[Tallguy]

1. I put it in quotes because the word “contractor” is very new when discussing such companies. They’ve been called “mercenaries” for hundreds of years, but only recently has “contractor” come into use for this purpose.

The formal title of the Hessian commander (Rall) killed at Trenton in 1776 was "proprietor-colonel". If that doesn't emphasize the contract nature of mercenary work I don't know what does.

Good post, BTW!

[SJSAMPLE]

I didn’t know that.
Excellent info.

I was thinking of the etymology of the military unit title “company”, as it related directly to private “companies” of “contract” soldiers.

Our own military origins are strongly related to the mercenary tradition.