| Contractor Casualties Iraq and Afghanistan Defense Base Act Workers' Compensation homepage |
Cote Family told another body found in iraq
The family of Jonathon M. Cote, the 25-year-old Iraq hostage, has been notified by
U.S. officials that another body was been found in Iraq. Francis L. Cote, the father
of the former Amherst resident, is reporting on the family's Web site, freecote.com,
that U.S. officials visited his family on Saturday and informed them that a sixth body
has been recovered in the Basra area of Southern Iraq. "The body will be flown to
Dover Air Force Base just as the 5 other bodies of US Citizens recovered in March,"
reads a blog posted by the father on their Web site. "There the body will be
identified and an autopsy will be performed," the blog reads. "At this point we have
nothing else to report." The father asked that the community continue to pray for
his son. Jonathon Cote is a U.S. Army veteran who was working in Iraq as a private
security contractor when he and four co-workers were abducted Nov. 16, 2006.
William Juneau
DynCorp International says William Juneau was killed Monday when his military
convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device about 50 miles outside Baghdad.
The 36-year-old Rush City, Minn., man was helping to train the Iraqi police service
as an employee of DynCorp, which has a contract with the U.S. State Department.
Darryl de Thierry
Darryl de Thierry, 34, had just returned to work in the war-torn country when his
armoured vehicle ran over a landmine on Tuesday.
Teina Ngamata
Teina Ngamata, an ex-soldier killed in Baghdad last August. Mr de Thierry served
alongside Mr Ngamata in the New Zealand Army and the men died in similar ways -
a blast caused by an improvised explosive device planted under their convoys.
Steve Gilchrist
former Waikato man Steve Gilchrist who died in separate attacks in Iraq last year.
Ron Zimmerman
37, a former eastern Indiana police officer. Zimmerman quit his police job in March
to join DynCorp International, which has a contract with the State Department to
train police in anti-drug activities.
Jerry Palinski
42, of Dupont, Wash., died when the vehicle in which he was riding was struck by an
improvised explosive on May 3. Palinsky was employed as a security specialist by
Cochise Consultancy Inc. of Tampa, Fla.
Carey Robinson,
39, of Orlando, Fla., died Monday. He was working as a security specialist for EOD
Technology Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn. The company is one of the contractors working
to clear munitions through an Army program based at Redstone Arsenal in
Huntsville. Thirty-one contractors working with the
Edward Cunahan June 19, 2006
Tetra Tech 41 from the North Pole, Alaska, was killed in a work related accident.
Frans Robert Brand August 28, 2007
Frans Robert Brand was killed Tuesday when the vehicle he was riding in was
struck by a bomb. Brand worked as a security specialist for Armor Group Iraq,
headquartered in London. That brings to 39 the number of contractors killed while
working for the Huntsville center's Coalition Munitions Clearance Program since
September 2003.
Raymond Moore 40 September 7, 2007
who was protecting United States government munitions experts, died on
September 7 when the vehicle he was travelling in was blown up by a roadside
bomb near Numaniyah, southern Iraq.
He had received a bravery award for helping rescue US soldiers after a suicide
bombing earlier this year
Mark Barry Metherell
Brooks Street in Laguna Beach was lined with flags fluttering in the warm breeze
Saturday afternoon. They were placed there by neighbors in memory of resident
and U.S. military contractor Mark Barry Metherell, who was killed Thursday in
Baghdad by a roadside bomb, according to family and neighbors.
Metherell, 39, was working on training efforts with the Iraqi forces, said father-in-law
Peter Ochs. The former Navy Seal would work about two months in Iraq at a time,
and would come home in between to spend time with his wife and daughter.
Joshua Munns
ANDERSON – The body of a 25-year-old private security contractor killed while
being held hostage in Iraq has been returned home to Northern California. Joshua
Munns' funeral is scheduled for Saturday in his hometown of Anderson. A burial with
military honors is planned at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo.
The former Marine was among six contractors kidnapped more than a year ago in
two separate incidents in Iraq. His body was recovered last month.
Munns' body was flown to Sacramento International Airport on Tuesday. It was given
a motorcycle escort to a funeral home in Palo Cedro, east of Redding.
Munns' father, Mark, says he has been told his son was beaten to death while his
hands were tied behind his back.
Michael Vinay Bhatia
A 31-year-old Defense Department contractor from Medway was killed by a
roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Michael Vinay Bhatia, originally from Medway and a 1999 Brown University
graduate, was killed along with two soldiers when their Humvee was struck by a
bomb just north of the Afghani city of Khost, near the Pakistan border. Two other
soldiers were badly wounded in the blast, according to Reuters.
Bhatia was hired by defense contractor BEA Systems of Rockville, Md., in
September as a social scientist assigned to the U.S. Army's human terrain system
program, said the company's director of communications, Scott Fazekas. The
program is designed to help Army personnel better understand the socio-economic
characteristics of the areas in which troops are deployed.
Bhatia update
1 Man's odyssey from campus to combat
Steve Farley
A bomb in Sadr City, Iraq claimed the lives of four Americans, including one
Oklahoma man. Steven Farley, 57, was in Iraq to help the people of Sadr City
rebuild their government.
After completing his service time with the Army, Farley joined the Navy, and as a
civilian, he answered the call again when the government needed help working with
the Iraqis.
Brett Farley, Steven Farley's son, has fond memories of his father. He said he
wasn't surprised when his father answered the call last year to go to Iraq to help
teach the leaders of Sadr City how to govern.
"He trained us in terms of honor, integrity, love of your family, love of your country...
and he was the best father a kid could ask for," Brett Farley said.
According to Brett Farley, his father was well aware of the dangers involved with the
job.
