Pentagon to investigate troops exposure to hexavalent chromium in Iraq

Posted on: September 30th, 2009 at 5:58 am — by Ms Sparky
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Pentagon to investigate troops exposure to hexavalent chromium in Iraq

By Julie Sullivan, The Oregonian
September 29, 2009, 10:00PM

The Pentagon’s inspector general is investigating whether the Army mishandled troops exposed to a cancer-causing chemical in Iraq in 2003.

The review comes after seven Senate Democrats charged that the Army and war contractor Kellogg, Brown & Root may have exposed hundreds of soldiers to dangerous levels of hexavalent chromium while they guarded civilian workers at a water treatment plant. Among the troops exposed are at least 292 Oregon Army National Guard soldiers, including 16 who say they were sickened by the contact.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said in a statement Tuesday that the oversight hearings he led as recently as last month revealed “repeated and almost unbelievable failures by both the contractor, , and the Army to take the needed steps to protect and even to inform soldiers and workers.”

“We want to know how it happened, why it happened, and who is being held accountable,” Dorgan said. “An IG investigation is overdue.”

The Army has defended its handling of the case and of KBR, which earned millions in bonuses for restoring Iraqi oil production. KBR has denied harming troops.

Almost immediately upon their arrival at the water treatment plant, National Guard soldiers from Oregon, Indiana, West Virginia and South Carolina serving between April and September 2003 reported breathing problems, holes in their nasal septums (called “chrome nose” ) and skin sores. At least two soldiers who served, including Sgt. Nicholas Thomas from Oregon and an Indiana commander, later developed cancers and died.

But it wasn’t until June 2008 that former KBR employees testifying at an oversight hearing said their managers had downplayed the risk of the chemical powder that Saddam Hussein supporters had spread across the plant before fleeing.

Hexavalent chromium is a corrosion fighter so toxic that an amount the size of a grain of salt in a cubic yard greatly increases the risk of leukemia and lung, stomach, brain, renal, bladder and bone cancers.

Testimony about the substance led senators to charge that the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers oversight and testing by the Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventative Medicine — and a 2008 review of those actions — were “deeply flawed.”

“ members have suffered serious health problems as a result of the deliberate contamination of the facility by the Iraqi army,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement Tuesday. “This investigation will determine whether the U.S. Army and KBR took appropriate precautions.”

Among the questions the senators want answered:

Why the Army failed to order and why KBR failed to perform remediation at the plant before troops ever arrived in March 2003.

Why the Army failed to clear the chemical hazards at the plant before allowing KBR to enter.

Why the affected soldiers weren’t tested until five months after their exposure.

Why, in an area thick with “distinctive orange powder,” the Army and KBR failed to restrict access or provide protective gear to soldiers patrolling.

Why the health promotion center concluded there was “not a significant inhalation exposure” when a leading expert on hexavalent chromium estimated the air concentration was 80 to 200 times the Occupational Safety and Health Administration limit.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., praised the inspector general’s willingness to review the matter, along with Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, who promised a “complete and comprehensive response” in a Sept. 17 letter.

Sixteen Oregon National Guard soldiers who became ill after serving at the plant are suing KBR, saying the company misrepresented the danger. Their attorney, David Sugerman, said he appreciated Wyden and Merkley’s actions, along with U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore. State Sen. Chip Shields, D-Portland, also sponsored legislation creating a fund for those Oregonians who develop cancer as a result of their exposure.

Their support, Sugerman said, “demonstrates that they take seriously the sacrifices of our Oregon Guard soldiers and their families.” (click HERE for original article)

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, KBR, KBR Contract, LAWSUITS, Lawsuits Against KBR, LOGCAP III - KBR, Politics, Qarmat Ali Lawsuits, Senate DPC Hearings, Sodium Dichromate @ Qarmat Ali. Tags: , , , , , . 1 Comment »

Woman Wants Answers in Husband’s Electrocution

Posted on: September 29th, 2009 at 2:20 pm — by Ms Sparky
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By Jim Hamill
5:34 PM EDT, September 29, 2009

Woman Wants Answers in Husband’s Electrocution A woman in Northumberland County is mourning her husband’s death earlier this month in Iraq.

