justin shrek'' mcquown
Its a well-connected, Republican-controlled business that has made its fortune because of the Bush Administration. 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. freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ But late on the evening of March 27, McQuown called Helvenston and told him that he needed to pack his things immediately, that he would be leaving at 5 am with a completely different team. They have no respect for the families. I would support them in any way I could, but they had to figure out how to get through college. Heres Why. He wouldnt accept anything but the very best, and he became a Navy Seal, and he considered that the best. And at that point, Scotty was desperate for money, and he went in there. The deposition was set for January 28, 2005, and Miles was to fly to Alaska, where the Potters were living. Without a detailed map, they took the most direct route, through the center of Falluja. They do not deny that the men were aware of the risks they were taking, but they charge that Blackwater knowingly refused to provide guaranteed safeguards, among them: They would have armored vehicles; there would be three men in each vehiclea driver, a navigator and a rear gunner; and the rear gunner would be armed with a heavy automatic weapon, such as a SAW Mach 46, which can fire up to 850 rounds per minute, allowing the gunner to fight off any attacks from the rear. KATY HELVENSTON: It was a brand-new area. They had guards on each one of the families. I was going to I pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, Ive got an interesting question. Had they been, I sincerely believe that theyd be alive today. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. Reading this, it would seem that Blackwater has a reasonable defense. They told them that they would be operating in teams of no less than six, where you would have three individuals in each vehicle a driver, a navigator and a rear gunner who has a 180-degree view of the rear to protect from behind. tn_loc:'atf' He reported . 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 . KATY HELVENSTON: Well, Donna Zovko and her husband Joe was there, and her son Tommy and his wife and kids were all there. Blackwater founder Erik Prince personally delivered money to some of the families for funeral expenses, and the company moved to get the mens wives and children benefits under the governments Defense Base Act, which in some cases insures those on contract supporting US military operations abroad. The U.S. attack was sparked by the gruesome killing of four private contractors inside Fallujah. And I had actually flown up there one weekend and spent the weekend with them. I had my bedroom phone ringer turned offI didnt get the call, so he left me a message. Jane how to behave like Navy Seals. MARC MILES: I wouldnt be surprised if there are other incidents like this. In fairness, though, Justin McQuowns lawyer William Crenshaw did issue a statement to me, in which he said that there were numerous serious inaccuracies in the piece, and then he said that on behalf of his client Justin McQuown, that he wanted to extend his sympathy to the families and called it regrettable that anyone would imply that Justin McQuown had anything to do with the tragedy of what happened in Fallujah. KATY HELVENSTON: Donna Zovko and her son Tommy. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License, Fighting in Sudan Persists Despite Extended Ceasefires as U.N. On March 30, 2004, Helvenston, Teague, Zovko and Batalona left Baghdad on the ESS security mission. Jeremy, lets begin with you. And so, did they assume the risk? Please give today. Scott Helvenston was a walking ad for the military. The men were working for Blackwater USA, one of the biggest security firms operating in Iraq. KATY HELVENSTON: I called Blackwater at about 7:00 at night. This April at a forum at Johns Hopkins, Bush was asked by a student about bringing private military contractors under a system of law, to which Bush replied, laughing, that he was going to ask Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, I was going toI pick up the phone and say, Mr. Secretary, Ive got an interesting question [laughter]. He was ranked 12th in the nation in tennis. The night before he left, Helvenston sent an e-mail to the Owner, President and Upper Management of Blackwater, subject: extreme unprofessionalism. In this e-mail, obtained by The Nation, he complained that the behavior of McQuown (referred to as Justin Shrek in the e-mail) was very manipulative, duplicitive [sic], immature and unprofessional. He describes how his original team leader tried to appeal to Shrek not to reassign him, but, Helvenston wrote, I think [the team leader] felt that there was a hidden agenda. Blackwater seems to understand money. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. JEREMY SCAHILL: Per day. It was the event that sparked the U.S. siege of Fallujah, in which hundreds and hundreds of Iraqis were killed, many of them who had nothing to do with this whatsoever women, children, others. MARC MILES: Because what happened here is the issue is framed in the context of: Did these folks know what they were getting into? Scott was tall, tan and chiseled and, by all accounts, a model soldier and athlete. Im driven and Im not going to quit. Well, that left Scott no choice. Is he okay? And they said they didnt know. And I called them, and I said, Thats just not acceptable. It wasnt just a compilation of everything that was going on. 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. 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? Name. Hooyah! And so, what happened that particular day from the evidence that Ive accumulated is that they were basically told to escort three flatbed trucks, which I understand were going to pick up some kitchen equipment, far different from what Scott Helvenston had understood, that he would be guarding an ambassador. I mean, clear as day. AMY GOODMAN: Jeremy Scahill, unfortunately, we were not able to get Blackwater on, writing us the letter and saying no. STUDENT: My question is in regards to private military contractors. That, in and of itself, is quite unusual, that these guys would not get a chance to acclimate themselves to the very hostile environment that theyre going to be operating in. Copy may not be in its final form. In its motion to dismiss the case in federal court, Blackwater argues that the families of the four men killed in Falluja are entitled only to government insurance payments. Helvenston's great-great-uncle was Secretary of War Elihu Root. When they took that word armored out, Blackwater was able to save $1.5 million in not buying armored vehicles, which they could then put in their pocket, says attorney Miles. cid exam previous question papers. His family is linked in with Richard DeVos, the Amway founder who basically funded the Republican revolution of the 1990s. They were not provided with the six folks that they were supposed to have in each vehicle. But then, the other component to this is that the lawsuit alleges that this Blackwater manager, Justin McQuown, because of his personal animosity toward Scott Helvenston the lawsuit and Katy characterize it as Justin McQuown resented Scott. The suit alleges that there were six guards available that day, but McQuown intervened and ordered only the four to be sent. In one, Man vs. After his talk, he took questions from students at the school. Explore Scott Helvenston net worth, bio, age, height, family, wiki, birthday, career, salary [Last Update 2021]! And there are other people that have talked to Katy and Marc that have affirmed all of this. Name. 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. tn_author: ['jeremy-s'], tn_ptype: 'article', He went through the rigorous Navy Seal program at age 17. 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. And I think we can look to a situation such as a new firefighter. If he had had the armored vehicle, if he had had the rear gunner, if he had been familiar with the area He asked. At $21 million, it represented the companys biggest contract in Iraq. And this becomes very important, as Marc Miles talks about, because you have to prove intent. K.B.R. JUAN GONZALEZ: Id like to ask Marc Miles, on the day then that these four Blackwater employees are killed, theyre sent into Fallujah. They charged the government $400,000 for 14 guys for 28 days in September of 2005 14 guys, $400,000 for 22 days in September. AMY GOODMAN: When was it after the killing? Indeed, the real scandal here isnt that these men were sent into Falluja with only a four-person detail when there should have been six or that they didnt have a powerful enough machine gun to kill their attackers. 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. He said, Give us a map. And they said, Youre going to have to wing it.. JUAN GONZALEZ: And how unusual is it to take someone out of their team and assign them to another team and send them out on a mission? Right now, its my understanding that U.S. law doesnt apply, because it did not happen in the U.S.; military law doesnt apply; and Iraqi law, well, there is no Iraqi law, and so, as things stand now, they literally can get away with murder. With regard to the wrongful death of these four men, that face is Justin McQuown of Blackwater. The company refused to comment on the case, but McQuowns lawyer, William Crenshaw, told The Nation there are numerous serious factual errors in the lawsuit, saying, On behalf of Mr. McQuown, we extend our sincerest sympathies to the families of the deceased. And it goes through all the other ones. Its lead counsel is Greenberg Traurig, the influential DC law firm that once employed lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Potter didnt have any other gainful employment, because many of these men who are ex-military, their skills dont transfer