"He told us just last week he was informed that he had a million dollar price tag on
his head and that obviously didn't sit well with us," Brett Farley said. "The same day,
he had three sniper shots hit his truck."
Steven Farley said Sadr City leaders were preparing to meet Tuesday inside a
building in Sadr City when a bomb went off, killing Steven Farley, another civilian
and two American soldiers.
Justin D English
SPRINGDALE - A former Springdale firefighter and emergency medical technician
died Monday, a week after arriving in Iraq to work as an independent contractor
providing fire and emergency services.
Justin D. English, 25, resigned in good standing with the Springdale Fire
Department in June to work for Wackenhut Corp. in Iraq.
He was on his way to a permanent post at a base in Mosul, about 250 miles
northwest of Baghdad, when his military convoy was ambushed by an improvised
explosive device on the roadway.
"They were in an armored car when the IED went off," said Janet English, Justin's
aunt, as she fought back sobs in a telephone interview. "He had just been there
over a week. He didn't even have time to send us an e-mail address so we could
keep in touch with him."
English arrived in Iraq on June 30 for U.S. military duties through Wackenhut.
Paula Loyd
In early November, while on patrol in an Afghan village, Paula Loyd was doused with
a flammable liquid, and set on fire. She suffered second- and third-degree burns
over 60 percent of her body. Loyd was rushed to a nearby medical center, where
she was treated by a burn specialist. Shortly thereafter, Loyd was evacuated to the
military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, and then to Brooke Army
Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. But after a two month struggle, she was
overcome by her injuries.
Richard Bruce
Bruce, a former Navy SEAL, was working as a contract security guard for
Blackwater USA, a North Carolina-based security consulting firm that has several
hundred workers in Iraq, under contract to the U.S. government and various private
companies. Company officials informed Gadsden last Thursday that her husband
was killed when a speeding vehicle he was traveling in hit a ditch and rolled over.
Santos Cardona
Ashby said Santos Cardona was on a patrol early Saturday morning. There had
been many roadside bombs in the past few days, and "they wanted him to go out
with his dog. The explosion split the Humvee he was in, and it landed on top of him.
He was killed instantly."
Cardona was a contractor with American Canine, a Florida-based contracting
company. The 34-year old had been working with a bomb dog since November
2008 and was under a one-year contract. Prior to that, Cardona served as a military
police officer, and had been a dog handler since 1993. "He had been everywhere
from Haiti to Bosnia to Iraq," Ashby said.
Justin Pope
Patricia Salser told The Associated Press that 25-year-old Justin Pope died after
being shot Wednesday. Southfield television station WJBK said Pope had served
two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and was assigned to protect U.S.
diplomats in Kirkuk when he was killed by sniper fire.
Pope was employed by Falls Church, Va.-based DynCorp International. Messages
seeking comment were left with a company spokesman Saturday. The U.S. military
does not keep a count of civilian deaths in Iraq, but the AP says 1,264 civilian
employees of U.S. government contractors had died through Sept. 30, 2008.
Pope graduated from Riverview High School in 2002 and joined the Marines
immediately afterward, Salser said. Survivors include his wife and a 7-year
Craig Fuller
The family of a Cape Coral man and retired Marine who was working as a contractor
in Afghanistan today is mourning the loss of his life after he was killed Saturday in
an attack near the Afghan/Pakistan border.
Craig Fuller, 33, was killed, along with a civilian Afghan leader of his team in a
roadside firefight. Jeff Hermey, another Lee County man, was injured by shrapnel in
the attack, and is now on his way back to Florida
Craig Fuller and his crew were returning to Kabul from the Afghanistan/Pakistan
border, where they were delivering supplies and fixing a leaking septic system for a
community there.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations is investigating the case
Jim Kitterman
Family members of the Houston contractor who was found brutally killed in Baghdad’
s fortified Green Zone on Friday said they will remember 60-year-old Jim Kitterman
as a self-reliant and adventurous man who was trying to help rebuild Iraq.
The U.S. military gave few details of the slaying, saying only that an American was
found dead Friday in his car and that Army criminal investigators were handling the
case.
An Iraqi security official, who spoke to the media on the condition of anonymity, said
the victim had been stabbed in his chest and his throat had been slit.
Larry Eugene Young
An American killed Friday in Baghdad’s Green Zone worked for Fayetteville-based
security contractor CTU.
Larry Eugene Young, 42, died instantly when a mortar hit his trailer inside the
secured CTU compound, said Susan Lackey, a spokeswoman for CTU.
Young, a former soldier from Ulysses, Kansas who served in Fort Bragg’s 7th
Special Forces Group, had worked in Iraq since 2003, the past four years for CTU.
He had an Iraqi wife and daughter, as well as three children from a previous
marriage.
Don Feeney, one of CTU’s founders, said he had given Young a personal trailer in
the compound so Young could be with his wife and daughter. The wife and
daughter were not in the trailer when the mortar hit, Feeney said.
Army Reserve Lt. Col. Shawn M. Pine
A San Antonio man working as a security contractor in Afghanistan was killed when
his SUV hit a roadside bomb near Kabul.
Army Reserve Lt. Col. Shawn M. Pine was working for Alexandria, Va.-based MPRI
in Afghanistan at the time, the San Antonio Express-News reported in its Saturday
editions. Also killed in Wednesday's attack was Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte,
25, of St. Louis, Mo.
Family and friends remembered the 51-year-old as a generous man who would buy
food for a homeless family, make loans to his soldiers and most recently request a
care package of baby clothes for his interpreter who was about to become a father.
John deMarsche
Helicopter crash in Afghanistan felt in Leesville
John deMarsche, 23, died in a fiery helicopter crash July 19 at the southern
Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan.
