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Oceanside resident among civilians killed in Iraq
San Diego Union Tribune, CA - 11 minutes ago
By Mason Stockstill. LOS ANGELES – Reality show producer Mark Burnett remembers Scott Helvenston as a passionate athlete who was dedicated to his country. ...
Former Leesburg resident one of civilians killed in Iraq
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL - 56 minutes ago
... Southern California. A family spokesman said Thursday night that Scott Helvenston, 38, died with three other civilians Wednesday. Their ...
Former Leesburg resident one of civilians killed in Iraq
Bradenton Herald, FL - 1 hour ago
... 12 years. A family spokesman said Thursday night that Scott Helvenston, 38, died with three other civilians Wednesday. Their vehicle ...
(ABCNEWS.com)
WLS, IL - 3 hours ago
... Their company, Blackwater USA, has said it will not release the victims' names yet, but the family of Scott Helvenston said he was one of those killed. ...
COASTAL MECHANICAL SERVICES
Orlando Sentinel (subscription), FL - 4 hours ago
LEESBURG -- One of the four Americans ambushed and killed in Fallujah, Iraq on Wednesday was former Leesburg resident Scott Helvenston, who served with the ...
Former Leesburg resident one of civilians killed in Iraq
San Jose Mercury News, CA - 59 minutes ago
... Southern California. A family spokesman said Thursday night that Scott Helvenston, 38, died with three other civilians Wednesday. Their ...
Man Burned In Fallujah Killings Lived In Leesburg
WESH.com, FL - 8 minutes ago
A family representative confirmed Thursday night that Scott Helvenston, 38, died with three other Americans Wednesday after they were hit by rocket-propelled ...
Civilian Killed In Iraq was Born in Jacksonville
WJXX, FL - 9 minutes ago
... 12 years. A family spokesman said Thursday night that Scott Helvenston, 38, died with three other civilians Wednesday. Their vehicle ...
Former Leesburg resident one of civilians killed in Iraq
Miami Herald, FL - 55 minutes ago
... 12 years. A family spokesman said Thursday night that Scott Helvenston, 38, died with three other civilians Wednesday. Their vehicle ...
Former Leesburg Resident One Of Civilians Killed In Iraq
Local6.com, FL - 43 minutes ago
... 12 years. A family spokesman said Thursday night that Scott Helvenston, 38, died with three other civilians Wednesday. Their vehicle ...
Former Leesburg resident one of civilians killed in Iraq
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL - 1 hour ago
... 12 years. A family spokesman said Thursday night that Scott Helvenston, 38, died with three other civilians Wednesday. Their vehicle ...
Army Vets, Ex-SEAL Among 4 Killed in Iraq
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA - 43 minutes ago
... Family members and a spokesperson said Thursday that Jerko ``Jerry' Zovko, 32, Michael Teague, 38, and Scott Helvenston, 38, died with another civilian ...
Army Vets, Ex-SEAL Among 4 Killed in Iraq
Biloxi Sun Herald, MS - 8 minutes ago
Family members and a spokesperson said Thursday that Jerko "Jerry' Zovko, 32, Michael Teague, 38, and Scott Helvenston, 38, died with another civilian ...
Army Vets, Ex-SEAL Among 4 Killed in Iraq
Guardian, UK - 24 minutes ago
... Family members and a spokesperson said Thursday that Jerko ``Jerry' Zovko, 32, Michael Teague, 38, and Scott Helvenston, 38, died with another civilian ...
Army vets, ex-SEAL among 4 killed in Iraq
MLive.com, MI - 29 minutes ago
... Family members and a spokesperson said Thursday that Jerko "Jerry' Zovko, 32, Michael Teague, 38, and Scott Helvenston, 38, died with another civilian ...
Army vets, ex-SEAL among 4 killed in Iraq
Penn Live, PA - 29 minutes ago
... Family members and a spokesperson said Thursday that Jerko "Jerry' Zovko, 32, Michael Teague, 38, and Scott Helvenston, 38, died with another civilian ...
Army Vets, Ex-SEAL Among 4 Killed in Iraq
Kansas City Star (subscription), MO - 43 minutes ago
Family members and a spokesperson said Thursday that Jerko "Jerry' Zovko, 32, Michael Teague, 38, and Scott Helvenston, 38, died with another civilian ...
abcnews.go.com
Jerry Zovko (left), a former Army Ranger, and Scott Helvenston (right), a former Navy Seal, were two of four U.S. contractors killed in Fallujah on Wednesday.
(ABCNEWS.com) Private Armies for Hire
Outsourcing Military Security to Private Companies Has Risks
W A S H I N G T O N, April 1 — The four private security workers killed in Wednesday's grisly attack by Iraqi insurgents in Fallujah were all former members of America's elite special forces.
Three were ex-Navy SEALS, and one was a former Army Ranger.
Their company, Blackwater USA, has said it will not release the victims' names yet, but the family of Scott Helvenston said he was one of those killed. A former Navy Seal from Virginia, Helvenston had two children.
He ran his own fitness video business before going over to Iraq two weeks ago for Blackwater. Helvenston also had a part as an instructor in the 1997 movie GI Jane.
In Ohio, Donna Zovko of Cleveland said her son was also one of those killed — Jerry Zovko, 32, a former Army Ranger.
"He loved the military very much. At the early age, he loved the little green army men," she said. "Other boys would play with trucks, cars, and bicycles; he would have his little army men to play with."
Her son left the Army in 2001 to work overseas for Blackwater.
Zovko's brother said he had been in Iraq for about a year and that his most recent duty was providing security for Paul Bremer, the top U.S. administrator in Iraq.
"He was a bodyguard for famous people and when this started in Iraq, he felt he had to be there," Tom Zovko said. "His words to me were, 'Someone's got to go, it's got to be done.' "
Private Armies on the Rise
Zovko and Helvenston were part of the growing ranks of private armies working in some of the world's most dangerous places.
"They are people with bull's-eyes painted on them whether they are in uniform or out of uniform, and the extremists in Iraq are working on them overtime," said Gordon Adams, professor of international affairs at George Washington University.
Officials at the Pentagon — which is the largest employer of private fighters — say they don't know how many are working in Iraq, but experts estimate there are as many as 15,000 private contractors doing military work there. |
