Sad news - body of UF student recovered

[FKAGobucks877]

Sorry, but I've got no sympathy for private contractors that get themselves killed in Iraq. It's not like he was in the military, or a cop or fireman that got killed in the line of duty. He voluntarily went into a war zone, got paid well and knew the risks.

No sympathy for someone that was kidnapped, potentially tortured, and definitely killed? I don't care what the risks are, or whether he knew about them. Something like this is still a despicable act, and a monumental tragedy...he still left behind a family that will grieve for his loss, and likely miss him terribly. If this is actually how you feel, then you're an asshole.

 

[Mike80]

No sympathy for someone that was kidnapped, potentially tortured, and definitely killed? I don't care what the risks are, or whether he knew about them. Something like this is still a despicable act, and a monumental tragedy...he still left behind a family that will grieve for his loss, and likely miss him terribly. If this is actually how you feel, then you're an asshole.

 

[BuckeyeRyn]

No sympathy for someone that was kidnapped, potentially tortured, and definitely killed? I don't care what the risks are, or whether he knew about them. Something like this is still a despicable act, and a monumental tragedy...he still left behind a family that will grieve for his loss, and likely miss him terribly. If this is actually how you feel, then you're an asshole.

Well said!

 

[Brewtus]

I feel bad for the kid and his family.

It's not easy over there for anyone. This is one of the reasons they told us to drive past any checkpoints that weren't manned by Americans, but that was 2004.

and no Brewtus, I seriously doubt his company wrote him off as an "expendable asset"

Well after a little research I found that he worked for Crescent Security Group, who has since closed shop and gone out of business.

Here's a Washington Post article about the incident and Crescent's record of alleged misconduct:

Cutting Costs, Bending Rules, And a Trail of Broken Lives - washingtonpost.com

Cutting Costs, Bending Rules, And a Trail of Broken Lives

Ambush in Iraq Last November Left Four Americans Missing And a String of Questions About the Firm They Worked For

Crescent is shuttered, like dozens of other companies that have come and gone in Iraq's booming market for private security services. The firm leaves behind a trail of broken lives and a record of alleged misconduct. In March, the U.S. military barred Crescent from U.S. bases after it was found with weapons prohibited for private security companies, including rocket launchers and grenades, according to documents and interviews with former Crescent employees and U.S. officials.

An investigation by The Washington Post found that Crescent violated U.S. military regulations while being paid millions of dollars to support the U.S.-led mission in Iraq. The company routinely sacrificed safety to cut costs. On the day of the kidnappings, just seven Crescent guards protected the immense convoy as it drove through southern Iraq, a force that security experts described as inadequate to fend off a major attack.
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The attack and seizure have spotlighted Crescent's low-budget approach to private security and raised questions about whether the company was vulnerable to such an attack. Another missing guard, Jonathon Cote, now 24, a former Army paratrooper from Buffalo, N.Y., described Crescent as "ghetto" because of its relatively low pay, its minimal hiring standards and what he and other guards described as management's willingness to bend rules and cut corners.
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So Cote knew that he worked for a shitty company that took unnecessary risks but continued to work in that risky environment.

The article then goes on to mention that one of the owners of Crescent spent $300,000 looking for the kidnappers, but blames the military for not following up on his leads. Um, correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think it's the military's responsibility to rescue private citizens who get themselves into trouble.

 

[Mike80]

Well after a little research I found that he worked for Crescent Security Group, who has since closed shop and gone out of business.

Here's a Washington Post article about the incident and Crescent's record of alleged misconduct:

Cutting Costs, Bending Rules, And a Trail of Broken Lives - washingtonpost.com


So Cote knew that he worked for a shitty company that took unnecessary risks but continued to work in that risky environment.

The article then goes on to mention that one of the owners of Crescent spent $300,000 looking for the kidnappers, but blames the military for not following up on his leads. Um, correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think it's the military's responsibility to rescue private citizens who get themselves into trouble.

If he knew the company was that bad, he could have left but he did not for reasons known only to him (although I have an idea or 3). It's not unheard of for someone to be employed by company X on one day, catch a flight down to Kuwait, Saudi or Qatar and come back employed by company Y.

However that STILL does not excuse your insanely stupid comments and, in fact, doesn't exactly explain why you would say such things in the first place.

As for the rest of it They weren't over there as a private entity, they were there as the behest (I think that's the right word) of the Military to work FOR the military.

Don't you remember that kid that went over to Iraq in 2004? Completely unaligned with ANY company, just drifting around until AQ got a hold of him and cut his head off. The military STILL looked for him even though he wasn't even a contractor for them at any point (I can't remember his name at this time however).....

