private military contractor (mercenaries)

anyone been one and whats it like, i was medically discharged from the army, read my other post to know more on that, i signed an application for dyncorp(they guard stuff in afghanisatn), but i dont know if i will here from them, i am in the process of becoming a correctional officer but if dyncorp does call, my desire to serve even if i cant do it conventionally comes first plus 160,000 for one year of work( uncle sam was paying alot less) if i come back( i have no problem dying if its for a cause i belive in)

[Hack]

Originally Posted by jblevins

anyone been one and whats it like, i was medically discharged from the army, read my other post to know more on that, i signed an application for dyncorp(they guard stuff in afghanisatn), but i dont know if i will here from them, i am in the process of becoming a correctional officer but if dyncorp does call, my desire to serve even if i cant do it conventionally comes first plus 160,000 for one year of work( uncle sam was paying alot less) if i come back( i have no problem dying if its for a cause i belive in)

I know of someone who tried it. I have heard that you get placed in risky situations with them. Stuff like burning poppy fields and such. If you get on, be careful.

[Arkimedes]

A friend of mine just finished up a stint with Blackwater. He had served for 4 years prior in the marines when Blackwater hired him.

How it worked for him was he signed a one year contract and got part of his contract money every three months for one year. He worked for 5 1/2 months took a 1 month PAID vacation then finished his final 5 1/2 months. With Blackwater, you must have prior military or law enforcement experience, generally a minimum of 2 years. Some problems with a para-military operation is that there is very little in the way of actual accountability. Another is that it is VERY difficult for these companies to get their supplies into the countries in question so getting re-supplied can be a royal pain in the @$$.

If you were to apply, they take a serious look at your background. If there is a medical issue, it's not necessarily an automatic disqualification, but they do take it into account.

If you get the call back from Dyncorp with an offer and the moneys right, it might be worth a look into it. Be warned though. If you go over to either Afghanistan or Iraq, you'll be an instant target, even more so than the military. Also, many in the military look down upon private contractors.

The decision ultimately is up to you as to what route to take of course. I'm merely relaying what was told to me by someone that's done both military and private contract work.

[Crosstimbers Okie]

I've heard very little that's positive about Dyncorp.

[robeans]

There is a huge difference between what Dyncorp does and the so called Mercs in Iraq and Afgan. Dyncorp has security guards. To get a "merc" job with Blackwater or a like company, you need to have a special operator background. It isn't a bad job, it has some risk, but not a lot. Also I'm very supprised at the money. From what I know security guards for Dyncorp only make 50-60k tax free. Either way, you need to know what your getting into over there, if you haven't been, afgan is a real crap hole.

Either way, good luck.

[mepilotunot]

Well I come from that background and yes the money is good! But is it worth the risk? You have to put a price tag on your life and money is not everything. BW will have an issue with a medical discharge and I would have to say that the background and military check was very precise to say the least. There are countless firms from several countries for anyone interested in this feild and some easier then Dyncorp. As far as support and logistics go....just look to see who has the fatest gov contract. You will be pissed on by media, locals and sometimes your own. Many soldiers get pissed when they work alongside someone making 200g a year vs. the E-4 pay. As far as background they look for x operators as mentioned above as well as other skills, k-9, close in protection, pilots. They look for leaders...Sgt and above! Special Ops Officers! You have to be trained before you get to them. BW has a few week course to bring up to speed on the mission then hit the ground running. It all depends on what you have to offer them.

Im done with that and will never consider it in the future! I will miss the high speed training and my heart pounding as adrenaline flows everytime I walked out the door. The wife-to-be shed some light on the situation!

even if everyone hates me i would still do it doesnt feel right to me that our soldiers are over there, and im safe back home where everyine doesnt seem to care about over there, i am not afraid to die, i know it sounds crazy but the thought of fighting in a war had never bothered me, as for money anything better than the less than 10,000 a year i make in retail, also its been a while since ive applied i doubt i will here anything from them.

[robeans]

Originally Posted by jblevins

even if everyone hates me i would still do it doesnt feel right to me that our soldiers are over there, and im safe back home where everyine doesnt seem to care about over there, i am not afraid to die, i know it sounds crazy but the thought of fighting in a war had never bothered me, as for money anything better than the less than 10,000 a year i make in retail, also its been a while since ive applied i doubt i will here anything from them.

If you are applying for Dyna Corp, your not going to see crap. Dyna Corp hires security guards for logistics bases and the such, they do not hire "Mercs" to go out and capture Haji's. Like mepilotunot said, if you want to work for Black Water or a like organization, you need to have a Special Operations background. If you want to do something high speed over there, then become a Cop here, then after a couple of years you can take a leave of absence and go be an Iraqi Police instructor. Actually I know CO's who have gone over to do the same thing. But either way, Iraq sucks and I hope no American ever has to go back to that **** hole again.

Check this it - Blackwater security firm banned from Iraq - CNN.com