He was electrocuted and she said it’s not the first time it has happened to contractors working overseas.

Adam Hermanson was doing what many of us do every day when he died; taking a shower. He was far from home, working as a security contractor in Baghdad’s Green Zone.

Now his wife and her family want to know who is responsible for his untimely death.

“I’m going to keep fighting for him. He fought for me, now it’s my time to fight for him,” said Janine Hermanson.

She lives with her parents near Muncy. Her late husband’s belongings sit on the back porch.

“It’s been a month now and they still don’t know who had a contract or contracts on his facility such as building or who had to maintain his facility,” Hermanson said.

She added the couple planned to buy a home in the Muncy area when her husband finished working for the firm . Now she spends hours every day trying to find out what went wrong.

Her father said Adam Hermanson did not deserve to die like this.

“Our poor daughter. No husband, 25 years old. This is insanity,” said Janine Hermanson’s father, John Sivak.

Hermanson said she and her husband served in the Air Force. It’s where they met. Following his death, she said, she isn’t getting straight answers from company officials or military officials.

Not only that, but Hermanson has learned her husband’s case would make the 19th electrocution death in Iraq since 2003. That includes service members and contractors.

Senator Bob Casey said he has been working on this issue since early 2008 and is filing an amendment that would require inspections on any contract work paid for by taxpayers.

“It’s disturbing and troubling that we have to file an amendment like this. (It) should be part of what Army does anyway,” Casey said Tuesday.

As for Janine Hermanson, she doesn’t plan on giving up her quest for answers.

“I’m going to make sure who’s responsible and make this stop,” she vowed. “I’m tired of people not talking to me. I have every right to know what happened to my husband.”

Senator Casey said that amendment could take months to pass.

The state department is also investigating the situation. (click HERE for original article)

If you have any information regarding Adam Hermanson’s death or information about Camp Olympia send me an email by clicking HERE

Ms Sparky

Posted in Adam Hermanson-TC, Adam Hermanson-TC, CONTRACTOR DEATHS, Electrocutions/Shocks, GOV. CONTRACTORS, LAWSUITS, Security Contractors. Tags: , , , , , . 1 Comment »

Army advised to improve strategy for transfer of logistics work

Posted on: September 28th, 2009 at 3:36 pm — by Ms Sparky
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Army advised to improve strategy for transfer of logistics work

By Robert Brodsky rbrodsky@govexec.com September 28, 2009

The Army has failed to adequately plan for the transfer of billions of dollars of logistics work in the Middle East from a single company to an arrangement where that contractor vies with two others for jobs, according to a new report from the Defense Department inspector general.

Planning for a piece of the transfer that should have been relatively straightforward failed to provide sufficient safeguards to prevent delays and cost overruns, the IG found. That piece involved moving three task orders in Kuwait worth $347 million from the III contract, which Inc. held exclusively, to a setup where , Fluor Corp. and DynCorp International will compete for work.

Army officials determined that because of the comparatively stable nature of the country, Kuwait would be the easiest — and therefore the first — location to begin transferring the work.

“It is essential that the coordination and procedures improve so that the most critical transfer of work, planned for Iraq and Afghanistan, can be accomplished with minimal effect on the mission and warfighters in those countries,” the IG stated.

In total, the service will transfer 11 task orders worth $5 billion to the LOGCAP IV contract, an indefinite-quantity indefinite-delivery agreement worth as much as $150 billion. The three firms also will compete for billions of dollars in new agreements to deliver fuel; water and food; and postal, laundry and sanitation services to troops.

Officials overseeing the contract provided auditors with multiple versions of transition plans or failed to specify a plan at all, the report said. Many of the plans, the IG said, were not signed or dated.

