BW guys aren’t “mercs”.
They guard stuff. They don’t conduct offensive operations. They are basically high risk security guards. They will fight only if forced to.
There is a big difference between what the BW contractors do and being a “merc”.
I disagree. They get paid to fight offense and/or defense.
I don’t know about anyone else but the term sounds so Holywoodish I can’t even repeat it without being ashamed of myself.
I don’t ever recall their being employed by the DOD or the Iraqi or Afghani governments to conduct any offensive operations of any sort.
Frankly…they aren’t equipped to do so.
Sources?
They are a SECURITY contracting company. I didn’t do any offensive ops in La after Katrina, nor did any other BW contractors.
I’m a BW IC, we don’t conduct ANY offensive ops, as much as I’d like to sometimes. I’m not going to go in depth on here about ROEs or any type of engagements. I’m not even going into the whole merc thing. :rolleyes:
Probably a wise thing.
Stay safe out there…
Thanks for posting this. It is an incredibly intriguing read.
I wonder how much longer BW will be available to civies.
Thanks for posting this.
The well-known BW operator on the building picking off targets of opportunity pretty much makes the merc/contractor/security guard label game irrelevant.
“The well-known BW operator on the building picking off targets of opportunity pretty much makes the merc/contractor/security guard label game irrelevant.”
Not sure where you are going with that, could be interperated in a few ways. Can you elaborate?
It is like the no women serve in combat roles, yet here we have Jessica Lynch, a POW. Trying to put labels on people/jobs is meaningless, What really happens is what really counts. BW folks see combat-level action, regardless of what their job title is. Many contractors over there do.
If you actually knew Travis Haley (aka SimplyDynamic here on www.m4carbine.net) you would know the whole story. The BW contractors at Al Najaf were being overrun. If you ask Travis directly or Google ‘Al Najaf’ 2004 Blackwater you might learn a thing or two instead of making a judgement on a 10min video.
These weren’t ‘offensive’ actions, they were ‘defensive’. Travis was part of the 12 man team protecting Coalition Provision Authority (CPA) Administrator Ambassador Paul Bremer. The BW contractors were being overrun in Al Najaf and Travis was in Baghdad (IIRC w/Bremer), Travis volunteered to go fly to Al Najaf to help his brothers in arms. Paul Bremer didn’t want another Fallujah to happen to BW again. General Sanchez wouldn’t send U.S. troops to help as these were U.S. citizens but not U.S. military.
Stay Safe Travis,
We’ll throw back some beers soon brother.
I do not have to know anybody to know a guy shooting at, and being shot at, should not be labeled a “security guard” as if he was working at Wal-Mart stopping teenagers from stealing DVDs. Have some respect for these people who go into harm’s way.
Have respect for which people? 
Travis is a good personal friend of mine. Highly respected by me, thank you.
We are on the same side here.
I took offense to the labels [other] people were trying to apply to BW folks, like they were mercs and would switch sides if the pay was better, or were rent-a-cops like at Wal-Mart, offense/defense like a football player, etc.
Merc is a very irreverent term to use for the likes of BW contractors. Most of which have served proudly along with many of the rest of us. They serve a legitimate purpose and address needs that both military and civilian police can’t or won’t cover at any given time. They augment very well in many ways where the need comes up.
Labeling someone as a Merc basically denies them as a Patriot… being as Mercs dont fight for a cause…pretty much just money. But you have to keep in mind that approximatly 50-probably upwards to 70% of the nations contractors overseas are also active reservists or national gaurdsman, or have some direct link with the US MILITARY and are very patriotic and are there for the American agenda and not just there own…you dont see that to much in South Africa huh?
On a personal note… due to the amount of patriotisom that runs through my veins…if someone were to call me a MERC to my face… well then I would probably treat them like a terrorist.