CONTRACTOR DEATHS – Ms Sparky

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Air Force completes Kabul shooting investigation

By Forseti | Filed in A Soldiers Story, CONTRACTOR DEATHS, GOV. CONTRACTORS, Reports & Investigations

Photo courtesy GlobalSecurity.org

WASHINGTON (AFNS)- January 17, 2012 - The Air Force completed its investigation into the April 27, 2011 shooting incident at the Afghanistan air force Headquarters located in Kabul, Afghanistan, in which eight U.S. Air Force Airmen and one civilian contractor were killed in the line of duty while serving in a combat zone.

The incident occurred when an Afghanistan air force officer, Col. Ahmed Gul, entered the Afghan Command and Control Center in the Afghanistan air force headquarters, North Kabul International Airport, and shot and killed the eight Airmen and one civilian contractor. In addition to the U.S. personnel killed, two Afghans were shot and three other Afghans were injured in the attack. The attacker died of wounds received during the incident.

The investigation report concludes Gul acted alone and discusses factors that may have played a role in the incident. While the investigation did not determine a conclusive motive for the killing, the attack appeared to be pre-meditated and there were multiple witness statements in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations report that indicated Gul may have had personal issues that were possibly compounded by alleged financial problems.

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Tags: Capt. Charles A. Ransom, Capt. Nathan J. Nylander, Col. Ahmed Gul, James McLaughlin Jr., Kabul, Lt. Col. Frank D. Bryant Jr., Maj. David L. Brodeur, Maj. Jeffrey O. Ausborn, Maj. Philip D. Ambard, Maj. Raymond G. Estelle Jr., Master Sgt. Tara R. Brown, MPRI

Three killed as civilian helicopter crashes in Afghanistan (Updated)

By Forseti | Filed in CONTRACTOR DEATHS

Michael Clawson, who worked for AAR Airlift of Chicago, was in Afghanistan doing work for the U.S. Defense Department. ~Tribune Star, Terre Haute, Indiana

James Scott Ozier, 30, of Imperial, died Monday, January 16, 2012 in a helicopter accident while working in Afghanistan. ~ Beaver County Times

Todd Walker of Arkansas packed a lot of life into his 48 years…

…On Monday, however, Darrell and Jan Walker of Rice Lake received a phone call that their son had died in Afghanistan. The company Todd worked for, Wood Dale, Ill.-based AAR Airlift, reported that a helicopter carrying a crew of three employees, including Todd, was involved in an accident in Helmand Province at about 10:45 a.m. Monday. ~Liam Marlaire, Leader Telegram

(Deutsche Presse-Agentur) – Kandahar, Afghanistan – January 16, 2012 – A civilian helicopter crashed in the southern Afghan province of Helmand Monday, killing all three foreign nationals on board, the authorities said.

Helmand’s deputy police chief, Qamarudin Shirzad, said the helicopter crashed in Nad Ali district probably because of technical problems. ‘The area has been secured now,’ he said.

A security official who confirmed the three deaths, but could not verify the nationalities of the victims, said: ‘The helicopter was completely destroyed by the impact and subsequent fire.’

A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said, ‘We can only confirm that a civilian helicopter has crashed in Helmand.’

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Tags: AAR Corp., ARR Airlift, Civilian Deaths, DoD*, James Scott Ozier, Michael Clawson, NATO, Todd Walker

KBR, Halliburton Won’t Face Trial in Iraq Convoy Driver Deaths, Court Says

By Ms Sparky | Filed in CONTRACTOR DEATHS, Fisher vs KBR, Good Friday Massacre, GOV. CONTRACTORS, LAWSUITS, Lawsuits Against KBR, LOGCAP III - KBR

By Laurel Brubaker Calkins and Margaret Cronin Fisk - Jan 12, 2012 3:55 PM CT

(Bloomberg News) – Halliburton Co. (HAL), won’t face a jury on claims they sent unarmed civilian convoy drivers into an Iraqi battle zone in 2004, knowing the workers would be injured or killed, an appeals court ruled.

