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Contracted: America's Secret Warriors

Giving a gift of honor this Christmas season



I have endured physical pain and tremendous amounts of emotional suffering in ways only my brethren who have fought alongside me could ever understand. Yet, for several years, as I struggle with my own pain and suffering, many have done everything in their power to socially castrate my honor and the honor of my brethren.
I will not allow such nonsense any longer and I ask the people of the United States to stand with me. I am a defense contractor, a combat veteran, and a patriot. I love America more than life itself and all I wish this Christmas season is for Americans to understand the world of the defense contractor so we can preserve their honor similarly as we honor our own military service members. The American public has been misinformed about the defense contractor for too long. Many have suggested that we are killers of the innocent, thieves, abusers of alcohol and even drugs, warmongers, etc. All of these descriptions could never be farther from the truth. Don't allow a few rotten apples ruin the bunch. Every organization has a few bad apples. We are a breed of warriors willingly sacrificing our civilian lives for the betterment of this nation--a nation we are willing to die for. We are patriots willing to die for very few, but when it comes to America and that which it stands for, we will sacrifice everything--even our own flesh and blood.

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There is no greater love, excluding that which comes from God, than the love we have for the United States. We come from a historically implemented necessity within US national security. We are nothing new. In fact, America has a very long history of utilizing contractors to augment the US military and the intelligence community. That history actually started long before we ever became a recognized independent nation. Contractors use in American Conflicts:
  • Revolutionary War--18%
  • Mexican-American War--15%
  • US Civil War--17%
  • World War I--4%
  • World War II--12%
  • Korean war--28%
  • Vietnam --16% (excluding the large amounts of contractors who served the Central intelligence Agency)
  • 1991 Gulf war--2-5%
  • In the 1990's, over half the entire force fighting in the Balkans were contractors. Operation Iraqi Freedom peaked in 2008 with 50% of the entire fighting force comprising of contractors. Operation Enduring Freedom spiked in 2009 with approximately 52% of the entire fighting force comprising of contractors. Today in Iraq, while military forces have left the battle space, Iraq remains a war zone. On average, Iraq witnesses 140 terrorist attacks each week. Those incidents do not include the incredibly large number of assassinations which occur almost daily. But a fighting force of approximately 5,000 still exists in Iraq today. It is a fighting force executing operations per the directives of the US government and they are all contractors. Most contractors are former military veterans who already did their time. But they voluntarily continued to serve when they no longer had to. Thousands of these contractors have been killed and many more severely wounded. I have recently read an article on Wired's Danger Room. I was not appalled at the article itself. I am appalled at the ongoing misunderstandings of contractors. The comments made by some people about contractors, below the article, were repulsive. Americans can truly be ignorant. When will the ignorance stop? When will Americans realize and appreciate the heroic actions fulfilled by so many? When will Americans realize that without these truly patriotic warriors and their selfless sacrifices, our freedoms may not exist? When will we learn to appreciate and love our contractors similarly to how we claim to love our own military? I ask that you join with me on an unofficial and unorganized quest to stop the social castration of our nation's Contracted: America's Secret Warriors. All you need to do is educate the ignorant about the heroism and sacrifices made by these warriors. There is a contractor operating somewhere in this world in a very secretive capacity risking everything to ensure you maintain your freedoms. It's time we use those freedoms, especially the freedom of speech, to educate the masses about these American warriors. It's time we set the record straight and preserve their honor. It could be one of the greatest gifts you give this Christmas season. Kerry Patton, a combat disabled veteran, is the author of Contracted: America's Secret Warriors (Quiet Owl Books. December, 2012). You can follow him on Facebook or at kerry-patton.com.


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    Kerry Patton -- Bio and Archives

    Kerry Patton, a combat disabled veteran, is the author of ‘Sociocultural Intelligence: The New Discipline of Intelligence Studies’ and the children’s book ‘American Patriotism’.


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