John deMarsche, a Baton Rouge resident, worked as an overseas contractor for
the Baton Rouge company, Arkel International.
John deMarsche was in Afghanistan overseeing the construction of water wells for
the U.S. military.
DeMarsche was one of 16 civilians killed onboard a Russian-owned Mi-8 helicopter
that crashed near the runway just after takeoff.
He was one of two Americans who died in the crash.
Darren Hoare
A former Queensland airman working in Iraq as a private security contractor has
been killed during a drunken shootout in Baghdad's Green Zone, officials say.
It is believed Amberley man Darren Hoare, 37, and a British colleague with private
security firm ArmourGroup, Paul McGuigan, were allegedly shot dead by a fellow
security guard, also from Britain, after drinking alcohol during the early hours of this
morning.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have yet to confirm the identity of the
dead men, though it is understood Mr Hoare was a former Leading Aircraftman
based at the Amberley RAAF base west of Brisbane before joining the UK-based
security firm.
Paul McGuigan
McGuigan, 37, served in the Royal Marines until 1997. He joined ArmorGroup in
late 1993, and recently headed a personal security team. He is believed to have
been separated from his wife, but still has family in the Peebles area.
The former Royal Marine Commando travelled widely before joining ArmorGroup
Iraq in 2003.
He was serving as a personal security detail team leader at the time of his death.
In statement his family said: "We have been cruelly robbed of a loving, caring family
man who had everything to live for.
"Paul doted on his son, aged five, from a previous marriage and was busy
preparing for the imminent birth of his baby daughter with his fiancée and her
daughter, aged 12.
He was a total people person, who would talk to anyone, help everybody and was
always first to volunteer
Statement from Paul McGuigan's former colleagues
"We are still struggling to come to terms with Paul's untimely death, which has left a
gaping hole in our lives. He was a fine man, one of the best."
Mr McGuigan's fiancee, who did not give her name, described him as her
"soulmate".
She said: "Our days together were filled with smiles and laughter. He couldn't wait
for the birth of our daughter in a few weeks' time, she was to have been his little
princess."
Enos L.H. Ward
Retired Army Master Sgt. Enos Lee Harrison Ward, who was working as a recruiter
and military analyst for a civilian contractor gathering intelligence in Iraq, died Aug.
14 in Baghdad as he was being prepared for surgery on a cyst in his throat, his wife
in Nassau County said Monday.
Master Sgt. Ward, 45, will be remembered at his funeral at 11 a.m. today at the First
Baptist Church of Callahan, 45090 Green Ave. Burial with full military honors will
follow in Jones Cemetery in Callahan.
He retired from the Army's Special Forces on Dec. 1 after serving for 25 years.
Dane Clark Paresi
Dane Clark Paresi, a retired Army master sergeant, died Dec. 30 in the blast at a
forward military base in Khost province, on the restive Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Paresi, 46, retired from 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis in 2008, capping 27
years in the Army, and was working as a contractor alongside CIA employees when
he was killed, according to family and friends.
MindyLou Paresi said she was told her husband was at the meeting inside the
military compound and suspected something was wrong. When he approached, the
informant detonated his explosives. She said her husband was right next to the
bomber, the closest person to the blast.
“He saved many people, unfortunately seven of them did die,” she said, noting that
others were wounded. “It could have been worse.”
She credited her husband’s employer, Xe Services (formerly Blackwater), for
keeping her informed and taking care of the family’s emotional, financial and other
needs over the last several days.
Harold Brown Jr
Harold Brown Jr., 37, was in the US base in Khost, Afghanistan, Wednesday when a
terrorist evaded security and detonated a bomb, killing eight Americans. His wife
and three children live in the Washington suburb of Fairfax Station, Va. Mr. Brown
appears to have been a relatively new CIA recruit, but had worked for several years
in military intelligence or for contractors.
"He was a wonderful, caring person that wanted to help make things good for the
world,'' said Barbara Brown, whose husband, Harold Brown Sr., is director of public
works for Bolton. "I want the world to know my son was a good man.''
Her son was a graduate of Nashoba Regional Valley High School in 1990 and from
George Washington University four years later. While at GW, Brown met his wife,
Janet, whom he married at St. John the Evangelist Church in Clinton in 1994. Brown
was the father of three children, ranging from ages 12 to 2. He and his wife lived in
Fairfax, Va.
After college, Brown became an Army officer and spent most of his four-year
enlistment at the Army's top post for intelligence work in Arizona. He then joined the
Army Reserve and was reactivated in 2003. Before that, he worked for shareholder.
com in Maynard and then left to work for SAIC, a private defense contractor.
Jeremy Wise
A former Navy SEAL from Virginia Beach was killed in the suicide bombing in
Afghanistan.
Neighbors of Jeremy Wise say he was among the Americans killed Wednesday by a
suicide bomber targeting CIA members.
A picture of Wise was posted on a Facebook page set up in his honor.
The Facebook page states that Wise is a former Navy SEAL who was working as a
security contractor in Khost, Afghanistan.
The suicide bomber struck the CIA’s operation at Camp Chapman in eastern Khost
Province Wednesday.
Today the Pakistani Taliban claim they used a turncoat CIA operative to carry out
the suicide bombing. They say it was revenge for a top militant leader’s death in a
US missile strike.
Scott Michael Robeson
Ohio native among seven CIA officers killed in Afghanistan by suicide bomber,
family says
Although Roberson he spent much the 1990s anchored at the Atlanta Police
Department — where he rose to the rank of detective, working undercover in the
narcotics unit — he began the next decade abroad, Messner said. Roberson first
worked as a contractor with the United Nations’ security forces in Kosovo and went
on to protect high-risk officials in Iraq.