easily into the civilian sector, he says, adding that after Potter was removed for blowing the whistle on the armor issue, the company abandoned him until they needed him to avoid this subpoena and this deposition and they said, We need you and we need you now. And zoom, off he goes. Blackwater subsequently attempted to have Potters deposition order dissolved, but a federal court said no. This is what delegation - I dont mean to be dodging the question, although its kind of convenient in this case, but never- I really will. Now, thats not unusual for, you know, a lifelong Republican to give that kind of money. JUAN GONZALEZ: Now, at what point did you communicate with the other families of the men who died that day, and how did you decide that you needed to pursue legal action? And the people he had been with in Kuwait City, all of a sudden he was no longer working in that team. 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. The man heading the training was Justin McQuown, nicknamed Shrek, after the green ogre movie cartoon character. KATY HELVENSTON: Yeah. Katy, of course, can talk about how Scott ended up going there. In fact, Blackwaters then-general counsel, Steve Capace, gave a workshop last May on the subject to an International Super-Conference for contractors. You will be launched to my site where you can watch the teaching. He was dead. 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. !, The White House, for its part, has turned the issue of accountability of Blackwater and other private security companies into a joke, literally. 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. The lawsuit alleges that these men were defrauded, because Blackwater failed to provide them with the basic minimal guarantees of their contract, among them that they would be in armored vehicles, that they would have heavy weapons, something like a SAW Mach 46 machine gun that could fire up to 850 rounds per minute, and its very key. By the end of 2004 Blackwaters president, Gary Jackson, was bragging to the press of staggering 600 percent growth. Its thats how I work. One team member, former Army Ranger Wes Batalona, complained to a friend that the team had never worked together before. This is not even close. Blackwater has fought to have the case dismissed by claiming that all liability lies not with the company but the U.S. government. This is life and death were talking about here, and as Marc Miles says, the commodity that Blackwater deals in is human beings. Justin McQuown's nickname, according to documents we've gotten and to other people who were in Kuwait and Iraq at the time, was "Shrek," after the green ogre character, and it doesn't . Thats the only thing they understand, she says. Erik Prince refused to speak to me. My family wouldnt let me read any of the articles, they were so graphic. Thats how I work.. AMY GOODMAN: Months later. MARTIN SMITH: But the men were uneasy. 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. 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. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. And, Mr. President, how do you propose to bring private military contractors under a system of law? New Yorks Working Families Party Came Back From the Brink. We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. This was not done, according to Miles, so as to pad Blackwaters bottom line and to impress ESS with Blackwaters efficiency in order to win more contracts. Several other contractors stepped forward, offering to go in his place. He would have to reimburse any monies that had been paid to him, and he was on his own to get home. Lets take this opportunity. Now, just recently, last month, Cofer Black, who is a former C.I.A. carson hunter massena, ny; what type of bonding is al2s3; did arsenic and old lace win any academy awards And then I finally got one email back from Chris Taylor, who you guys also were dealing with, whos the Blackwater vice president. But first we begin by going back to March 31 2004 the day Scott Helvenston and three other Blackwater contractors drove into Fallujah. Previously, Justin was a Research Engineer at L una Innovations and also held positions at AeroVironment, Stryten Manufacturing, GE Healthcare, TopRank Marketing, Emerson, General Electric. KATY HELVENSTON: They said Fallujah, and I said, well, Scotty, hes in Baghdad. Sign up for our free daily newsletter, along with occasional offers for programs that support our journalism. KATY HELVENSTON: Yeah. And they said contractor, and I was thinking of maybe they were working on the pipelines, oil lines or something. Instead, kitchen equipment, actually empty trucks that were going to get kitchen equipment. You need to show intent. To submit a correction for our consideration, click here. Why cant I have it tomorrow? And I said, Are you going to rewrite it for my eyes only? I mean and I never did get that report. Nation Books released his second book, Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield, in 2013. But he says he was, quote, very manipulative, duplicative, immature and unprofessional.. We had argued about him going over there, she recalls. 