On Feb. 23, LOGCAP leaders issued a new comprehensive transition plan that represented a major improvement, according to the IG. But deficiencies remained, the report said. For example, transition procedures were not finalized before the transfer of work began. Specifically, the plan did not outline the roles and responsibilities of a fourth contractor — Serco Inc. of Vienna, Va. — hired to help with planning and to provide independent cost estimates.

In March, program officials still lacked sufficient plans for the transfer of at least 1.1 million line items worth $4 billion in LOGCAP property, the report said. The Defense Contract Management Agency was responsible for developing a strategy for property transfers and for determining when the incoming LOGCAP IV contractors were ready to begin the new work. But, the program office never verified that DCMA officials developed the required procedures, auditors said.

DCMA’s property plan also lacked detailed procedures for removing hazardous materials and instructions on when to transfer contractor warehouse operations, auditors said.

Additionally, the IG criticized LOGCAP officials for failure to identify which goods and services under the Kuwait task order contracts could be purchased using firm fixed-price task orders and for not developing a standard performance work statement. And DCMA failed to carefully evaluate the work of LOGCAP contractors and document incorrect performance reviews, putting the government at risk of paying erroneous award fees, the IG said.

LOGCAP and DCMA officials disagreed with many of the report’s findings.

“The report is not reflective of what transpired on the ground and during the transition of functions from the Kuwait LOGCAP III task orders to the newly competed and awarded LOGCAP IV task orders,” wrote Lee Thompson, executive director of the LOGCAP program.

Still, the program office took corrective actions that address many of the concerns.

LOGCAP officials said they plan to complete a standard performance work statement before transferring task orders for Iraq and Afghanistan, for instance, and will use fixed-price contracts when feasible. (click HERE for original article)

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, LOGCAP III - KBR, LOGCAP-Dyncorp, LOGCAP-Fluor. Tags: , , . 5 Comments »

Sen. McCaskill Rips DCAA on Audit Accountability

Posted on: September 28th, 2009 at 3:16 pm — by Ms Sparky
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September 23, 2009

McCaskill: Contract Auditors Responsible For Shoddy Work Must be Fired

Senator echoes calls from last year for more accountability for failures at audit agency

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Officials from the Defense Contractor Audit Agency (DCAA) faced tough questions today about the agency’s major deficiencies when they testified before the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today outlined continuing problems with the agency, and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill demanded to know why, over a year after problems were first uncovered, those responsible have still not been held accountable.

“I used to be a prosecutor before I was an auditor, and in the criminal law we have ordinances, then we have misdemeanors, then we have felonies, then we have capital crimes. And criminal conduct ranges from one end to the other. In the world of auditing, what has been committed here is a capital crime. There can be no greater indictment of an audit agency than this GAO report,” McCaskill said.

Citing today’s GAO report that outlined the extent of the DCAA’s failures, McCaskill focused on one example among many. She read a section of the report about a DCAA audit of one of the five largest defense contractors in Iraq.

The contractor initially failed the lengthy review; however, after the contractor exerted pressure and persuasion over agency supervisors, the auditors took steps to reassess the contractor and changed the review. As part of the new review, an interim audit supervisor directed auditors to throw out documentation citing some of the worst violations by the contractor and alter sections of the review, including pasting the signature from the former supervisor on a new draft of work papers to make it appear as if the supervisor has approved them.

“In April 2007, SIGIR, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, reported that, in spite of being paid $3 million to complete the renovation of a building in Iraq, the contractor’s work led to plumbing failures and electrical fires in a building occupied by the Iraqi civil defense directory. Now, I have one simple question: has that interim audit supervisor been fired?” McCaskill asked.

McCaskill continued, “Has that interim audit supervisor, who told that auditor to commit fraud by copying and pasting a supervisor’s signature to work papers, have they even been demoted?”

Despite some attempt to clarify the circumstances, the DCAA officials admitted that fraud had occurred and no one had been fired or demoted, and in fact the interim supervisor has been promoted.