He only recently joined the CIA, Messner said.
Luis Draco
began working for KBR in February 2004 in Document Controls on Camp Liberty
and Taji. In May 2005, Luis departed the LOGCAP III project to complete his
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Luis returned to the LOGCAP III project
July 2007 as a member of the KBR IT family where he worked in the Desktop
Support office and the Network office. Luis was one of the most high spirited
members of IT, always laughing, full of jokes and he would be there for you when
you needed him. In September 2009 Luis went to work for ITT and was assigned to
C1 Speicher. Luis Draco passed away on January 23rd of injuries suffered from an
IDF attack at C3 Warhorse. Luis Draco will always be apart of the KBR IT family,
one of the best friends a person could have and he will never be forgotten. We
miss you Luis!
MSG (Ret) William "Chief" Carlson
Christopher Glenn Mueller
Mueller, 32, of San Diego, was a veteran of Navy special operations.
Members of his family were among those in attendance at today's
ceremony.
The family of Jonathon M. Cote, the 25-year-old Iraq hostage, has been notified by
U.S. officials that another body was been found in Iraq. Francis L. Cote, the father
of the former Amherst resident, is reporting on the family's Web site, freecote.com,
that U.S. officials visited his family on Saturday and informed them that a sixth body
has been recovered in the Basra area of Southern Iraq. "The body will be flown to
Dover Air Force Base just as the 5 other bodies of US Citizens recovered in March,"
reads a blog posted by the father on their Web site. "There the body will be
identified and an autopsy will be performed," the blog reads. "At this point we have
nothing else to report." The father asked that the community continue to pray for
his son. Jonathon Cote is a U.S. Army veteran who was working in Iraq as a private
security contractor when he and four co-workers were abducted Nov. 16, 2006.
William Juneau
DynCorp International says William Juneau was killed Monday when his military
convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device about 50 miles outside Baghdad.
The 36-year-old Rush City, Minn., man was helping to train the Iraqi police service
as an employee of DynCorp, which has a contract with the U.S. State Department.
Darryl de Thierry
Darryl de Thierry, 34, had just returned to work in the war-torn country when his
armoured vehicle ran over a landmine on Tuesday.
Teina Ngamata
Teina Ngamata, an ex-soldier killed in Baghdad last August. Mr de Thierry served
alongside Mr Ngamata in the New Zealand Army and the men died in similar ways -
a blast caused by an improvised explosive device planted under their convoys.
Steve Gilchrist
former Waikato man Steve Gilchrist who died in separate attacks in Iraq last year.
Ron Zimmerman
37, a former eastern Indiana police officer. Zimmerman quit his police job in March
to join DynCorp International, which has a contract with the State Department to
train police in anti-drug activities.
Jerry Palinski
42, of Dupont, Wash., died when the vehicle in which he was riding was struck by an
improvised explosive on May 3. Palinsky was employed as a security specialist by
Cochise Consultancy Inc. of Tampa, Fla.
Carey Robinson,
39, of Orlando, Fla., died Monday. He was working as a security specialist for EOD
Technology Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn. The company is one of the contractors working
to clear munitions through an Army program based at Redstone Arsenal in
Huntsville. Thirty-one contractors working with the
Edward Cunahan June 19, 2006
Tetra Tech 41 from the North Pole, Alaska, was killed in a work related accident.
Frans Robert Brand August 28, 2007
Frans Robert Brand was killed Tuesday when the vehicle he was riding in was
struck by a bomb. Brand worked as a security specialist for Armor Group Iraq,
headquartered in London. That brings to 39 the number of contractors killed while
working for the Huntsville center's Coalition Munitions Clearance Program since
September 2003.
Raymond Moore 40 September 7, 2007
who was protecting United States government munitions experts, died on
September 7 when the vehicle he was travelling in was blown up by a roadside
bomb near Numaniyah, southern Iraq.
He had received a bravery award for helping rescue US soldiers after a suicide
bombing earlier this year
Mark Barry Metherell
Brooks Street in Laguna Beach was lined with flags fluttering in the warm breeze
Saturday afternoon. They were placed there by neighbors in memory of resident
and U.S. military contractor Mark Barry Metherell, who was killed Thursday in
Baghdad by a roadside bomb, according to family and neighbors.
Metherell, 39, was working on training efforts with the Iraqi forces, said father-in-law
Peter Ochs. The former Navy Seal would work about two months in Iraq at a time,
and would come home in between to spend time with his wife and daughter.
Joshua Munns
ANDERSON – The body of a 25-year-old private security contractor killed while
being held hostage in Iraq has been returned home to Northern California. Joshua
Munns' funeral is scheduled for Saturday in his hometown of Anderson. A burial with
military honors is planned at the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo.
The former Marine was among six contractors kidnapped more than a year ago in
two separate incidents in Iraq. His body was recovered last month.
Munns' body was flown to Sacramento International Airport on Tuesday. It was given
a motorcycle escort to a funeral home in Palo Cedro, east of Redding.
Munns' father, Mark, says he has been told his son was beaten to death while his
hands were tied behind his back.
Michael Vinay Bhatia
A 31-year-old Defense Department contractor from Medway was killed by a
roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Michael Vinay Bhatia, originally from Medway and a 1999 Brown University
graduate, was killed along with two soldiers when their Humvee was struck by a
bomb just north of the Afghani city of Khost, near the Pakistan border. Two other
soldiers were badly wounded in the blast, according to Reuters.
Bhatia was hired by defense contractor BEA Systems of Rockville, Md., in
September as a social scientist assigned to the U.S. Army's human terrain system
program, said the company's director of communications, Scott Fazekas. The
program is designed to help Army personnel better understand the socio-economic
characteristics of the areas in which troops are deployed.
