January 12, 2010
Billie Joe Craig was the guest speaker of the day, introduced by longtime friend Tommy Tompkins. BJ has a long history in law enforcement and discussed with us some of the misconceptions and settled many rumors related to 'contracting'. BJ Started his career in the military and later moved to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office. After leaving the CCSO, he moved to Gainesville and began working at the Gainesville Police Department. Feeling unfulfilled in his position and after being dared to apply for a job with the military contracting company Blackwater, he was surprised to find himself in the middle of training with a group of men 20+ years his junior. At age 49 he deployed to Iraq to provide security for VIPs needing transportation to and from meetings. He now works for Triple Canopy providing training in the green zone.
BJ Discussed how the contractors were required to behave, and spoke of the recent problems experienced by other contractors. He lamented that in these uncertain times, it is not a job that is to be taken lightly. The political fallout can be especially difficult as the possibility exists to be "thrown under the bus" on a daily basis. Understandably these contractors do not operate under the guise of mercenaries as many have portrayed them, instead they are there to merely provide security to the person(s) they are escorting. "If we are attacked, our job is to protect the principle and get them to a safe location as quickly as possible". He characterized the role of contractors as being security guards with the added responsibility of being in a hostile territory. If there is military action to be taken, it is always handled by the military. "The notion that we are hired to fight a war is wrong"
BJ now works almost exclusively in the 'green zone' providing ongoing training, and although the threat of violence still exists, the security of working there is a bonus to those deployed. The type of people who work in these locations are always discharged or retired military and almost always have a history of work in law enforcement, but he did note that "it takes a very special kind of person to do this work". Indeed, even though the pay scale starts at around $140k per year annualized, the work is very dangerous. The maximum deployment is generally 108 days and the contractor must then "leave country". He also put to rest the myth that the pay was 'tax free', indicating that the maximum deployment time was considerably less than the IRS requirement for tax free status.
