Middle East, his family thought he was going to be working on Blackwaters high-profile job of guarding the head of the US occupation, Paul Bremer. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions . Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. Is it your sense that this is an isolated situation that happened with these men, or are you exploring the possibility that there have been systematic problems with the way these contractors have been handling security? correspondent Jeremy Scahill. 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. According to the suit, Blackwater was gung-ho to start in order to impress ESS and win further contracts. Anyway, there was a safer route that they could take north of the city that would take them about three hours to get to the other side. Why cant I have it tomorrow? And I said, Are you going to rewrite it for my eyes only? I mean and I never did get that report. AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to go for a minute we only have a few minutes to a comment of President Bush about private military contractors operating in Iraq. But one thing to stress here, and this is what the lawsuit alleges, its not just wrongful death, its also fraud. There was a manmade pond with brand-new bark, you know, cypress bark. They wrote back to us and said, Out of respect for the families and the integrity of the judicial proceedings, I cannot join you. As we expose Blackwater in this case, it will also expose the inefficient and corrupt system that exists over there.. 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. Attorney Marc Miles says that shortly after the suit was filed, he asked the court in North Carolina for an expedited order to depose John Potter. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security Wiki KATY HELVENSTON: Well, Donna Zovko and her husband Joe was there, and her son Tommy and his wife and kids were all there. Scotty had tried to call me in the middle of the night, Katy Helvenston remembers. JUAN GONZALEZ: Id like to ask Marc Miles, on the day then that these four Blackwater employees are killed, theyre sent into Fallujah. In an expose in the new issue of the Nation magazine, independent journalist Jeremy Scahill tells the story of the struggle of the four families of the slain Blackwater contractors to hold those responsible for their deaths accountable. That was an experience, and the way that show was produced, there was a lot of editing, and it really didnt happen the way it was produced. So, essentially, they had G.P.S. Warns of Humanitarian Breaking Point, Israeli Forces Kill Two More Palestinian Teens in Occupied West Bank, Over 200 Bodies of Drowned Migrants Found by Tunisian Coast Guards in Less Than 2 Weeks, Santiago Pea Elected President of Paraguay, Keeping Dominant Pro-Taiwan Party in Power, Climate Defiance: Protesters Disrupt White House Correspondents Dinner, Montana Governor Signs Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Minors, First Republic Becomes Second-Largest Bank to Fail in U.S. History, Texas Suspect Used AR-15 Rifle in Execution-Style Killings of Five Neighbors, Colorado Governor Signs Bills to Curb Gun Violence, May Day Rallies and Protests Worldwide Mark International Workers Day, Jeffrey Sachs on Chinas Historic Push for Multipolar World to End U.S. targeting:{ AMY GOODMAN: How did you hear that Scott had died? We can send our men out to die so that we can pad our bottom line, and if anybody comes back at us, we have insurance. Its essentially insurance to kill.. We will finish the job. Brig. The Zovko family asked Blackwater to see the After Action Report detailing the incident. had a contract with Halliburton with K.B.R., the subsidiary of Halliburton. Name. Simply Ernest: Pity the poor mercenary - Blogger In fact, from what I understand, and folks that we have talked to, they had asked for a map shortly before going out on their mission, and basically the individual who was in charge of handing out the maps said, Its too late for a map now, and sent them on their way. But when these four men ended up in Fallujah that day, they were in Pajero jeeps that were not armored at all. It was the event that sparked the U.S. siege of Fallujah, in which hundreds and hundreds of Iraqis were killed, many of them who had nothing to do with this whatsoever women, children, others. And Im thinking this isnt even close to what Blackwater told me. AMY GOODMAN: When was it after the killing? And thats the type of conduct at Blackwater that were dealing with. Not so, say the families of the four men and their lawyers. And theres all sorts of Scott speaks to us posthumously through his email, and I just want to read from this. I did get a call a few days later, and they all of a sudden were going to have this grand memorial. MARC MILES: Because what happened here is the issue is framed in the context of: Did these folks know what they were getting into? AMY GOODMAN: Were talking about a groundbreaking lawsuit against Blackwater, the security contractor in Iraq. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security - Wikipedia Its lead counsel is Greenberg Traurig, the influential DC law firm that once employed lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed . For most people, the gruesome killings were the first they had ever heard of Blackwater USA, a small, North Carolina-based private security company. Regards, Chris Taylor of Blackwater.. So Donna and I think the check was like it was quite a bit of money. In its motion to dismiss the case in federal court, Blackwater argues that the families of the four men killed in Falluja are entitled only to government insurance payments. They were not provided with the armored vehicles or able to do the pre-trip inspection or the risk assessment. JUAN GONZALEZ: Now, even in the training period at Blackwater, he began to find problems in terms of the quality of the training that was going on? He was dead. He reported . Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government. And that may work for some companies that are manufacturing staples or shoes or something along those lines, but what Blackwater doesnt understand here is that the commodity that theyre dealing with is not a paper clip or a staple, but its actually human life, and so what we want to do is we want to create a situation where these companies are held accountable. And this is something that I actually think Marc Miles would be very good on, but just in short, in studying this case, you sort of look at the pyramid scheme that exists in these war zones, where Blackwater is paying these guys $600. The fact that [McQuown]was being exposed infuriated him. Scotts mother believes, based on Scotts e-mails and conversations with contractors who served with her son, that McQuown feared that Scott might replace him at the company. On the one hand, you have the allegations that Blackwater systematically defrauded these men by not providing them with the armored vehicles, the weapons, the adequate personnel for the mission, the opportunity to do a pre-trip risk assessment, etc., all the things that Marc Miles has laid out. And I said, What do you mean you dont know? And they said, We dont know. And I said, Well, dont you know where your employees are? And they said, Not really., And I was on the phone. He is currently a Puffin Writing Fellow at the Nation Institute. Justin McQuown is 50 years old and was born on 11/17/1972.Justin McQuown lives in Virginia Beach, VA; previous city include Joint Base Lewis McChord WA.Justin L Mcquown and Justin L Mcqvuwn are some of the alias or nicknames that Justin has used. Scott Helvenston - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies But first we begin by going back to March 31 2004 the day Scott Helvenston and three other Blackwater contractors drove into Fallujah. These men were told that theyd be operating in armored vehicles. JEREMY SCAHILL: Per day. Helvenston v. Blackwater Security - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia Blackwater is scooping up lucrative Homeland Security contracts. The U.S. attack was sparked by the gruesome killing of four private contractors inside Fallujah. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. And I do want to say we invited Blackwater on the program today. And Erik had a check for the Zovkos. KATY HELVENSTON: And I had called I did several follow-up calls, and I said, I still dont have that information.. K.B.R. 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. On March 30, 2004, Helvenston, Teague, Zovko and Batalona left Baghdad on the ESS security mission. McQuown refused to allow it. 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 .

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