The U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans today ruled the drivers’ claims were blocked by the Defense Base Act, a U.S. law that shields military contractors from lawsuits. The drivers were attacked and injured because of their role in support operations for the U.S. Army, which is covered under that statute, the judges said.

“Coverage of an injury under the DBA precludes an employee from recovering from his employer,” even if the worker claims the company was “substantially certain” the injuries would occur, U.S. Circuit Judge Priscilla R. Owen said in a 30-page ruling by the panel.

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Tags: Defense Base Act, Fisher vs KBR, Good Friday Massacre, Halliburton, Judge Gray Miller, Tommy Fibich

KBR Driver Prevails in Suit Over Convoy Danger in Iraq

By Ms Sparky | Filed in CONTRACTOR DEATHS, Fisher vs KBR, GOV. CONTRACTORS, LAWSUITS, Lawsuits Against KBR, LOGCAP III - KBR

KBR Settles Suit Over Driver’s Claim Company Knew of Danger to Iraq Convoy

By Margaret Cronin Fisk and Laurel Brubaker Calkins – Jan 10, 2012 10:17 AM PT

KBR Inc. (KBR) settled a lawsuit brought by an injured convoy driver who claimed the company sent civilians into a battle zone in Iraq in 2004 knowing they would be attacked and possibly killed, according to a court filing.

Reginald Cecil Lane, the driver, reached a “confidential settlement” with KBR and its former parent, Halliburton Co. (HAL), his lawyer, Tommy Fibich, said yesterday in court papers. Lane and the defendants asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, according to the filing.

“Lane was severely injured in the attack, and his wife died during the pendency of the case,” Fibich said today in a phone interview. He declined to comment further on the settlement, citing the confidentiality agreement.

KBR, a Houston-based government contractor, was also sued by the families of seven drivers who were killed in Iraq. The company is appealing a ruling by U.S. District Judge Gray Miller in Houston allowing the suits to go forward. The other claims haven’t been settled, Scott Allen, a lawyer for the families, said today in a phone interview.

Sharon Bolen, a KBR spokeswoman, didn’t immediately comment on the settlement with Lane, which was reached in late December, according to appeals court records. Beverly Stafford, a Halliburton spokeswoman, didn’t immediately respond to a call or e-mail seeking comment on the settlement.

Recruited Workers
The drivers and their families claim KBR officials fraudulently recruited workers for safe jobs in Iraq and intentionally sent unarmed civilians into a recognized combat zone in April 2004. The military-supply contract gave company officials the right to refuse assignments deemed too dangerous for civilians, according to the complaints. Read the remainder of this entry »

Tags: David Kasanow, Fisher vs KBR, Good Friday Massacre, Halliburton, Judge Gray Miller, Lane vs KBR, Lawrence Ebner, Reginald Cecil Lane, Sharon Bolen, Tommy Fibich

Triple Canopy contractor Sean Ferguson killed in Iraq

By Forseti | Filed in CONTRACTOR DEATHS, GOV. CONTRACTORS, Security Contractors

A memorial service will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel located at the corner of Caldwell Ave. and Chinowth St. in Visalia on Saturday, November 19, at 10 a.m.

Jordan said the family was told Sean died of “natural causes,” not from any wounds. And it wasn’t immediately clear if he was working when he died. ~ Click HERE for article
Sean Ferguson of Visalia, who earned two Purple Hearts for his military service in Iraq, died there Saturday of natural causes, a friend of his family said today.

Ferguson, 29, is the son of Tulare County Superior Court Judge Darryl Ferguson. ~Click HERE for article

Mt. Whitney High School Grad Dies While Working in Iraq

(KMPH) – VISALIA, Calif. – November 14, 2011 - A Visalia family is mourning the loss of their son in Iraq.
29-year-old Sean Ferguson received two Purple Hearts while serving our country. He joined the U.S. Army in August 2001 and retired eight years later as a Staff Sergeant after he was hurt in combat.

He returned to Baghdad to work for Triple Canopy, a private contractor that provides security and mission support services to government agencies and other organizations.

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Tags: Civilian Deaths, Iraq, Sean Ferguson, Triple Canopy