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. Would he speak to them? Well, he was a Navy Seal for about 12 years, and he resigned from the Navy, and times got tough. A new firefighter goes through the academy, is shown all these big hook-and-ladder trucks and pumpers and engines, all this equipment, and then is told to run into a burning building where a family is inside, but is given nothing other than a squirt gun. Over a thousand people died because of what happened to Scotty that day, says Katy Helvenston. Justin McQuown is 50 years old and was born on 11/17/1972.Justin McQuown lives in Virginia Beach, VA; previous city include Joint Base Lewis McChord WA.Justin L Mcquown and Justin L Mcqvuwn are some of the alias or nicknames that Justin has used. It was good money, but it was never enough, his mother remembers. And that night he was ordered to change teams and go into Fallujah. Ill be home soon. He said, Im going to spoil you. And, you know, he was already dead by the time I got that. Username. 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. And at that point, they were on the east side of Fallujah. Ill only be away from my kids for a couple of months. Thats why he chose Blackwater, she recalls. Beast, he was the only contestant to defeat the beast, outmaneuvering a chimpanzee in an obstacle course. Thats why this case is being watched so closely by other firms operating in Iraq. I believe that we should have gone into Afghanistan, but I never believed we should have gone into Iraq, and Scott bought the whole story about Saddam Hussein being involved with Al Qaeda and all that. And I think there were ten in all. The real problem here is that we have corporate America involved. is a 501(c)3 non-profit news organization. KATY HELVENSTON: Well, I had been in contact with the Zovkos, primarily out of Cleveland, prior to that. [6] Jane and did a few stints on reality television. And Im reading these articles, and all of a sudden . And Erik had a check for the Zovkos. Their bodies were pulled into the streets, burned and their charred remains were beaten and dismembered. The men, it goes on, would be alive today had Blackwater not forced themunder threat of being firedto go unprepared on that mission. The other guys were Army Rangers, and they were all very, very experienced combat soldiers. And to understand what all of these shortcomings that day resulted in, you have to go back to March 31, 2004, and actually Marc Miles, the lawyer, can talk about some things that happened before that, as well. At our rooms. He was a great golfer. tn_pos: 'rectangle_1', And he wrote me back and said, Hi, Jeremy, Im the appropriate person to deal with on this, and he said he would entertain my questions and go over them with counsel. KATY HELVENSTON: He refused to even speak to me. He is the writer, with David Riker, and a producer of the documentary feature filmDirty Wars, released by IFC Films in 2013. AMY GOODMAN: Moyock in North Carolina, where Blackwater is based. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. covers war or gun violence, were not brought to you by the weapons manufacturers. Those were all misrepresentation. Company founder Erik Prince and his family have poured serious money into Republican causes and campaign coffers over the past twenty years. And we welcome you all to Democracy Now! Corporations are fictional entitiesthey only act through their personnel, explains Miles. Blackwater had told all of us that none of us wanted to communicate with each other. -Amy Goodman. AMY GOODMAN: Each of you in separate hotels? But they assumed it based upon certain representations by Blackwater. John Potter had recently teamed Blackwater up with a Kuwaiti business called Regency Hotel and Hospital Company, and together the firms won a security contract with Eurest Support Services (ESS), guarding convoys transporting kitchen equipment to the US military. Blackwater is scooping up lucrative Homeland Security contracts. 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. The suit alleges that Blackwater trainer Justin " Shrek " McQuown resented Helvenston and deliberately reassigned Helvenston to the team that was ambushed. As it turned out, Helvenston was slated to carry out a far less glamorous task. AMY GOODMAN: I wanted to go for a minute we only have a few minutes to a comment of President Bush about private military contractors operating in Iraq. Today is the first of two Public Media Giving Days, a time to celebrate what public and independent media gives to you by giving back. On January 5, 2005, the families filed the lawsuit against Blackwater in Wake County, North Carolina. And Scott says, Youre nuts, you know, he says, Im not goin in there to Falluja. Unbeknownst to Helvenston, this goal would drive a series of events that would ultimately lead to his death. Unfortunately, what they didnt know was that there was a much safer route that took them around the north side of Fallujah. Instead, the men set out at 8:30 in the morning with just two men per car, each short a rear gunner. 