McCaskill also referenced the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal when the Washington Post reported in early 2007 that major failures within the organization had resulted in abysmal conditions for wounded service members. McCaskill recalled being impressed that Secretary Robert Gates held officials at the top of the organization accountable by firing the officer responsible for the entire Army Medical Command.  McCaskill suggested the same brand of accountability was needed for DCAA.

“I admired Secretary Gates, and I really was beginning to believe that we had in the military now someone that understood that when you have a scandal, you must have accountability,” McCaskill said. “Let me say for the record, that no one has been demoted over this capital offense. No one has lost their job.”

McCaskill continued, “If somebody is not fired over this, I don’t think anyone should ever take this agency seriously again.” (click HERE for origina press release)

Posted in Senate & House Committee Hearings. Tags: , , , , . No Comments »

Will House “De-Fund ACORN Bill” De-Fund Military Contractors?

Posted on: September 25th, 2009 at 1:04 pm — by Forseti
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ABC News/Political Punch/Jake Tapper
September 24, 2009

“ACORN should be held to the same high standards of every other government contractor,” says Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Florida. “But there are bigger fish to fry.”

Before being elected to Congress, Grayson was a former government contracts lawyer and brought False Claims Act cases on behalf of whistleblowers against  contractors, including many in Iraq. He now sits on the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees of both the House Financial Services Committee and House Science and Technology Committee.

“We can’t have a situation where the laws of justice are applied to one organization and not to any of the others, particularly when there are organizations that are polluting water for our soldiers and electrocuting them,” Grayson says.

Contractor installed electrical wiring in Iraq that led to electrocution deaths of US soldiers. One such death, of Green Beret Sgt. Ryan Maseth, was classified by the Army Criminal Investigations Division as a “negligent homicide,” though the Pentagon ruled it would not pursue criminal charges.

The Florida Democrat says that the legislation the House passed characterized as banning federal funds from ACORN is actually much more broadly written than that, and could impact hundreds of companies if signed into law.

The House bill, offered by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., bans Federal contracts, grants, funds, and agreements from any covered organization — including “(a)ny organization that has filed a fraudulent form with any Federal or State regulatory agency.”

“De-fund the crooks,” he says. “The numbers of those who have filed fraudulent forms with the government — it’s like a who’s who of government contracting.”

Lockheed Martin, Boeing Company, Raytheon, General Dynamics — major companies are cited on the Project on Government Oversight’s “Contractor Misconduct” website, Grayson points out.

He says he hopes president Obama signs the legislation so as “to rid us of this plague.”

Asked for comment, Issa spokesman Kurt Bardella told ABC News, “frankly, I don’t know how anyone can successfully argue those who actually perpetrate fraud and misuse taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be held to a more scrutinized standard.  But if people want to start a crusade defending federal dollar recipients who have committed fraud and mismanaged  taxpayer dollars – they are welcome to make that case to the American people.  For far too long, recipients of federal dollars have been given free reign and some have acted in a reckless and cavalier way and whether it be ACORN or anyone else – abuse and fraud will not be tolerated.”

- jpt

Original Article Link

Defund! Debar! Indict! Use whatever means necessary to send KBR packing.   I’m not really fussy about  how it’s  done.  The “when” it’s done is what matters and NOW would be good!  I do have one request…..will someone invite me to the fish fry?

Forseti

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, LOGCAP III - KBR. Tags: . 1 Comment »

DoD contractor discloses Social Security numbers for 269 employees

Posted on: September 24th, 2009 at 2:16 pm — by Ms Sparky
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Almost daily we hear sad stories about how someone obtains the personal information of another and totally destroys their financial lives by stealing their identities and purchasing vehicles, homes, obtaining credit cards, utilities, medical services, drawing on social security benefits, committing crimes and the list goes on and on.  Companies such as LifeLock and FreeCreditReport.com are raking in millions helping people who are trying to avoid becoming victims themselves.

No matter how vigilant you are in protecting your personal information, there are some things that are out of your control.  What do you do when the company you work for has disclosed your name and social security number and apparently didn’t even notify you when this breach of information had occurred?