Bhatia update
1 Man's odyssey from campus to combat
Steve Farley
A bomb in Sadr City, Iraq claimed the lives of four Americans, including one
Oklahoma man. Steven Farley, 57, was in Iraq to help the people of Sadr City
rebuild their government.
After completing his service time with the Army, Farley joined the Navy, and as a
civilian, he answered the call again when the government needed help working with
the Iraqis.
Brett Farley, Steven Farley's son, has fond memories of his father. He said he
wasn't surprised when his father answered the call last year to go to Iraq to help
teach the leaders of Sadr City how to govern.
"He trained us in terms of honor, integrity, love of your family, love of your country...
and he was the best father a kid could ask for," Brett Farley said.
According to Brett Farley, his father was well aware of the dangers involved with the
job.
"He told us just last week he was informed that he had a million dollar price tag on
his head and that obviously didn't sit well with us," Brett Farley said. "The same day,
he had three sniper shots hit his truck."
Steven Farley said Sadr City leaders were preparing to meet Tuesday inside a
building in Sadr City when a bomb went off, killing Steven Farley, another civilian
and two American soldiers.
Justin D English
SPRINGDALE - A former Springdale firefighter and emergency medical technician
died Monday, a week after arriving in Iraq to work as an independent contractor
providing fire and emergency services.
Justin D. English, 25, resigned in good standing with the Springdale Fire
Department in June to work for Wackenhut Corp. in Iraq.
He was on his way to a permanent post at a base in Mosul, about 250 miles
northwest of Baghdad, when his military convoy was ambushed by an improvised
explosive device on the roadway.
"They were in an armored car when the IED went off," said Janet English, Justin's
aunt, as she fought back sobs in a telephone interview. "He had just been there
over a week. He didn't even have time to send us an e-mail address so we could
keep in touch with him."
English arrived in Iraq on June 30 for U.S. military duties through Wackenhut.
Paula Loyd
In early November, while on patrol in an Afghan village, Paula Loyd was doused with
a flammable liquid, and set on fire. She suffered second- and third-degree burns
over 60 percent of her body. Loyd was rushed to a nearby medical center, where
she was treated by a burn specialist. Shortly thereafter, Loyd was evacuated to the
military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, and then to Brooke Army
Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. But after a two month struggle, she was
overcome by her injuries.
Richard Bruce
Bruce, a former Navy SEAL, was working as a contract security guard for
Blackwater USA, a North Carolina-based security consulting firm that has several
hundred workers in Iraq, under contract to the U.S. government and various private
companies. Company officials informed Gadsden last Thursday that her husband
was killed when a speeding vehicle he was traveling in hit a ditch and rolled over.
Santos Cardona
Ashby said Santos Cardona was on a patrol early Saturday morning. There had
been many roadside bombs in the past few days, and "they wanted him to go out
with his dog. The explosion split the Humvee he was in, and it landed on top of him.
He was killed instantly."
Cardona was a contractor with American Canine, a Florida-based contracting
company. The 34-year old had been working with a bomb dog since November
2008 and was under a one-year contract. Prior to that, Cardona served as a military
police officer, and had been a dog handler since 1993. "He had been everywhere
from Haiti to Bosnia to Iraq," Ashby said.
Justin Pope
Patricia Salser told The Associated Press that 25-year-old Justin Pope died after
being shot Wednesday. Southfield television station WJBK said Pope had served
two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and was assigned to protect U.S.
diplomats in Kirkuk when he was killed by sniper fire.
Pope was employed by Falls Church, Va.-based DynCorp International. Messages
seeking comment were left with a company spokesman Saturday. The U.S. military
does not keep a count of civilian deaths in Iraq, but the AP says 1,264 civilian
employees of U.S. government contractors had died through Sept. 30, 2008.
Pope graduated from Riverview High School in 2002 and joined the Marines
immediately afterward, Salser said. Survivors include his wife and a 7-year
Craig Fuller
The family of a Cape Coral man and retired Marine who was working as a contractor
in Afghanistan today is mourning the loss of his life after he was killed Saturday in
an attack near the Afghan/Pakistan border.
Craig Fuller, 33, was killed, along with a civilian Afghan leader of his team in a
roadside firefight. Jeff Hermey, another Lee County man, was injured by shrapnel in
the attack, and is now on his way back to Florida
Craig Fuller and his crew were returning to Kabul from the Afghanistan/Pakistan
border, where they were delivering supplies and fixing a leaking septic system for a
community there.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations is investigating the case
Jim Kitterman
Family members of the Houston contractor who was found brutally killed in Baghdad’
s fortified Green Zone on Friday said they will remember 60-year-old Jim Kitterman
as a self-reliant and adventurous man who was trying to help rebuild Iraq.
The U.S. military gave few details of the slaying, saying only that an American was
found dead Friday in his car and that Army criminal investigators were handling the
case.
An Iraqi security official, who spoke to the media on the condition of anonymity, said
the victim had been stabbed in his chest and his throat had been slit.
Larry Eugene Young
An American killed Friday in Baghdad’s Green Zone worked for Fayetteville-based
security contractor CTU.
Larry Eugene Young, 42, died instantly when a mortar hit his trailer inside the
secured CTU compound, said Susan Lackey, a spokeswoman for CTU.
Young, a former soldier from Ulysses, Kansas who served in Fort Bragg’s 7th
Special Forces Group, had worked in Iraq since 2003, the past four years for CTU.
He had an Iraqi wife and daughter, as well as three children from a previous
marriage.
Don Feeney, one of CTU’s founders, said he had given Young a personal trailer in
the compound so Young could be with his wife and daughter. The wife and
daughter were not in the trailer when the mortar hit, Feeney said.