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. It has fought to have the case dismissed on grounds that because Blackwater is servicing US armed forces it cannot be sued for workers deaths or injuries and that all liability lies with the government. Blackwater has not offered a rebuttal to the specific allegations made by the families, except to deny in general that they are valid. We can send our men out to die so that we can pad our bottom line, and if anybody comes back at us, we have insurance. Its essentially insurance to kill.. AMY GOODMAN: Were talking about a groundbreaking lawsuit against Blackwater, the security contractor in Iraq. And five seconds after I connected to that line, Erik Prince was on the phone. Its Departing Leader Recalls the Battle. And the email, its incredible, because Scott sort of makes all these apologetics. Justin J Shrek, age 31, Summerfield, FL Search Report. I didnt want to watch it. They made a killing off of New Orleans. Altogether an estimated 20,000 non-Iraqi civilian contractors are now working for the United States inside Iraq. KATY HELVENSTON: Yeah, and all this fresh bark that had just been laid was just flying all over the place. Im gonna take care of you. You know, just stuff like that, which obviously wasnt true. This is about holding Blackwater accountable and about creating accountable and sending a message to other private military firms operating over there. Theyre angrytheyre saying, Let me go over,' Blackwater spokesman Chris Bertelli told the Virginian-Pilot ten days after the killings, adding that applications to work for Blackwater had increased considerably in that time. Hes protecting Paul Bremer. But the day went on, and all of a sudden it was Blackwater. 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. 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. Okay, that may be an overbroad analogy there, but the same principle applies. 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. I couldnt believe I was talking to the man. They were told that they were able to do a risk assessment of every trip, and if the threat was too dangerous, that they could decline the mission. Helvenston arrived in Kuwait on March 18, where he was under the management of John and Kathy Potter, whom he knew from Combat Missions. Full Interview: Frank Mugisha on New Anti-, Former Guantnamo Prisoners Ask Biden to Let Them Keep Art They Made to Escape Inhumane Conditions. And I was just literally dumbfounded. Theyre the whores of war.. STUDENT: I was hoping your answer might be a little more specific. units for the United States, which doesnt do a lot of good over there. This is a precedent-setting case, says Marc Miles, an attorney for the families. And theres all sorts of Scott speaks to us posthumously through his email, and I just want to read from this. 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. Trumps Blackwater Pardons Took It Away. He believed in what he was doing. He also had a financial motivation. In one of its few statements on the suit, Blackwater spokesperson Chris Bertelli said, Blackwater hopes that the honor and dignity of our fallen comrades are not diminished by the use of the legal process. Katy Helvenston calls that total BS in my opinion, and says that the families decided to sue only after being stonewalled, misled and lied to by the company. Scotty had tried to call me in the middle of the night, Katy Helvenston remembers. Eventually, their corpses are chopped and burned. He didnt want to give up his gun. And Blackwater has only scratched the surface of it.. So, why would you think that under U.S. laws the company should be held responsible for what happens over there in Iraq? Jane movie, and he ended up playing a small role on the film, because the guy that was supposed to play the Navy Seal instructor was terrified of the ocean. They said Blackwater.. 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. Please do your part today. 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 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. This month marks the two-year anniversary of the first US siege of Fallujah, in which at least 600 Iraqis were killed. 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. He was an extremely accomplished Navy Seal, was popular with other guys, and it seems very plausible that he viewed Scott Helvenston as a threat. KBR/Halliburton refuses to discuss the matter and will not confirm any relationship with ESS. Within moments, their bodies are dragged from the vehicles and a crowd descends on them, tearing them to pieces.
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