US soldiers in Iraq used as drivers for Halliburton

[othermeans]

US soldiers in Iraq are improperly being used as drivers for civilian supply contractors Kellogg, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton.


Complete story: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&e=10&u=/ap/20040512/ap_on_re_us/iraq_soldier_drivers_1

Getting hard to find civilian truck drivers I guess.

[PaDUer]

1. another article--

Holden: Missouri soldiers shouldn't drive civilian contractors
By Terry Ganey
Post-Dispatch Jefferson City Bureau Chief
05/11/2004

JEFFERSON CITY -- Gov. Bob Holden wrote President George W. Bush on Tuesday saying he was concerned about the use of Missouri National Guard soldiers to drive vehicles for civilian contractors in Iraq.

Holden said if they are, he strenuously objected to the "wrongful use of U.S. Army personnel in this manner."

Holden's letter said he had been in contact with Missouri Adjutant General Dennis Shull, who said he had received complaints from soldiers' families about the type of duty the soldiers were being assigned in Iraq. Holden's letter said Shull had told him that the guard was supplying drivers for Kellogg, Brown and Root, a civilian contractor.

-snip-
Shull said he is seeking answers from top military officials about what specific missions have been assigned to the 1221st.

entire article-
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/Missouri+State+News/AA30228B0255D5AE86256E910066EFA6?OpenDocument&Headline=Holden%3A+Missouri+soldiers+shouldn't+drive+civilian+contracto

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Cheney's Way = privatization that socializes risk.

It's time to hold that man accountable for misleading this country in so many ways.

[Eye and Monkey]

2. "Getting hard to find civilian truck drivers" - getting hard to pay -

Hard to pay for the insurance. I read yesterday that it had shot up from 10% of total payroll to 40%.

Halliburton execs - putting the WAR in reWARd.

[steely]

3. That Settles it - they should courtmartial all the drivers...

Article 15's all around! /sarcasm off/


n/t
considering all this, I cannot believe *'s approval rating is as high as it is.

[SlavesandBulldozers]

4. you didnt really think

that Bush's crazed worshippers would turn and run at the first sight of trouble did you? What do cults do when their leader is in trouble? They go down with him.

[steely]

9. No - I didn't think that they cut 'n run...

I just find it amazing that the "worshippers" either aren't paying attention, or can't learn to think for themselves - especially after the last 2 months.

[saigon68]

8. karl rove is running this war strictly by push polling

this war is not about anything more than neocon doctrine. rove is prodcuing this war as one would produce a play or musical. if one of these soldiers is killed working for halliburton the derision goes to Osama who by doing 9-11 hates amerika

[newyawker99]

20. Hi steely!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Voltaire99]

5. Well, you didn't think this was about "liberation," did you?

Having these poor economic conscripts drive trucks for Halliburton saves literally thousands that it would have to pay mercenaries.

The Man...he likes his labor cheap!

[maggrwaggr]

6. aren't there a lot of unemployed Iraqis?

and didn't we "free" them so they could do such jobs?

Or won't they work for free? Maybe "Operation Iraqi Freedom" was actually supposed to be "Operation Iraqi Works for Free"

[AnnitaR]

7. This is shit!

Rate this story up!

I cannot believe the people in this country are so fucking blind as to what is going on over there.

They give these fuckers no bid contracts and now they give them soldiers too.

Anyone got some good nerve pills they can share??? I honestly don't know how much more of this I can stand!

[Nihil]

10. Why the surprise?

Chauffeurs are always more lower paid than the executives that they
drive around.

You don't want Uncle Sam to be paying all those thousands of dollars
to a merc just to have him sat behind a wheel all day, do you?
Makes much more financial sense to get a squaddie who's only paid a
fraction of the merc's salary to do the menial jobs.

Remember guys, this isn't "war" it's "business"!

[colonel odis]

11. this whole "war" gets more disgusting every day n/t

[CWebster]

12. Goes to show you

Who is really in charge.

Is it any surprise?

[gottaB]

13. I'm so confused

Cooks and drivers were working as interrogators

[primavera]

14. What, you expected Halliburton to do any actual work?

Hey, they're only getting two billion of the US taxpayers' dollars, that's not any serious incentive to risk doing actual labor and possibly breaking a nail. Besides, why bother with all that sweating business when you can get the administration to use the Army to perform the services they're paying you to perform?

[nodictators]

18. Halliburton contracts are worth as much as $18 Billion

That number is from BBC, several months ago. I've seen it again more recently. Sorry, I don't have a link, but a search of BBC might pull it up. The US "news" media liars have given much lower numbers ranging from $6 billion to $9 billion.

Halliburton stock was at 21 on March 20, 2003, the day Bush invaded Iraq. earlier this year it had been as high as 33, but it had fallen back a few dollars because of Halliburton's billing scandals. I don't have the latest quote, but their symbol is HAL.

[sidpleasant]

16. here's another reason to hate Halliburton

My brother – in – law is cuurently in Iraq. To protect him I'll just say he's a National Guard officer. Recently he got emergency leave to return to the US because a close family member was dying. He told me that due to the attacks on convoys to and from Kuwait the only way out is via air, and the only people flying out of Baghdad are soldiers on emergency leave. Remember these are all guys desperately trying to get home as fast as possible. They flew out of Baghdad at night and into a Kuwait air force base where a bus was supposed to take them to Kuwait City’s international airport and commercial flights home. Somebody in the Army screwed up however and there was no bus. However, Halliburton subsidiary KBR had a nice air conditioned 40 passenger bus waiting to take a handful of KBR employees to the Kuwait City airport, but they refused to take the soldiers. My brother - in - law argued with the driver for a while, then told him that he could let the soldiers on or he could get all the KBR employees off the bus to help change the 6 flat tires the bus was about to have! At that point the KBR people deigned to share their bus with the lowly US soldiers.

[74dodgedart]

17. The wonders of privatization.. Social Security is next...<eom>

[ILeft]

19. Rumsfeld: "They aren't running out of drivers, we are."

...to turn around his evil "running out of targets" comment.

Is HAL being paid as if HAL is supplying the drivers? Are we paying with soldiers' lives and a phony payroll?