Army Reserve Lt. Col. Shawn M. Pine
A San Antonio man working as a security contractor in Afghanistan was killed when
his SUV hit a roadside bomb near Kabul.
Army Reserve Lt. Col. Shawn M. Pine was working for Alexandria, Va.-based MPRI
in Afghanistan at the time, the San Antonio Express-News reported in its Saturday
editions. Also killed in Wednesday's attack was Air Force 1st Lt. Roslyn L. Schulte,
25, of St. Louis, Mo.
Family and friends remembered the 51-year-old as a generous man who would buy
food for a homeless family, make loans to his soldiers and most recently request a
care package of baby clothes for his interpreter who was about to become a father.
John deMarsche
Helicopter crash in Afghanistan felt in Leesville
John deMarsche, 23, died in a fiery helicopter crash July 19 at the southern
Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan.
John deMarsche, a Baton Rouge resident, worked as an overseas contractor for
the Baton Rouge company, Arkel International.
John deMarsche was in Afghanistan overseeing the construction of water wells for
the U.S. military.
DeMarsche was one of 16 civilians killed onboard a Russian-owned Mi-8 helicopter
that crashed near the runway just after takeoff.
He was one of two Americans who died in the crash.
Darren Hoare
A former Queensland airman working in Iraq as a private security contractor has
been killed during a drunken shootout in Baghdad's Green Zone, officials say.
It is believed Amberley man Darren Hoare, 37, and a British colleague with private
security firm ArmourGroup, Paul McGuigan, were allegedly shot dead by a fellow
security guard, also from Britain, after drinking alcohol during the early hours of this
morning.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have yet to confirm the identity of the
dead men, though it is understood Mr Hoare was a former Leading Aircraftman
based at the Amberley RAAF base west of Brisbane before joining the UK-based
security firm.
Paul McGuigan
McGuigan, 37, served in the Royal Marines until 1997. He joined ArmorGroup in
late 1993, and recently headed a personal security team. He is believed to have
been separated from his wife, but still has family in the Peebles area.
The former Royal Marine Commando travelled widely before joining ArmorGroup
Iraq in 2003.
He was serving as a personal security detail team leader at the time of his death.
In statement his family said: "We have been cruelly robbed of a loving, caring family
man who had everything to live for.
"Paul doted on his son, aged five, from a previous marriage and was busy
preparing for the imminent birth of his baby daughter with his fiancée and her
daughter, aged 12.
He was a total people person, who would talk to anyone, help everybody and was
always first to volunteer
Statement from Paul McGuigan's former colleagues
"We are still struggling to come to terms with Paul's untimely death, which has left a
gaping hole in our lives. He was a fine man, one of the best."
Mr McGuigan's fiancee, who did not give her name, described him as her
"soulmate".
She said: "Our days together were filled with smiles and laughter. He couldn't wait
for the birth of our daughter in a few weeks' time, she was to have been his little
princess."
Enos L.H. Ward
Retired Army Master Sgt. Enos Lee Harrison Ward, who was working as a recruiter
and military analyst for a civilian contractor gathering intelligence in Iraq, died Aug.
14 in Baghdad as he was being prepared for surgery on a cyst in his throat, his wife
in Nassau County said Monday.
Master Sgt. Ward, 45, will be remembered at his funeral at 11 a.m. today at the First
Baptist Church of Callahan, 45090 Green Ave. Burial with full military honors will
follow in Jones Cemetery in Callahan.
He retired from the Army's Special Forces on Dec. 1 after serving for 25 years.
Dane Clark Paresi
Dane Clark Paresi, a retired Army master sergeant, died Dec. 30 in the blast at a
forward military base in Khost province, on the restive Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
Paresi, 46, retired from 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis in 2008, capping 27
years in the Army, and was working as a contractor alongside CIA employees when
he was killed, according to family and friends.
MindyLou Paresi said she was told her husband was at the meeting inside the
military compound and suspected something was wrong. When he approached, the
informant detonated his explosives. She said her husband was right next to the
bomber, the closest person to the blast.
“He saved many people, unfortunately seven of them did die,” she said, noting that
others were wounded. “It could have been worse.”
She credited her husband’s employer, Xe Services (formerly Blackwater), for
keeping her informed and taking care of the family’s emotional, financial and other
needs over the last several days.
Harold Brown Jr
Harold Brown Jr., 37, was in the US base in Khost, Afghanistan, Wednesday when a
terrorist evaded security and detonated a bomb, killing eight Americans. His wife
and three children live in the Washington suburb of Fairfax Station, Va. Mr. Brown
appears to have been a relatively new CIA recruit, but had worked for several years
in military intelligence or for contractors.
"He was a wonderful, caring person that wanted to help make things good for the
world,'' said Barbara Brown, whose husband, Harold Brown Sr., is director of public
works for Bolton. "I want the world to know my son was a good man.''
Her son was a graduate of Nashoba Regional Valley High School in 1990 and from
George Washington University four years later. While at GW, Brown met his wife,
Janet, whom he married at St. John the Evangelist Church in Clinton in 1994. Brown
was the father of three children, ranging from ages 12 to 2. He and his wife lived in
Fairfax, Va.
After college, Brown became an Army officer and spent most of his four-year
enlistment at the Army's top post for intelligence work in Arizona. He then joined the
Army Reserve and was reactivated in 2003. Before that, he worked for shareholder.
com in Maynard and then left to work for SAIC, a private defense contractor.
Jeremy Wise
A former Navy SEAL from Virginia Beach was killed in the suicide bombing in
Afghanistan.
