Money or Patriotism?

[signut49]

What do think is the motivation of "contractors" in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Are they mercenaries or patriots?

 

[Sylvain]

Patriots do it for free or serve in their military.

 

[rambone]

Mercs.

 

[signut49]

Do you think they should be treated as heroes if they are KIA?

Mercs.

 

[Bigdee06]

I have yet to run into any volunteers over here but I have run into alot of good Americans, both in and out of uniform, doing a great job in a difficult setting keeping the military up and running. I admit that I am compensated for what I do here but I also take pride in what I do for these young men and women. The "contractors" that I think you may be refering to also serve a purpose and I'm glad to have them here doing what they do.

 

[Pocketman]

Contractors do not show up in troop figures.

 

[dross]

Patriots do it for free or serve in their military.

And I'm sure all the soldiers are there for pure, altruistic reasons. None are there for self-serving reasons, right?

What is the obsession with motivation? Who knows or cares what motivates another person?

Do they do good in the World, or bad? That's the only question.

Millions have died to serve someone's altruistic motivations. Millions have been saved to serve someone's selfish motivations.

Judge them by the fruit they bear, not by what you THINK is in their hearts.

 

[Kutnupe14]

And I'm sure all the soldiers are there for pure, altruistic reasons. None are there for self-serving reasons, right?

What is the obsession with motivation? Who knows or cares what motivates another person?

Do they do good in the World, or bad? That's the only question.

Millions have died to serve someone's altruistic motivations. Millions have been saved to serve someone's selfish motivations.

Judge them by the fruit they bear, not by what you THINK is in their hearts.

Yeah, I'm stealing that line....

 

[mrjarrell]

Yeah, I'm stealing that line....

I prefer this one, if you're thinking about sig lines.

Where Can You Get Boiled Peanuts 'Round Here?

By the way the answer to your question is you have to make them yourself. Check at Asia Mart in Castleton (or another asian store) for green peanuts and get to boiling. Salt them to your own taste.

 

[Booya]

I've been there both as a U.S. Marine and as a civilian contractor and I took both jobs just as serious. Most of the "contractors" are either current or former military. Most of the companies try to only hire people that have been there before. I know that's not true for all of them, but most. Even as a contractor (in the security arena) I took protecting my brothers in arms and fellow Americans just as seriously as I did protecting my Marines when I was there serving. It's easy to get a bad rep as a contractor, but they do their job very well and they take it very seriously. The guys I worked with were some of the best I've had the pleasure to work with.

Don't get me wrong though, the $$ is appealing! The way I look at it, the experience I gained from my previous deployments helped me gain the skills and knowledge I needed to be an effective contractor and support my family with a pretty decent paycheck after I was laid off due to "budget cuts" here stateside!

 

[leftsock]

What do think is the motivation of "contractors" in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Are they mercenaries or patriots?

They're mercenaries, but isn't that the patriotic thing to do? To work your ass off for a ****load of money? That's the capitalist way, right? To make the biggest ****ton of money that one can before they die, whether you're the dude out in the field working, or the CEO in the high-back leather chair ready to go on vacation to your summer home in the Hamptons.

 

[joslar15]

What do think is the motivation of "contractors" in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Are they mercenaries or patriots?

Mercenaries or patriots? Interesting question. In all the world, there are only two types of warriors. Those who serve tyrants; and those who serve free men.

 

[dross]

Money is a certificate of appreciation awarded to you by your fellow man to prove you have been of service.

 

[abnk]

Patriots do it for free or serve in their military.

Military get paid too; some quite well.

 

[Bigdee06]

Contractors do not show up in troop figures.

This is one of the reasons why using private contractors instead of sending additional troops is so prevalent. The politicians can make it look like they are keeping their promises to withdraw troops while maintaining the same presence on the ground. Another is the fact that there is no lifelong commitment from the US gov to them. Unless previously eligible the gov doesn't have to provide them with the benifits that soldiers rightfully recieve, eg. VA healthcare, GI bill education, disability benefits if they are injured. We aren't even eligible for unemployment benefits or workmans comp. when we return to the states unless you carry private coverage or the company you work for is actually based in the US, most are not.

 

[96firephoenix]

were the privateers that attacked (and kicked butt on) the British ships during the War of 1812 mercenaries or patriots? they were mercenaries, as the contractors are today.

Does it really matter? They are helping the war effort and getting paid, much as the soldiers are doing. they just aren't subject to the UCMJ.

 

[88GT]

What do think is the motivation of "contractors" in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Are they mercenaries or patriots?

Can they not be both?

 

[signut49]

I would say the vast majority are.

 

[goinggreyfast]

Judge them by the fruit they bear, not by what you THINK is in their hearts.

Yeah, I'm stealing that line....

While I'm most certainly not turning this into a religious debate, I think that Dross' comment is correct. The Good Word (Bible) tells us that we will "know each other by the fruit they bear." I also like what he said about "what you THINK is in their hearts." That same Word says, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.” Those are words are correct regardless of their origin.

While sometimes we don't always know if people are doing things for the good, it will all come out in the wash at some point. The character of any one person is mostly defined by who that person is when nobody else is around. What are the fruits of that person serving overseas (or anywhere else for that matter) and how does it better the cause of humanity? Remember, that we all should learn from our experiences and sometimes one's motivation changes in the middle of their experience.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Military get paid too; some quite well.

QFT.

Remember the outcry when there was a possibility that our Military would be getting back pay?

I'd argue that there are plenty of people in uniform who are only in it for the money.