justin shrek'' mcquown

placementName: "thenation_right_rail", He was told at that time that he was not going to be doing security for the ambassador, Paul Bremer, and he was going to escort a convoy of trucks to pick up kitchen equipment. Im driven and Im not going to quit. We will not be intimidated, he said. COL. JOHN A. TOOLAN, U.S. Marines: Contractors were easily identified on the roads because they were all in brand-new SUVs 2004 SUV, tinted windows. But they assumed it based upon certain representations by Blackwater. KATY HELVENSTON: And I was just literally stuttering. The original content of this program is licensed under a. He did some stunt work on the movie, but mostly he trained the cast of G.I. And when we come back from break, Katy, I want to ask you if Scott felt ready to go out on that day, March 31, 2004. And like thousands and thousands of people in this war, their financial situation was one of the motivations that brought them to Iraq, where they could some of these guys would make $600 a paycheck in the United States, and they could make $600 a day by going to work for Blackwater or DynCorp or other companies. Regards, Chris Taylor of Blackwater.. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. You know, at least I know he wasnt burned alive. In addition, the paper reports, Blackwater billed Regency separately for all its overhead and costs in Iraq. Regency would then bill ESS an unknown amount for these services. STUDENT: I was hoping your answer might be a little more specific. And so, this lawsuit represents the first whack at the giants legs, and if its successful, it will reverberate around the war profiteer community. While some of that may be legitimate defense tactics, the lawyers argue that the company has actively prevented court-ordered depositions from taking place, including taking steps to prevent a key witness from testifying: John Potter, the man who blew the whistle on Blackwaters removal of the word armored from the contract and was subsequently removed. There was a local minister that spoke, and then Erik Prince spoke. By the time I got the message hed already been killed., Shortly after Helvenston left that message, the men left the base and set out for their destination. So they were easy to pick out. Helvenston's contract Just like with tobacco litigation or gun litigation, once they lose that first case, theyd be fearful there would be other lawsuits to follow., The families two-year quest to hold those responsible accountable has taken them not to Falluja but to the sprawling Blackwater compound in North Carolina. 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. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. The thing was see, I mean, they wouldnt even give him a map. It was like $19,000-something. The Lafayette McQuown House is significant as a typical example of a late 19th-century miner's residence in good condition. The families of four private security contractors killed in Fallujah in March 2004 have filed a ground-breaking lawsuit charging Blackwater USA with fraud and wrongful death. They were standing outside our rooms when we got up in the morning. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. Initially they put us in separate hotels. MARTIN SMITH: Contractually, Blackwater was to supply two SUVs with three guards per vehicle. Lets see if we can screw with Scott. Those were like the last words that Scott Helvenston basically wrote before being sent over there to Baghdad. AMY GOODMAN: Were going to talk to Marc Miles and also with Katy Helvenston. KATY HELVENSTON: He has two beautiful children, and he was an incredible father. The lawyers for the families charge that Blackwater has continued its practice of stonewalling. I mean, thats I knew it was him from his looks, everything. In this email, Scott talked about Justin McQuown, who he refers to as "Justin Shrek." Scott apparently thought his actual name was "Shrek" because that's what everyone called him. So, why would you think that under U.S. laws the company should be held responsible for what happens over there in Iraq? Since the team was driving without a rear-gunner and did not have armored vehicles, the insurgents were able to literally walk up behind the vehicles and shoot all four men with small arms at close range, the suit alleges. And Blackwater has only scratched the surface of it.. Justin's ethnicity is Caucasian, whose political affiliation is unknown; and religious views are listed as Christian. 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. KATY HELVENSTON: He did call me that morning from I assume it was from that base that he stopped at. Sign up for our free daily newsletter, along with occasional offers for programs that support our journalism. And then the reports are that E.S.S. Erik Prince and his late wife gave $275,000 since 1989 to various political candidates, not a single penny ever to a Democrat. } And so, what happened is they set out on their mission, but because they didnt have G.P.S., because they didnt have maps of the area, because they werent able to do a pre-trip inspection of the route, they didnt necessarily know where they were going, so they essentially got lost. When they finally said Blackwater, I thought, and I just looked up on the internet and got an 800-number, and I called them, and I said, My name is Katy. I said, Scotty Helvenston is my son. 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. He reported . If you think Democracy Now!s reporting is a critical line of defense against war, climate catastrophe and fascism, please make your donation of $10 or more right now. Full Interview: Frank Mugisha on New Anti-, Former Guantnamo Prisoners Ask Biden to Let Them Keep Art They Made to Escape Inhumane Conditions. And the guard that was in charge of me, I said, You know, you really need to do something about these helicopters. You know, and he left for a minute or two, and finally the helicopters went away. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, Jay Price, who writes for the News & Observer out of the Raleigh-Durham area, had come down and talked to me, and he wrote a series of articles. And he did say, Well, its nice to meet you, and then he turned around and left. And if you stop and you think about it, thats the size of some small towns here in America. [6] Thats not what I was hired to do. And at that point McQuown apparently told him that if he didnt do it, he would be fired immediately. [6] During training, McQuown would often improperly instruct the class or provide erroneous information, tactics or techniques, the suit alleges. 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. Katy Helvenston, your response? Helvenston arrived for training at Blackwaters North Carolina campus around March 1, 2004. Scott Helvenston, Katys son, was the youngest Navy Seal ever. 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. By signing up, you confirm that you are over the age of 16 andagree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nations journalism. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, Donna Zovko and her husband Joe was there, and her son Tommy and his wife and kids were all there. Within moments, their bodies are dragged from the vehicles and a crowd descends on them, tearing them to pieces. JEREMY SCAHILL: I think, just in closing, you know, this is such an incredible tragedy, and whats clear from this the allegations in this lawsuit is that it really appears like it was preventable. Before Helvenston, Teague, Zovko and Batalona were ever sent into Falluja, the omission of the word armored was brought to the attention of Blackwater management by John Potter, according to the families lawyers. I did want to ask you, Katy Helvenston, about the email that we got from Blackwater, from Chris Taylor, who said, Out of respect for the families and the integrity of the judicial proceedings, I cannot join you. Your response? KATY HELVENSTON: Yes, and Mark Burnett produced that movie. And so, literally, the people that killed them were able to walk up and open fire on them. Instead, this team was sent out without the required equipment and personnel by those in charge at Blackwater.. It is one of the most infamous incidents of the war in Iraq: On March 31, 2004, four private American security contractors get lost and end up driving through the center of Falluja, a hotbed of Sunni resistance to the US occupation. He came from a proud family of Republicans; his great-great-uncle, Elihu Root, was once US Secretary of War and the 1912 Nobel Peace Prize-winner. JEREMY SCAHILL: I was very diligent in trying to get Blackwater to make any comment. KATY HELVENSTON: I was in my home office doing research, and I was on the computer and I had CNN on. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. The commander responsible for Fallujah was Marine Colonel John Toolan. Were talking to Katy Helvenston, Scotts mother; Jeremy Scahill, whos breaking the story today in The Nation magazine; and Marc Miles, the attorney for the families of the four Blackwater employees. Justin received a Bachelor of Science degree from . They were told that they were able to do a pre-trip inspection of the routes and be able to familiarize themselves with the area before going on routes. V. Blackwater Security - Facts & Allegations. While the Iraq war has helped the company Blackwater USA see its profits soar, the company is facing a major battle here at homethis time in court. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: I was going to ask him. Prince has never given a penny to a Democrat. Erik Prince comes from a major powerful Republican family in Michigan. And then you are sending them in undermanned. Please do your part today. If it had been up to Katy Helvenston, her son wouldnt have been in Iraq at all. I couldnt believe I was talking to the man. Mr. Rumsfeld . It was good money, but it was never enough, his mother remembers. Obviously they concealed a material witness by hiring him and sending him out of the country. Callahan says Blackwater took advantage of the Potters financial straits to hinder the case against the company. As they tell it, after demanding answers about how the men ended up dead in Falluja that day and being stonewalled at every turn, they decided to conduct their own investigation. Instead, each vehicle had only two men and far less powerful Mach 4 guns, which they had not even had a chance to test out. carson hunter massena, ny; what type of bonding is al2s3; did arsenic and old lace win any academy awards And Scott says, Youre nuts, you know, he says, Im not goin in there to Falluja. Were also joined by Katy Helvenston, the mother of Scott Helvenston, who was killed that day, March 31, 2004 in Fallujah. Unfortunately, what they didnt know was that there was a much safer route that took them around the north side of Fallujah. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions . Justin Shreck. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. The man heading the training was Justin McQuown, nicknamed Shrek, after the green ogre movie cartoon character. What happened that day, as far as you have been able to understand and as your lawsuit alleges? And so, I called a really good friend of mine, and they were godparents to both my children. Scott was tall, tan and chiseled and, by all accounts, a model soldier and athlete. It wasnt just a compilation of everything that was going on. Copy may not be in its final form. And so, in that whole pyramid scheme, what you saw was Blackwater had a subcontract with this Kuwaiti company, and the Kuwaiti company had the contract with E.S.S., so the contract with E.S.S., the company that provides the catering services, said explicitly because there is a very serious security situation in Fallujah it actually names Fallujah as one of the cities these men need to be traveling in armored vehicles. has denied any relationship to this and wont talk about it anymore. AMY GOODMAN: At the memorial service for your son? The suit further alleges that McQuown intervened and ordered only a four-man team be sent, although six were available, the other two remaining to perform clerical duties. Its a well-connected, Republican-controlled business that has made its fortune because of the Bush Administration. Every dollar makes a differencein fact, gets doubled! Katy Helvenston, thanks for joining us, and condolences on the death of your son Scott. And the email, its incredible, because Scott sort of makes all these apologetics. It is unusual, though, for the head of a company to cast its lot entirely with one party, and it has paid off, because Blackwater literally is making a killing right now, to the point where Gary Jackson, the president of Blackwater, after Bush won the election in 2004, sends out an email to Blackwaters mailing list that says, Bush wins, four more years!! And he came up to Scotts room a couple days before Scott was murdered and got into an altercation, and he took Scotts gun away from him. AMY GOODMAN: Jeremy Scahill, unfortunately, we were not able to get Blackwater on, writing us the letter and saying no. All four guards were shot and killed. At 17 he made history by becoming the youngest person ever to complete the rigorous Navy SEAL program. In a moment she will join us along with her attorney Marc Miles who is representing the families, Marc Miles. They didnt find out that they were lied to until they got into Baghdad and basically had no option but to go forward. tn_subject: ['criminal-j', 'society', 'us-wars-an', 'war-and-pe', 'war-on-ter'], He went through the rigorous Navy Seal program at age 17. You need to show intent. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. I asked your Secretary of Defense a couple of months ago what law governs their actions. Beast, he was the only contestant to defeat the beast, outmaneuvering a chimpanzee in an obstacle course. And there are other people that have talked to Katy and Marc that have affirmed all of this. I would support them in any way I could, but they had to figure out how to get through college. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License, Fighting in Sudan Persists Despite Extended Ceasefires as U.N. Surely there are other instances like this one with wrongful conduct involved, but, of course, we havent seen one single prosecution coming out of any contractors in Iraq, and that is essentially the entire focus of the litigation here. Shortly after entering the city, they get stuck in traffic, and their small convoy is ambushed. But they had put all of the news stuff in a closet, and I pulled it out, and I got the names of the other three families. The suit alleges that there were six guards available that day, but McQuown intervened and ordered only the four to be sent. I didnt want to watch it. Youre out of your mind. tn_author: ['jeremy-s'], KATY HELVENSTON: Yes, he was Demi Moores personal trainer for the G.I. What theyre trying to do is to say, Lookwe can do anything we want and not be held accountable. It was this corporate greed, combined with McQuowns animosity toward Scott Helvenston, which began at the training in North Carolina, that the families allege played a significant role in the deaths of Helvenston and the other three contractors. JUAN GONZALEZ: Id like to ask Marc Miles, on the day then that these four Blackwater employees are killed, theyre sent into Fallujah. The man heading the training was Justin McQuown, nicknamed Shrek, after the green ogre movie cartoon character. Explore Scott Helvenston net worth, bio, age, height, family, wiki, birthday, career, salary [Last Update 2021]! The families of the four men killed at Fallujah have filed a lawsuit charging the company with wrongful death. And they did approach the Zovkos and asked if they would meet Erik Prince in his office, and they did. 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. And thats the type of conduct at Blackwater that were dealing with. MARTIN SMITH: By the time the press arrived, a mob had set the cars on fire. And I think that, you know, when we talk about Iraq corruption, a lot of times its Halliburton overcharged for this or Bechtel did this. I mean, clear as day. According to the suit, McQuown lacked the credentials of Helvenston and other ex-SEALs. AMY GOODMAN: Were talking about a groundbreaking lawsuit against Blackwater on behalf of the families of the four contractors who were killed on March 31, 2004 in Fallujah, the famous photographs of two of them hanging from the bridge over the Euphrates. There should be three men per team. After the killings, Katy Helvenston joined the families of Mike Teague, Jerko Zovko and Wesley Batalona in grieving and in seeking details about the incident. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. And Im reading these articles, and all of a sudden . KATY HELVENSTON: They said Fallujah, and I said, well, Scotty, hes in Baghdad. And at that point, Scotty was desperate for money, and he went in there. ' Those were some of the last words Helvenston would ever write. But, anyway, thats another story. I went up to him, and I tried to shake his hand. The gruesome image is soon beamed across the globe. And only the one person that survived the thing, and the whole team had to survive, so if someone on a team didnt make it through, then the whole team was pretty much eliminated. And I presume that thats the defense that Blackwater is going to make. AMY GOODMAN: But you did meet at the memorial service. Promised Iraqis Justice. AMY GOODMAN: Were you all in the same hotel? And so, then I started I had never read any articles. Since its filing in January 2005, the case has moved slowly through the legal system. 