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Last weekend, I met like 1/2 dozen of those contractors. What I am hearing, they act like body-guards here in US. To escort and protect personnel and like armed guard to protect assets (i.e. locations). They are not a militia or small private army. Blackwater incident was the most well known attack on civilian by those contracts, but not all contracts are the same. Finally, since they are lightly armed, they still need evacuation ASAP if they are mass attacked.

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

baldeagle wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

gigag04 wrote:

Beiruty wrote:

AndyC wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:Are these mercenaries? If so I could care less.

Define "mercenary", because I didn't meet any over there.

Hired private ex-soldiers, now AKA security contractors.

Why do we not care about them again?

I'm late to the party, I realize this, but I'm trying to catch up. I have some good buddies over there and in other parts of the world.

Live by the sword. Die by the sword.

You do realize that the country you live in exists, in good measure, because of mercenaries, right? It was Hessian mercenaries that trained the Americans to fight, thus contributing to their success in the Revolution.

And you also realize that our military are all mercenaries? IOW, they are paid to fight for us?

To equate our soldiers with mercenaries is...misplaced thinking.

To equate our contractors with mercenaries is...misplaced thinking.

Unicorn Rancher wrote:

baldeagle wrote:You do realize that the country you live in exists, in good measure, because of mercenaries, right? It was Hessian mercenaries that trained the Americans to fight, thus contributing to their success in the Revolution.

What an interesting viewpoint on what the Hessians were doing on this side of the pond.

{{sigh}} I got my Hessians and Prussians mixed up. They all look the same to me.

AndyC wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

Beiruty wrote:

AndyC wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:Are these mercenaries? If so I could care less.

Define "mercenary", because I didn't meet any over there.

Hired private ex-soldiers, now AKA security contractors.

Exactly.

Fail. Try again.

The question was DEFINE mercenary. I don't care about your opinion - give me an actual legal definition. Surely you can Google something; it's not that hard.

Once more, with feeling: define "mercenary".

Nah. don't need to. If you're paid by a foreign government and carry a gun, you're a merc. Whatever you want to call it, the US has no interest in saving you.

If somebody signs up for a job with generous hazard pay, complaining when the hazard becomes a reality seems a bit...
What's the word?

Tic Tac wrote:If somebody signs up for a job with generous hazard pay, complaining when the hazard becomes a reality seems a bit...
What's the word?

If someone is hired to do a job and at the first sign of trouble, the employer bails, the employer is morally bankrupt. Welcome to Amerikka.

Cedar Park Dad wrote:Nah. don't need to. If you're paid by a foreign government and carry a gun, you're a merc. Whatever you want to call it, the US has no interest in saving you.

You do realize you are insulting someone who was a security contractor for the US over in the sandbox, right? He has forgotten more about security contractors and mercenaries than you will ever learn.

Pawpaw wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:Nah. don't need to. If you're paid by a foreign government and carry a gun, you're a merc. Whatever you want to call it, the US has no interest in saving you.

You do realize you are insulting someone who was a security contractor for the US over in the sandbox, right? He has forgotten more about security contractors and mercenaries than you will ever learn.

Not insulting anyone. But if he was paid by a foreign power to carry a gun thats his business and his problem, not the United States.

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

Pawpaw wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:Nah. don't need to. If you're paid by a foreign government and carry a gun, you're a merc. Whatever you want to call it, the US has no interest in saving you.

You do realize you are insulting someone who was a security contractor for the US over in the sandbox, right? He has forgotten more about security contractors and mercenaries than you will ever learn.

Not insulting anyone. But if he was paid by a foreign power to carry a gun thats his business and his problem, not the United States.

What makes you think the people that are the subject within this thread are or were paid by a foreign government? It appears you've read the definition of mercenary and changed your tune.

mojo84 wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

Pawpaw wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:Nah. don't need to. If you're paid by a foreign government and carry a gun, you're a merc. Whatever you want to call it, the US has no interest in saving you.

You do realize you are insulting someone who was a security contractor for the US over in the sandbox, right? He has forgotten more about security contractors and mercenaries than you will ever learn.

Not insulting anyone. But if he was paid by a foreign power to carry a gun thats his business and his problem, not the United States.

What makes you think the people that are the subject within this thread are or were paid by a foreign government? It appears you've read the definition of mercenary and changed your tune.

My original post asked if they were mercenaries. The reply was no they were for aircraft being sold to Iraq. Not sure what you're on about.
Now on a philophical basis on mercenaries, thats a different thread, but the US won't be risking US troops to help mercenaries, nor should they. Evidently this is not that instance.

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

The same can be said for those who pack firearms. Those contractors are human beings, and more than likely American citizens.

They may be humans but there's no reason to go to war for them.

Can you clarify which government you think is paying these contractors? As far as I've seen, all are paid by either the US DOD or the US State Department. Now, if a contractor is not American I suppose you could call him a mercenary, but then, you realize, right, that the US military takes foreign nationals who want to become citizens of the US? To me, if someone is fighting on our side either in uniform or under contract and paid by the US government, they're one of ours...no matter where they're from originally.

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

Beiruty wrote:

AndyC wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:Are these mercenaries? If so I could care less.

Define "mercenary", because I didn't meet any over there.

Hired private ex-soldiers, now AKA security contractors.

Exactly.

Here you go CPD. This is what I'm talking about. What you agreed with is NOT the definition of a mercenary. It's an American contractor.

I also gave you a link explaining why they are there and why we are " giving" them fighter jets. Based on the article, they purchased them.

It appears we should care about these people and make sure they get home.

VMI77 wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

The same can be said for those who pack firearms. Those contractors are human beings, and more than likely American citizens.

They may be humans but there's no reason to go to war for them.

Can you clarify which government you think is paying these contractors? As far as I've seen, all are paid by either the US DOD or the US State Department. Now, if a contractor is not American I suppose you could call him a mercenary, but then, you realize, right, that the US military takes foreign nationals who want to become citizens of the US? To me, if someone is fighting on our side either in uniform or under contract and paid by the US government, they're one of ours...no matter where they're from originally.

Equating them to US soldiers is quite humorous.

mojo84 wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:

Beiruty wrote:

AndyC wrote:

Cedar Park Dad wrote:Are these mercenaries? If so I could care less.

Define "mercenary", because I didn't meet any over there.

Hired private ex-soldiers, now AKA security contractors.

Exactly.

Here you go CPD. This is what I'm talking about. What you agreed with is NOT the definition of a mercenary. It's an American contractor.

Looks like a guard or a mercenary.
Guard, Philosophically I am more ok with, but I'm still not into sending US troops who didn't sign up for that to save them.