This in fact happened on January 20, 2009, when Data and Reporting Manager, Thomas Koch of  Stanley Baker Hill, LLC in Baghdad, Iraq emailed an Army document entitled “Personal Roster For Monthly Check Cashing” with the names and full social security numbers of 269 employees of and DAAR Engineering to a mailing list of 106 email addresses. Many of the email addresses were non government addresses such as gmail and yahoo.  What need-to-know did these 106 people have in order to be sent this highly sensitive information? NONE. In addition, many of the people on the list no longer work for Stanley Baker Hill, LLC and may not even realize this breach occurred. I did notice that Thomas Koch name and social security number are not on the list. According to one former employee on the list, Koch’s response to him when asked about this information breach was, “it’s no big deal”. NEWSFLASH!! It is a HUGE deal!

The DoD has very clear reporting requirements in place and are spelled out in  Department of Defense Directive 5400.11 DoD Privacy Program. So I have to ask, “When was this breach of information reported to the DoD?” Isn’t the violation of a DoD Directive by a DoD contractor a contract violation? Where is the DCMA in all this. Where is the Corrective Action Request (CAR)?

is clearly at fault here. Not only for the initial breach, but more importantly for not being pro-active in notifying the people on the list and leading the effort in mitigating the risk for potential . People screw up, it happens. But to not step up immediately and assist your employees in protecting themselves shows a clear lack of professional ethics and a total lack of concern for your employees. I am starting to wonder if the news of this breach has even reached the corporate offices of Stanley Consutants, Michael Baker Corporation, Hill International,  or DAAR Engineering. I have emailed each company to informed them of this article and asked for a statement. As of the publishing of this post, is the only company to respond.  David Higie responded with “No, we will not have a statement for the article.”  If anyone else responds, I will post an update.

As many of you already know, I too have all the documents involved in this breach of information. That in itself proves just how vulnerable every person on that list is. But, please be assured, I have no intention of further distributing, selling, or in any way compromising your identities. But you do have a right to know what I have done with the information. I sent the “unredacted” documents to an attorney in an effort to find out what kind of protections the people on the list are entitled to. I will keep you posted on that. I have sent the “redacted” documents to investigators on the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, Commission on Wartime Contracting, House Armed Services Committee, DoD IG/DCIS and DCAA. (“redacted” meaning only the names and the last 4 of the SS# are visible) I supposed if they want “un-redacted” documents they can request them from Thomas Koch or the DoD. There is no way of knowing who has sent these documents to whom. But you must assume that someone who is intent on committing identity theft has your name and social security number and you must take immediate action.

As many as 10 million Americans a year are victims of identity theft. In 2005, I was working in the Green Zone and became a victim of identity theft myself. I’m not 100% sure of how it happened, but someone was able to hack into my bank accounts and write themselves 1000′s of dollars worth of checks. Luckily, I monitor my money daily and caught it before any checks cleared and was able to recover 100% of my funds.

Every person on that list is a victim of an Information Breach and is at very high risk for identity theft.

This is what I recommend you do ASAP:

1. Contact your financial institutions and talk to a fraud specialist. Inform them of the breach of information and ask them what measure they can take to protect your cash assets. Some financial institutions may assist you with the entire process.

2. Immediately place fraud alerts with ALL three major credit reporting agencies and tell them there has been a serious breach of information within your company. I would call and talk to a real person rather than do it on-line.

To place a fraud alert with Experian click here or contact or call:

Experian fraud division
888-397-3742
P.O. Box 1017
Allen, TX 75013

To place a fraud alert with Equifax contact

Equifax fraud division
800-525-6285
P.O. Box 740250
Atlanta, GA 30374

To place a fraud alert with TransUnion contact

TransUnion fraud division
800-680-7289
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92634

3. Request a copy of your credit reports from ALL three major credit reporting agencies. You might be able to to that at the same time you are placing the fraud alert.  You are entitled to one free credit report annually from each credit reporting agency.  You can also request your reports here: www.annualcreditreport.com

4. Check your credit reports for accuracy. Each line item on your credit report should have a contact number for the creditor. Contact the creditor and verify each line item.

