One Army, One Fight?
I had mentioned once that there seems to be some conflict between the military troops and the civilians who work on base as contractors. Contractors perform much of the base maintenance services, as well as many of the services provided for the military (billeting, food preparation, housekeeping, etc.). There is a constant low rumble between the two factions, with the many military seemingly resenting our presence. Why? Why would they if we are making their lives easier here?
Easy. It's all about money.
I have no idea what the average military troop is paid. I really don't care. One thing I do know is that they are young, very young. I have socks older than the men and women I see on base each day. Yet many feel a sense of entitlement, jealousy at the perceived riches paid to the contractors for providing base services. This translates into whining about all that contractors do, or the fact that some wear the uniform incorrectly, or that some are overweight (from Stars & Stripes):
Most soldiers go out of their way to look professional in uniform, only to have overweight, unshaven and sloppy-looking contractorswearing their beloved uniform. Surely the peoplemaking these decisions can do better than this. I only ask that commanders look back to a time when the uniformwas sacred and onlyworn by soldiers who earned it.
~~
We have standards and regulations when we wear our uniforms; why, then, are contractors allowed to even wear them at all. They make a mockery of our uniform when they don’t wear it properly. Also, since we monitor ourselves and our fellow soldiers on attire, we find ourselves approaching a contractor on their uniform then realize they aren’t military. Why are they allowed to wear our uniforms?
~~
You drive by hundreds of air-conditioning units sitting idle, yet if you place awork order to have an A/C unit installed, it is denied. “There’s no money for new installations,” you are told by amanwearing a T-shirt and shorts inside a nicely cooled building. So you go back to your oven.
~~
I’m a civilian contractor in Iraq and would like to address. First, the point I agree with: The services should raise the pay for enlisted personnel. It will help retention, and they deserve it. As for the other points, I disagree. The “shameless war profiteers” I work with come from all over, but 99 percent of us have one thing in common: We’re veterans. From 20-plus-year retirees and Vietnam veterans to people who served their country and went on to do other things, we are not “shameless war profiteers,” but are people trying to secure a better future for ourselves and our families. Serving your country will not make you rich, but you have a few things to compensate.
~~
I am proud to be a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and dowhatever I can to support the men and women in uniform serving their country so bravely. The letter writer seemed upset over the portion-control issue that was short-lived and is in the past. Both the military and civilians were equally vocal on this. This is a trivial issue, although I would agree that some of us should push away from the table a little sooner, myself included.
~~
I agree that some contractors are pompous and arrogant. Others can be rather poor team players with nothing more to offer than petty complaints. For that matter, certain active-duty personnel also have the ability to exhibit the same qualities. However, a few loose cannons are not usually indicative of all contractors or active-duty members. As a contractor, I take issue with the writer’s “war profiteering” comments...Give me a break! Sure, you can “do it alone.” Nevertheless, a significant erosion in quality of life would likely occur at this base if contractors were removed from the equation.
~~
Firstly, contractors are not paid all that much. Most are here solely for the tax break that they get if they remain for a whole year. And statistics show that 70% of the contractors (in our company) do not make it through a year. In the end, what we work for, if averaged out over the whole week, is around $15-20/hour. Definitely more than you might make back in some Texas backwater, but not alot for those of us from the cities, with substantial work experience, or advanced degrees.
And benefits? We have little. We have to pay a premium for health insurance, but there are no doctors in country to treat us. The military docs will not touch us unless we are dead or dying. There is no dental, no vision, no 401K, nothing. Every four months we get ten days off, payable at straight time only, and an allotment for airfare that never covers the cost of a whole ticket. Those are our benefits.
So why are we here? Some, for a sense of adventure. Some to support the war effort. Some because they are ex-military and enjoy this environment. Me? I am proud to be called a "war profiteer." I am here for the money. Period. These are my tax dollars at work. And I intend to claim my fair share in this ridiculous endeavor. I do not support the war, but am happy if I can make someone else's life a bit better by the services that I provide through my company. I stay out of the politics of why we are here, and when we are going home. I had no job in the states, my unemployment had run out, and I had a mortgage to pay. I am here for the money. Sorry if you don't like that.
The main point is that the civilians are here voluntarily. We did not walk into a recruiting office and agree to serve the country, and then whine when we have to live up to that obligation. We are not 18. We are generally skilled, trained in our fields, and have put in 20 years or more in the workplace back home. Yes, we may be paid a little more than the soldier just out of high school. You forget, we were 18 once, and we also worked for peanuts. It is part of growing up.
And because we are generally 40+, some are overweight. Take a look around back home. About 60% of the US is now overweight. I can recall when I was 18, and I thought the worst thing in the entire world was fat people. I was so disgusted by what I thought was a lack of discipline that I wouldn't even associate with anyone who was fat. Well, guess what? I am now middle aged, and I am fat, following years of dealing with some medical issues that hindered my mobility. Shit happens, kids. At some point, you are just happy to be alive. It matters not what your container looks like.
And finally, the contractors didn't think this stuff up. The government, the one that ordered the military here, decided to contract out some services. They determine our rate of pay. They decide what services that civilians provide. And the contracting companies merely fill that need.
My SO spent time in Viet Nam. He bears the scars both physically and psychologically. For him, the conditions that the military now has in Iraq was unimaginable to them back then. He would have been thrilled for a bucket to shit in, and food that wasn't moldy. Look around you, soldier. There is a war here. Any one of us could be killed at any moment. We are all sacrificing. Be grateful for each day you are alive, and for each person that goes home more or less in one piece. Someday you will look back on this and realize that it never mattered at all that the person servicing your air conditioner was fat.
