This makes me sick - just about as sick as pauly's post on Israeli News.
Brenton Thomas Gray was no longer a soldier when he died a soldier’s death last August on a northern Baghdad road.I have to beg to differ. What does Cochise Consultancy do, specifically? Find out for yourself. Even the Geneva Conventions states they should be treated as prisoners of war upon capture, or mercenaries if they engage in combat, neither of which is indicative of civilian status (again, see for yourself).
Military officials estimate that 125,000 contractors are working in the country, nearly the number of American troops. The figures on those who carry guns vary widely, depending on the source, but seem to settle on about 20,000. As of June 30, government figures show, 1,001 contractors had died in Iraq since the start of the war.Whether or not they carry guns is hardly the point. A commissioned officer provides all the same services (depending on rank, I know) that Cochise does, and commissioned officers are rightly considered military personnel.
It's not any wonder that this article has to fall back upon fratboy-esque descriptions of drinking and revelry to try to accomplish its goal, for its goal is impossible. There is no way to tell an Iraqi (or even a shrewd American) that people contracted by the U.S. State Department aren't doing the bidding of U.S. imperialism.
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