When your government doesn't care about you.

Contractor deaths in Iraq prove difficult to track
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — There are 50,000 to 100,000 contractors working in Iraq, experts believe, though reliable estimates are hard to come by.

Private security personnel are thought to account for as many as 20,000 of those, or more than all U.S. coalition partners together.

The number of contractors killed is just as difficult to pin down, partly because the employers often keep the deaths quiet. The U.S. military death toll, now over 1,620, would be higher but for the number of military tasks contracted out to the private sector, say analysts.

"Outsourcing troops not only outsources costs and capabilities, but also casualties," said Peter Singer, who specializes in the topic for the Washington-based Brookings Institution. Security firms "have sent more troops and taken more casualties than all of our other reluctant allies combined."

The U.S. Labor Department reports at least 305 cases where death benefits have been claimed for private contractors working in Iraq — many by families of Iraqis who worked for U.S. companies, but the Labor Department wouldn't provide a breakdown by nationality. The total number of contractors killed is larger, but the true figure is difficult to estimate because many firms don't publicize workers' deaths and the U.S. government statistics aren't comprehensive.

Contractors have been killed in convoy ambushes, mortar attacks on U.S. bases, gruesome beheadings by kidnappers, car accidents, and even by U.S. troops shooting by mistake.

They're often on the front lines with jobs that include private security guards; technicians struggling to rebuild Iraq's battered infrastructure and oil sector; and laborers, consultants and translators catering to the needs of the U.S. military and Iraqi government.

Few aspects of the multibillion-dollar contracting effort in Iraq are made public. A report by the U.S. Government Accounting Office in April found that monitoring of civilian contractors in Iraq was so poor that there was no way to determine how many contractors are working on U.S.-related security and reconstruction projects in Iraq or how many have been killed.

Even if companies' initial contracts with the Pentagon are publicized, work is subcontracted and sub-subcontracted until the chain of responsibility disappears.

"The deals are sometimes done by the shake of a hand or a verbal agreement," said Nick Arnold, head of projects for Global Risk Strategies, the firm that runs security in Baghdad's Green Zone and airport. "It might be five subcontracts down the line before you provide a service."

The U.S. Congress has tried to document the extent of private contractors' work and casualties. A bill introduced in April seeks tighter standards, including collecting estimated costs, number of workers required, training necessary, and contractors' deaths and injuries.

The National Defense Authorization Act already requires the U.S. defense secretary to provide a report to Congress that would include casualty and fatality figures for contractor employees supporting deployed forces and reconstruction efforts in Iraq. But [b]the Pentagon missed its April 29 deadline to submit its latest report.[/b]

Sucks to be me. Do you want to know the real reason why contractors like myself are out here? We are cheap, expendable, and we don't cost the government a dime in negative publicity. You have to go into this job know that. I mean no one back in the rear cares if a contractor dies. Hell, if you are lucky they will say your company's name and that's about the size of it.

I think it sucks because contractors take just as much risk as the soliders they support. They should at least get some iota of respect. But they don't, if contractors die first off it is going to take a few days even before they find out who they work for and who to contact. Then they'll ship them off nice and quiet. The family is paid off and that's about that. You'll never hear a Congressman or Senator raising holy hell about contractor deaths. Why? There is no net sum patriotism that is to be gained by it. It's easy to drape yourself in the flag at some young Marine's funeral and proclaim that they gave the ultimate sacrifice. Well contractors do to sometimes Mr. Senator, Mr. Congressman, Mr. MiddleAmerica. It would be nice if you all paid attention to that. But, why should you? Someone has to win American Idol.