 

[Brewtus]

No sympathy for someone that was kidnapped, potentially tortured, and definitely killed? I don't care what the risks are, or whether he knew about them. Something like this is still a despicable act, and a monumental tragedy...he still left behind a family that will grieve for his loss, and likely miss him terribly. If this is actually how you feel, then you're an asshole.

I feel for his family and friends, but no - I don't have sympathy or feel sorrow for someone who knowingly gets themselves into a very risky situation because of greed and then gets delt a bad hand. It's no different than other people who engage in high-risk activities either for the fun of it or money, and then are killed. How many others on this board have ridiculed and felt no sympathy for "Darwin Award Winners" who have died from doing something risky? Are they all assholes too?

 

[Mike80]

I feel for his family and friends, but no - I don't have sympathy or feel sorrow for someone who knowingly gets themselves into a very risky situation because of greed and then gets delt a bad hand. It's no different than other people who engage in high-risk activities either for the fun of it or money, and then are killed. How many others on this board have ridiculed and felt no sympathy for "Darwin Award Winners" who have died from doing something risky? Are they all assholes too?

How would you know what his motivations where?

Just because that would have been YOUR motivation doesn't mean you can project it on anyone else.....

 

[Brewtus]

If he knew the company was that bad, he could have left but he did not for reasons known only to him (although I have an idea or 3). It's not unheard of for someone to be employed by company X on one day, catch a flight down to Kuwait, Saudi or Qatar and come back employed by company Y.

Exactly, he could have left but chose to stay and put his life in further danger. I don't know why he didn't leave either, but he certainly wasn't ignorant of the risks he took.

However that STILL does not excuse your insanely stupid comments and, in fact, doesn't exactly explain why you would say such things in the first place.

I feel pity and sympathy for innocents, not those who take extreme risks and pay the consequences.

As for the rest of it They weren't over there as a private entity, they were there as the behest (I think that's the right word) of the Military to work FOR the military.

Well that's a whole other discussion - why our government has more private contractors in Iraq than military personnel.

Don't you remember that kid that went over to Iraq in 2004? Completely unaligned with ANY company, just drifting around until AQ got a hold of him and cut his head off. The military STILL looked for him even though he wasn't even a contractor for them at any point (I can't remember his name at this time however).....

I vaguely remember the story but not the details.

How would you know what his motivations where?

Just because that would have been YOUR motivation doesn't mean you can project it on anyone else.....

True, but the original article said he was in Iraq to "earn money to continue his schooling in Gainesville."

 

[sandgk]

Ah, screw the discussion of the money - it doesn't mean shit if you're dead. Whether that is with one dollar or a million in your pocket - you still can't spend it, if you're dead.

As for motivation - getting a head-start on your college costs doesn't sound particularly greed driven.

 

[Brewtus]

Ah, screw the discussion of the money - it doesn't mean shit if you're dead. Whether that is with one dollar or a million in your pocket - you still can't spend it, if you're dead.

Sounds a bit like Vegas - if you're willing to take a risk you could win big...or lose everything.

As for motivation - getting a head-start on your college costs doesn't sound particularly greed driven.

Uh, that sounds exactly like greed to me.

 

[BUCKYLE]

Uh, the guy went to Iraq. He didn't know they kill people over there?

 

[BUCKYLE]

No sympathy for someone that was kidnapped, potentially tortured, and definitely killed? I don't care what the risks are, or whether he knew about them. Something like this is still a despicable act, and a monumental tragedy...he still left behind a family that will grieve for his loss, and likely miss him terribly. If this is actually how you feel, then you're an asshole.

No, it's not. A monumental tragedy is a kid getting hit by a drunk driver or a mother dying while her children are young. A college kid sticking his head into a lion's mouth to make some quick cash is not.

Just to be clear, I don't have sympathy for those guys that got killed fucking with that tiger either.

 

[BuckeyeRyn]

No, it's not. A monumental tragedy is a kid getting hit by a drunk driver or a mother dying while her children are young. A college kid sticking his head into a lion's mouth to make some quick cash is not.

Just to be clear, I don't have sympathy for those guys that got killed fucking with that tiger either.

Don't you have a KoolAid party to attend?

 

[BUCKYLE]

Don't you have a KoolAid party to attend?

I ALREADY DID!!!

 

[Best Buckeye]

Don't you have a KoolAid party to attend?

Not till Saturday and even then we might use something else in instead of water