Neighbors of Jeremy Wise say he was among the Americans killed Wednesday by a
suicide bomber targeting CIA members.
A picture of Wise was posted on a Facebook page set up in his honor.
The Facebook page states that Wise is a former Navy SEAL who was working as a
security contractor in Khost, Afghanistan.
The suicide bomber struck the CIA’s operation at Camp Chapman in eastern Khost
Province Wednesday.
Today the Pakistani Taliban claim they used a turncoat CIA operative to carry out
the suicide bombing. They say it was revenge for a top militant leader’s death in a
US missile strike.
Scott Michael Robeson
Ohio native among seven CIA officers killed in Afghanistan by suicide bomber,
family says
Although Roberson he spent much the 1990s anchored at the Atlanta Police
Department — where he rose to the rank of detective, working undercover in the
narcotics unit — he began the next decade abroad, Messner said. Roberson first
worked as a contractor with the United Nations’ security forces in Kosovo and went
on to protect high-risk officials in Iraq.
He only recently joined the CIA, Messner said.
Luis Draco
began working for KBR in February 2004 in Document Controls on Camp Liberty
and Taji. In May 2005, Luis departed the LOGCAP III project to complete his
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Luis returned to the LOGCAP III project
July 2007 as a member of the KBR IT family where he worked in the Desktop
Support office and the Network office. Luis was one of the most high spirited
members of IT, always laughing, full of jokes and he would be there for you when
you needed him. In September 2009 Luis went to work for ITT and was assigned to
C1 Speicher. Luis Draco passed away on January 23rd of injuries suffered from an
IDF attack at C3 Warhorse. Luis Draco will always be apart of the KBR IT family,
one of the best friends a person could have and he will never be forgotten. We
miss you Luis!
MSG (Ret) William "Chief" Carlson
Christopher Glenn Mueller
Mueller, 32, of San Diego, was a veteran of Navy special operations.
Members of his family were among those in attendance at today's
ceremony.
Family man was on his way home: Justin Saint, who
was killed in an ambush in Iraq, with daughters
Madeleine, 9, and Jenna, 6.
was killed in an ambush in Iraq, with daughters
Madeleine, 9, and Jenna, 6.
Shaheen Khan, and her husband Abdul Waheed Khan
in a room she shares with an elderly woman at a
nursing home where she has lived for two years in
Houston, Friday, June 1, 2007 Shaheen was paralized
in a car accident while she worked as a contractor for
KBR in Iraq. (Michael Stravato for The New York Times)
in a room she shares with an elderly woman at a
nursing home where she has lived for two years in
Houston, Friday, June 1, 2007 Shaheen was paralized
in a car accident while she worked as a contractor for
KBR in Iraq. (Michael Stravato for The New York Times)
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Mark Barry Metherell with daughter Cora, in
August 2007.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE METHERELL FAMILY
and the OCREGISTER
August 2007.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE METHERELL FAMILY
and the OCREGISTER
Michael Vinay Bhatia, a native of Medway, died in
a bomb blast in Afghanistan.
a bomb blast in Afghanistan.
Steve Farley was known for his "devotion to
public service
public service
Justin D English
English arrived in Iraq
on June 30 for U.S.
military duties through
Wackenhut.
He was on his way to a
permanent post at a
base in Mosul, about
250 miles northwest of
Baghdad, when his
military convoy was
ambushed by an
improvised explosive
device on the roadway.
English arrived in Iraq
on June 30 for U.S.
military duties through
Wackenhut.
He was on his way to a
permanent post at a
base in Mosul, about
250 miles northwest of
Baghdad, when his
military convoy was
ambushed by an
improvised explosive
device on the roadway.
"Paula dearly loved
Afghanistan -- it
showed in the way her
face lit up whenever
she spoke of it. In the
field, her work was
stellar, and more than
that, she was deeply
kind, too. We'll miss
her terribly."
Afghanistan -- it
showed in the way her
face lit up whenever
she spoke of it. In the
field, her work was
stellar, and more than
that, she was deeply
kind, too. We'll miss
her terribly."
Maria Gadsden of
Menifee, along with
her daughter, Kelly,
at home with a photo
of her husband,
Richard Bruce, who
was killed in Iraq last
week.
Menifee, along with
her daughter, Kelly,
at home with a photo
of her husband,
Richard Bruce, who
was killed in Iraq last
week.
| Santos Cardona, second from the right, will be honored at services in Fullerton, Calif., where Cardona's family lives. |
Pope had served
two
tours of duty in
Iraq and
Afghanistan and
was assigned to
protect U.S.
diplomats
(Dyncorp) in
Kirkuk.
two
tours of duty in
Iraq and
Afghanistan and
was assigned to
protect U.S.
diplomats
(Dyncorp) in
Kirkuk.
Fuller retired as a staff sergeant
from the Marine Corps. in 2002,
and for a time returned to Cape
Coral before working with a
string of contractors in
Afghanistan. He opened his own
security/construction business in
January. His father had just
returned from a three-month visit
to the country.
from the Marine Corps. in 2002,
and for a time returned to Cape
Coral before working with a
string of contractors in
Afghanistan. He opened his own
security/construction business in
January. His father had just
returned from a three-month visit
to the country.
Jim Kitterman has worked in
Iraq for about six years, a
source of some anxiety for his
relatives.
Jim Kitterman served 12 years
in the U.S. Navy before
working for Houston-based
KBR, eventually working his
way up to director of marketing
for the Middle East region
Co-workers and friends called
Jim Kitterman outgoing,
trusting and sincere.
Iraq for about six years, a
source of some anxiety for his
relatives.
Jim Kitterman served 12 years
in the U.S. Navy before
working for Houston-based
KBR, eventually working his
way up to director of marketing
for the Middle East region
Co-workers and friends called
Jim Kitterman outgoing,
trusting and sincere.