5. If you find inaccuracies or fraud:

a. Contact the creditor and dispute it immediately with the creditor and the credit reporting agencies.
b. File a police report with your local police department. This is very important.
c. File a report with the Federal Trade Commission

Updated 09/25/09: I was sent this link to the U.S. Army Privacy Incident Report If you are one of the 269 on this list, please take the time to submit this report to the US Army.

I strongly recommend you sign up for some sort of credit monitoring program. Something that will send you an email right away if there are changes such as new accounts or inquiries.  Personally, I prefer Triple Advantage via Experian. I get an email alert if there are ANY changes to my report and it ‘s affordable at $14.95/mo.  TrueCredit via TransUnion also has credit monitoring. I’ve had LifeLock but I prefer being able to access all three reports 24/7 as with Triple Advantage or TrueCredit. Personally, I would stick with one of the “big three” credit bureaus here.

I am not selling anything and I don’t make a penny so it’s your choice which service you chose to use. I also wrote an article for another blog on Identity Theft. There is a lot more in depth information there as well. Click HERE

Personally, I feel SBH should be assisting you with this. But, they aren’t so…..I will.

If you don’t know if you are on the list email me by clicking HERE and I will let you know.

I will be compiling email addresses in the event an attorney wants to take this on as a Class Action. If you want to be put on that contact list email me by clicking HERE. If you already have a Class Action suit in progress let me know so I can pass it on.

If you have been a victim of identity theft, shoot me an email so we can keep track of how many people have been victimized.

And please DO NOT giving out any more personal information to anyone for anything unless you are 100% sure of who you are dealing with. Not DOB, not mother’s maiden name, not DL# NOTHING!! Please by hyper vigilant.  This very well could affect your spouse and children as well.

Please make sure all the inspectors and other employees of Stanley Baker Hill and DAAR Engineering are aware of this information breach. I am hoping the AP, CNN or another major news outlet will pick this up. But…with the G20 Summit and the riots in Pittsburgh it’s difficult to get the attention of a reporter right now.

Ms Sparky

Posted in GOV. CONTRACTORS, Stanley Baker Hill (SBH), Task Force SAFE, Working Overseas. Tags: , , , , , , , , , . 195 Comments »

Spc. Beyshee Velez charged for Lucas Trent Vinson shooting death

Posted on: September 22nd, 2009 at 12:43 pm — by Ms Sparky
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US soldier charged with murder in Iraq base death

BAGHDAD — A U.S. soldier has been charged with murder in the slaying of a civilian contractor on an American base in Iraq, the military said Tuesday.

Spc. of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, was charged Monday in the Sept. 13 shooting death of a contractor who worked for Houston-based at Camp Speicher in the city of Tikrit, a military statement said.

The 31-year-old suspect faces dishonorable discharge and a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty. He is being held in Hawaii pending the outcome of the trial. He was also charged with assault and fleeing arrest.

Velez is assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.

The military statement gave no other details and said the investigation into the shooting was ongoing.

The slain KBR employee, 27-year-old , was from , Louisiana.

Authorities told Vinson’s family that he was shot three times after offering a ride to an American soldier who flagged down his vehicle on the base, according to his mother.

Vinson had worked in Iraq for five years before returning to Louisiana for a time. He returned to Iraq last year with KBR. He worked on the base with his father and uncle.

KBR is the primary support contractor in Iraq, providing troops with essential services, including housing, meals, mail delivery and laundry.

The U.S. military makes wide use of contractors in Iraq for security, technical support and supply functions.

According to an AP count, 1,396 civilian employees of U.S. government contractors have been killed in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. (click HERE for original article)

Posted in CONTRACTOR DEATHS, Indictments, Convictions & Arrests, Lucas Trent Vinson-KBR. Tags: , , , . 1 Comment »
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