The Price of The Good Life

“I think war is a dangerous place.” – George W. Bush

Friday, on my flight home from London, I sat next to a soldier. I assumed he was a soldier until we started talking. He is a Blackwater Security consultant on “vacation” from Baghdad. It took me a minute, but I quickly remembered why I knew the name Blackwater.

CNN is always a click away to refresh our memory, “Blackwater Security Consulting — whose four employees were viciously killed and their corpses mutilated by a mob in Fallujah, Iraq — is one of a growing number of private security contractors that are hiring veterans for jobs previously assigned to the military.”

I’ll call my seat mate Mark. Mark is a 38-year-old soldier for hire. Actually, we spoke about his title at length and finally settled on the appropriate term of “contractor” instead of mercenary. He’s been in Iraq for two years and was heading home to Arkansas for a six month break. Mark makes over $200,000 a year. He told me this after I asked if it was worth risking his life for a job.

In his mind, it was. The money has changed his life. So I asked what he was doing with it. He bought a new truck because he said he deserved something nice. He also has paid off his mortgage, provided living expenses for his wife and children, and the rest sits in an “investment” account.

His story is similar to others. One interview mentioned a Blackwater contractor named Gonzo. Nic Robertson writes, “Like most contractors, Gonzo is ex-military and has specific personal reasons for being in Iraq and facing the danger. A veteran of the first Gulf War, he says he can earn in three months what it would take him a year to get in the United States. ‘My wife and I are pretty frugal. My goal is pretty simple — I just want to be able to pay off a house and some property.’ He holds up a picture of his three children. ‘We all have to be over here for a reason. Mine’s so that I can provide a better life for my wife and kids.'”

A better life. But at what price? And is the risk worth the reward? Mark said his life will be easy once he’s done in Iraq. Given the opportunity, would you do the same?