Civilian contractors in Iraq

As the United States focuses on the over 4,000 plus soldiers who died in Iraq, the number of civilian contractors continues to grow with little or no press or respect. This is occuring in part for the U.S. Government does not and will not count or track the civilians worker injured or killed in Iraq.

As the violence of a protracted war continues and some 100,000 civilian employees struggle to rebuild the war-torn nation and support the U.S. Military, contractor casualties continue to mount. The death toll has more than tripled in the past 13 months. As of early 2007, over  400 civilian contractors had been killed in Iraq and over 4,000 have been were injured, according to Department of Labor insurance-claims statistics.

The statistics of these losses are far from complete: Two of the biggest contractors in Iraq have reported that their casualties were higher than the figures the Labor Department had reported. The dead and injured come from many walks of life, drawn by good job, benefits, money and/or patriotism. Some are American citizens. Most are not. These workers are truck drivers, police officers and translators. Their deaths and injuries are to be compensated by insurance policies that are required by federal law.  Unfortunately, many companies and insurance companies are now attempting to avoid their responsibilities if a loss occurs.

The Labor Department lists that 156 have died while employed with a L-3 Communications subsidiary in Virginia. The company  provides translators who work with the military.  All 167, of whom 15 were Americans are entitled to full benefits for their family. The Labor Department's reports that Halliburton, the largest contractor in Iraq, has had 30 employees killed in Iraq and over 2,471 injured. However Halliburton it self reports that they have lost a total of 77 workers in Iraq, Afghanistan and its base in Kuwait. One worker is unaccounted for. Halliburton could not give a breakdown by country of those killed.

The government's listing shows the contractors' casualty rate is increasing, each and every month. In the first 21 months of the war, 11 contractors were killed and 74 injured each month and every on average. This year, the monthly average death toll is 20 and the average monthly number of injured is 243.

So far this year, 196 contractors in Iraq have been killed and 2,427 have been injured, according to Labor Department statistics.

Private companies aren't obligated to report deaths to the news media, as the military does. But they're required to carry federal insurance for all their workers in Iraq and to report claims to the Labor Department under the Defense Base Act.

In the last few months news has broken that according to the Brookings Institution, there are more than 15,000 security contractors in Iraq, making independent contractors the second largest force after the U.S. military.

IF YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED OR LOST A LOVED ONE CALL US AT 1-800-862-1260.  WE CAN HELP.