Mr Hoare served in Iraq with the Australian Air Force and is pictured on
its website warning about heat stress in the desert.
its website warning about heat stress in the desert.
"Paul always put others first.
During a recent incident in
Baghdad, two of the team on a
task got into difficulties with their
vehicle. They were about to have
the vehicle impounded and the
two guys had to accompany the
police and vehicle.
"Paul went to help and within two
minutes of his arrival, the police
were talking about Manchester
Utd, having a chat and helping
the guys fix the vehicle.
During a recent incident in
Baghdad, two of the team on a
task got into difficulties with their
vehicle. They were about to have
the vehicle impounded and the
two guys had to accompany the
police and vehicle.
"Paul went to help and within two
minutes of his arrival, the police
were talking about Manchester
Utd, having a chat and helping
the guys fix the vehicle.
During his 25 years as a
Green Beret, Master Sgt.
Ward served in the Middle
East in Desert Storm,
Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation Enduring Freedom
as well as at posts in Europe
and stateside.
After his service in Operation
Iraqi Freedom, Master Sgt.
Ward was awarded the
Legion of Merit for his
distinguished service as a
mentor-teacher and combat
leader. The citation also listed
his accomplishment of
developing a highly sensitive
operation that provided
overall security for President
Bill Clinton and 23 heads of
state during the Balkan
Economic Summit conducted
in 1998 in Sarajevo,
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Green Beret, Master Sgt.
Ward served in the Middle
East in Desert Storm,
Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation Enduring Freedom
as well as at posts in Europe
and stateside.
After his service in Operation
Iraqi Freedom, Master Sgt.
Ward was awarded the
Legion of Merit for his
distinguished service as a
mentor-teacher and combat
leader. The citation also listed
his accomplishment of
developing a highly sensitive
operation that provided
overall security for President
Bill Clinton and 23 heads of
state during the Balkan
Economic Summit conducted
in 1998 in Sarajevo,
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Defense Base Act
Compensation Blog
American
Contractors in Iraq
and Afghanistan
Overseas Civilian
Contrators Blog
MsSparky Keeping
You Plugged In
Compensation Blog
American
Contractors in Iraq
and Afghanistan
Overseas Civilian
Contrators Blog
MsSparky Keeping
You Plugged In
Dane Clark Paresi, a DuPont
resident and former Fort Lewis
soldier was one of seven U.S.
intelligence agents killed by a suicide
bomber who infiltrated a base in
Afghanistan last week, his widow
said Tuesday.
resident and former Fort Lewis
soldier was one of seven U.S.
intelligence agents killed by a suicide
bomber who infiltrated a base in
Afghanistan last week, his widow
said Tuesday.
Harold Brown Jr '
A graduate of Nashoba Regional
Valley High School in 1990 and
from George Washington University
four years later. While at GW,
Brown met his wife, Janet, whom he
married at St. John the Evangelist
Church in Clinton in 1994. Brown
was the father of three children,
ranging from ages 12 to 2. He and
his wife lived in Fairfax, Va.
After college, Brown became an
Army officer and spent most of his
four-year enlistment at the Army's
top post for intelligence work in
Arizona. He then joined the Army
Reserve and was reactivated in
2003. Before that, he worked for
shareholder.com in Maynard and
then left to work for SAIC, a private
defense contractor.
A graduate of Nashoba Regional
Valley High School in 1990 and
from George Washington University
four years later. While at GW,
Brown met his wife, Janet, whom he
married at St. John the Evangelist
Church in Clinton in 1994. Brown
was the father of three children,
ranging from ages 12 to 2. He and
his wife lived in Fairfax, Va.
After college, Brown became an
Army officer and spent most of his
four-year enlistment at the Army's
top post for intelligence work in
Arizona. He then joined the Army
Reserve and was reactivated in
2003. Before that, he worked for
shareholder.com in Maynard and
then left to work for SAIC, a private
defense contractor.
After special warfare training in 2002, Jeremy reported to a SEAL team
based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in 2004 and spent five
years within the tight brotherhood of special warfare
During his service, the former petty officer was awarded three Navy/Marine
Corp achievement medals and a Joint Service Achievement medal. He
also was awarded an Iraq Campaign medal, two Sea Service Deployment
ribbons, a Rifle Marksmanship medal and a Pistol Marksmanship medal.
based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek in 2004 and spent five
years within the tight brotherhood of special warfare
During his service, the former petty officer was awarded three Navy/Marine
Corp achievement medals and a Joint Service Achievement medal. He
also was awarded an Iraq Campaign medal, two Sea Service Deployment
ribbons, a Rifle Marksmanship medal and a Pistol Marksmanship medal.
Roberson was a war hero,
Messner said, but most wouldn’
t have guessed it.
Messner said, but most wouldn’
t have guessed it.
Luis Draco formerly KBR
IT and currently ITT
recently died at the hands
of cowardly terrorists.
Cowards who lob mortars
and rockets (aka Indirect
Fire-IDF) into camps
congested with unarmed
civilians. C3 Warhorse is
located approximately
35-45 miles northeast of
Baghdad on Baquba
Airfield.
IT and currently ITT
recently died at the hands
of cowardly terrorists.
Cowards who lob mortars
and rockets (aka Indirect
Fire-IDF) into camps
congested with unarmed
civilians. C3 Warhorse is
located approximately
35-45 miles northeast of
Baghdad on Baquba
Airfield.
| We have continued our Casualties Page at Our Fallen Contractors at Civilian Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan |
| Civilian Contractor Casualty Count We ARE the Best Kept Secret of the Wars |