Private contractors prove a costly part of U.S. war effort

He didn't say how many hours he worked for that 600. The money's no good when you're burned out or dead.

The military takes care of their own. Contractors are often stuck with the dirty work and are frequently left to fend for themselves "cuz you make the big bucks". I believe that is how the Blackwater employees died, the military wouldn't make the escorts through Fallujah. Worse yet, when the situation turns the military leaves the contractors behind "cuz you make the big bucks". That's what happened to Thomas Hammil's convoy in April when 9 died. If the MPs in their armored HumVees had fought back they could have picked up some of the drivers from the disabled trucks. Instead the contractors were left to fend for themselves which meant only death or capture. Refresh my memory, did the destroyers flee when U-boats attacked Allied convoys?

Confident in your automobile? Good, because if you break down and they don't stop you're dead -or worse. Then there's General Order One which prohibits non-combatant contractors from carrying weapons. Fu#kin A! ...and they wonder why contractors are paid what they are?

"They make amazing salaries for doing the same job as an E-5 squad leader."

Hyperbole. There're several types of contractors and their pay vaires by qualification. You cite protective services salaries and equate the pay to clerks and mechanics. The non-clearance jobs are staffed by 3rd-worlders and they certainly don't make 6-figures. I know of no security clearance jobs over here which aren't looking for qualified new employees. My team has been at 60% staffing since I arrived in March. Many prospective hires have declined at the last minute or quit after a few weeks. Does the law of the marketplace not apply to Iraq? Why do you think they have to pay the high salaries in the first place? Even at the high pay people are quitting after one year or earlier.

An NO, your E-5 doesn't do the same job I do, not even 20 do; I know because I work with them. They do their work within an entire support structure whereas I do mine virtually ALONE. And do they cover 5 Iraqi provences and 10 bases? Maybe 600 of them do but ONE person? I maintain an operational network throughout 5 provences and 10 bases practically by myself whereas the military requires 600 people for 2 networks over the same area. Now you tell me that's not saving the government millions of dollars while keeping hundreds of Americans back home yet you'll piss-and-moan over salaries.

Some military might choose to come back to Iraq as contractors after their time but most I've spoken with choose not to.

I'm just speaking from my experience. I saw plenty of civies in the desert doing the same job as my supply sergeant. I wasn't speaking of you specifically, I have no idea what you do. Just from my experience, I saw throngs of civies doing company-supply-sergeant type work and getting big bucks for it.

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