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. Now, they were ultimately to get to the other side of Fallujah. COL. JOHN A. TOOLAN: Unfortunately, it was going out on CNN. Well, that left Scott no choice. Username. But he chose to go with Blackwater, because they had a two-month contract, and he did not want to leave his children more than two months. On occasion, Helvenston would attempt to politely assist McQuown by offering his expertise on the correct manner of the particular training exercise. Mr. Rumsfeld answered that Iraq has its own domestic laws, which he assumed applied to those private military contractors. But because they didnt have a map, they didnt have G.P.S., and, in fact, funny story, I think they had G.P.S. What Blackwater is trying to do is to sweep all of their wrongful conduct into the Defense Base Act, says Miles. And the insurgents knew that it was a fairly easy mark. MARC MILES: Well, its important and its groundbreaking and its precedent-setting, because were working in such a unique situation here, where we have private American companies working within a war zone. It goes through multiple hands, at least three or four layers per contract. He spent twelve years in the SEALs, four of them as an instructor, and then tried his luck with Hollywood. The suit further alleges that McQuown intervened and ordered only a four-man team be sent, although six were available, the other two remaining to perform clerical duties. And I think we can look to a situation such as a new firefighter. While it is not unheard of for a successful business to cast its lot entirely with one party, it has clearly paid off. AMY GOODMAN: Months later. And then, when we come back, I want to ask you about your request for an incident report from Blackwater to understand what had taken place and also about a memorial service that Blackwater held, and well continue this discussion. This is life and death were talking about here, and as Marc Miles says, the commodity that Blackwater deals in is human beings. This is viewer supported news. And they said contractor, and I was thinking of maybe they were working on the pipelines, oil lines or something. But then things started to get strange. Its thats how I work. But three days before the deposition, Miles says, Blackwater hired Potter up, flew him to Washington where its my understanding he met with Blackwater representatives and their lawyers. 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. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions . KATY HELVENSTON: I called Blackwater at about 7:00 at night. 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. We had argued about him going over there, she recalls. By signing up to receive emails, you agree to receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation's journalism. And both the boys knew that if they were going to go through college, they had to figure out a way. And I just got on the internet, and I tracked them down, and I said, I have an attorney, and what happened was not right, and I want to pursue this. And I said, Do you want come on board with me? And they said, Hell, yeah, because they had been trying to do the same thing. And the noon news, it had this just all of a sudden it caught my attention, and I looked over there, and I thought, Oh, my god, you know. Our tasks are dangerous and while we feel sadness for our fallen colleagues, we also feel pride and satisfaction that we are making a difference for the people of Iraq., The company swiftly rose to international prominence: Journalists were flooding Blackwater with calls, and military types were clamoring to sign up for work. Thats how I work.. My family wouldnt let me read any of the articles, they were so graphic. We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. [6] Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. Scottys not going to die in vain, says his mother. The deposition was set for January 28, 2005, and Miles was to fly to Alaska, where the Potters were living. . Had they been, I sincerely believe that theyd be alive today. Shortly after George W. Bush was re-elected in November 2004, Gary Jackson sent out a mass celebratory e-mail declaring, Bush Wins, Four More Years!! Its lead counsel is Greenberg Traurig, the influential DC law firm that once employed lobbyist Jack Abramoff. And it goes through all the other ones. It was clear. When Democracy Now! And Bush jokes about it. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. Is he okay? And they said they didnt know. President Bush issued a statement through his spokesperson. I wrote an email to Gary Jackson, the president of Blackwater. JUAN GONZALEZ: Jeremy, in your article, you talk about some of the contracts that you were able to get copies of, where actually Blackwater was subcontracting to others, but in their contract they deleted certain provisions of the protections of these men, and the men actually complained about it, the superiors complained about it. But I hold Blackwater responsible one thousand percent., In late 2004 the case caught the attention of the high-powered California trial lawyer Daniel Callahan, fresh from a record-setting $934 million jury decision in a corporate fraud case.

5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes Australia, Pittsburgh Civic Arena Development, Parking On Jones Street Savannah, Ga, Articles J