Easy. It's all about money.
I have no idea what the average military troop is paid. I really don't care. One thing I do know is that they are young, very young. I have socks older than the men and women I see on base each day. Yet many feel a sense of entitlement, jealousy at the perceived riches paid to the contractors for providing base services. This translates into whining about all that contractors do, or the fact that some wear the uniform incorrectly, or that some are overweight (from Stars & Stripes):
Most soldiers go out of their way to look professional in uniform, only to have overweight, unshaven and sloppy-looking contractorswearing their beloved uniform. Surely the peoplemaking these decisions can do better than this. I only ask that commanders look back to a time when the uniformwas sacred and onlyworn by soldiers who earned it.
~~
We have standards and regulations when we wear our uniforms; why, then, are contractors allowed to even wear them at all. They make a mockery of our uniform when they don’t wear it properly. Also, since we monitor ourselves and our fellow soldiers on attire, we find ourselves approaching a contractor on their uniform then realize they aren’t military. Why are they allowed to wear our uniforms?
~~
You drive by hundreds of air-conditioning units sitting idle, yet if you place awork order to have an A/C unit installed, it is denied. “There’s no money for new installations,” you are told by amanwearing a T-shirt and shorts inside a nicely cooled building. So you go back to your oven.
~~
I’m a civilian contractor in Iraq and would like to address. First, the point I agree with: The services should raise the pay for enlisted personnel. It will help retention, and they deserve it. As for the other points, I disagree. The “shameless war profiteers” I work with come from all over, but 99 percent of us have one thing in common: We’re veterans. From 20-plus-year retirees and Vietnam veterans to people who served their country and went on to do other things, we are not “shameless war profiteers,” but are people trying to secure a better future for ourselves and our families. Serving your country will not make you rich, but you have a few things to compensate.
~~
I am proud to be a part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and dowhatever I can to support the men and women in uniform serving their country so bravely. The letter writer seemed upset over the portion-control issue that was short-lived and is in the past. Both the military and civilians were equally vocal on this. This is a trivial issue, although I would agree that some of us should push away from the table a little sooner, myself included.
~~
I agree that some contractors are pompous and arrogant. Others can be rather poor team players with nothing more to offer than petty complaints. For that matter, certain active-duty personnel also have the ability to exhibit the same qualities. However, a few loose cannons are not usually indicative of all contractors or active-duty members. As a contractor, I take issue with the writer’s “war profiteering” comments...Give me a break! Sure, you can “do it alone.” Nevertheless, a significant erosion in quality of life would likely occur at this base if contractors were removed from the equation.
~~
Firstly, contractors are not paid all that much. Most are here solely for the tax break that they get if they remain for a whole year. And statistics show that 70% of the contractors (in our company) do not make it through a year. In the end, what we work for, if averaged out over the whole week, is around $15-20/hour. Definitely more than you might make back in some Texas backwater, but not alot for those of us from the cities, with substantial work experience, or advanced degrees.
And benefits? We have little. We have to pay a premium for health insurance, but there are no doctors in country to treat us. The military docs will not touch us unless we are dead or dying. There is no dental, no vision, no 401K, nothing. Every four months we get ten days off, payable at straight time only, and an allotment for airfare that never covers the cost of a whole ticket. Those are our benefits.
So why are we here? Some, for a sense of adventure. Some to support the war effort. Some because they are ex-military and enjoy this environment. Me? I am proud to be called a "war profiteer." I am here for the money. Period. These are my tax dollars at work. And I intend to claim my fair share in this ridiculous endeavor. I do not support the war, but am happy if I can make someone else's life a bit better by the services that I provide through my company. I stay out of the politics of why we are here, and when we are going home. I had no job in the states, my unemployment had run out, and I had a mortgage to pay. I am here for the money. Sorry if you don't like that.
The main point is that the civilians are here voluntarily. We did not walk into a recruiting office and agree to serve the country, and then whine when we have to live up to that obligation. We are not 18. We are generally skilled, trained in our fields, and have put in 20 years or more in the workplace back home. Yes, we may be paid a little more than the soldier just out of high school. You forget, we were 18 once, and we also worked for peanuts. It is part of growing up.
And because we are generally 40+, some are overweight. Take a look around back home. About 60% of the US is now overweight. I can recall when I was 18, and I thought the worst thing in the entire world was fat people. I was so disgusted by what I thought was a lack of discipline that I wouldn't even associate with anyone who was fat. Well, guess what? I am now middle aged, and I am fat, following years of dealing with some medical issues that hindered my mobility. Shit happens, kids. At some point, you are just happy to be alive. It matters not what your container looks like.
And finally, the contractors didn't think this stuff up. The government, the one that ordered the military here, decided to contract out some services. They determine our rate of pay. They decide what services that civilians provide. And the contracting companies merely fill that need.
My SO spent time in Viet Nam. He bears the scars both physically and psychologically. For him, the conditions that the military now has in Iraq was unimaginable to them back then. He would have been thrilled for a bucket to shit in, and food that wasn't moldy. Look around you, soldier. There is a war here. Any one of us could be killed at any moment. We are all sacrificing. Be grateful for each day you are alive, and for each person that goes home more or less in one piece. Someday you will look back on this and realize that it never mattered at all that the person servicing your air conditioner was fat.
posted by akantha at 4:36 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home