My email to Ramstein Air base re Hamill (civilian) transport/ treatment

Is anyone else confused (or angry) about this civilian truck driver being transported, billeted, and cared for by our military?

He works for a private civilian company.

If you think I'm overreacting, please let me know.


To: 435abw.pa@ramstein.af.mil

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am profoundly confused as to why Thomas Hamill, a civilian Halliburton truck driver, has been airlifted to the base at Ramstein.

Did the military pay for this transport (and any subsequent medical treatment)?

Is this SOP?

Who approved this use of American taxpayer dollars?

Will you bill Halliburton for the full cost of this civilian's transport, lodging, and treatment?

Halliburton's benefits program is well known to those of us from Texas:

The Halliburton Benefits Program
The Halliburton Benefits Program provides you with the benefit plans and tools you need to manage your and your family’s health care expenses, financial security, and other personal needs and goals. The program offers:
Value - Halliburton shares in the cost of your benefits so that you have access to quality benefits at a price you can afford.
Choice - Halliburton believes that no one knows what you need better than you do. The benefits program is designed so that you may choose the benefits that are right for you and your family — benefits that provide the level of security you need.
Convenience - Halliburton knows your time is valuable. The Halliburton Benefits Center and its automated systems allow you to request and receive personalized information about your benefits online or by phone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Your Benefit Options
Halliburton benefits fall into three categories:

* Health and Group Benefits
* Retirement and Savings
* Other programs including the Educational Assistance Program and Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Thank you for your time.

Despite whatever strong feelings you have about the war, remember that the man is an American captured and held by people who may have intended to kill him.

Any and every means available should have been used to aid in his rescue, and it would have been completely unacceptable and outrageous if the military had refused to help him. It's unthinkable. When a person's life is on the line and he's had the fortitude to escape his captors, no one should stop him and ask who his employer is before offering help. That's just too petty.

The Pentagon can bill Haliburton for the cost.

why doesn't Daniel Pearls widow not get anything again?

I'm not sure what you mean by that, or what that has to do with this.

Could you explain?

Islamic militant underground.


"Daniel Pearl, like the 3,000 innocent people who died in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, is a victim of policies pursued by the United States. Their deaths are the consequence of reckless and reactionary decisions made in Washington, in pursuit of oil and other imperialist geo-strategic interests, over the last 20 years."

"on the very day that Pearl’s murder was confirmed, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted that US troops had mistakenly killed 16 anti-Taliban Afghan fighters, but refused to apologize."

"The widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is seeking compensation from the September 11 victims' fund, saying her husband, like the victims of the attacks, was a U.S. citizen targeted by Islamic extremists."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/Northeast/03/30/pearl.widow.ap/

http://wsws.org/articles/2002/feb2002/pear-f23.shtml

I'm just not seeing how it's related to Hamill or the discussion in this thread. Maybe if you could explain...

making the comparison that the truck driver guy is a civilian, doing a civilian job, same as Daniel Pearl. There was no rescue mission for him, no compensation for his family from the government, no GOP welcome wagon, and no military flight home for his body. I'm in no way belittling the truck drivers ordeal, just pointing out that these two "private" citizens did not get the same attention by the government.

Using your quote, "Despite whatever strong feelings you have about the war, remember that the man is an American captured and held by people who may have intended to kill him.

Any and every means available should have been used to aid in his rescue, and it would have been completely unacceptable and outrageous if the military had refused to help him", the same could be said for Daniel Pearl only not only did they intend to kill him, they did.

kinda past the deadline on that one. Now his widow and new-born child, well a little help there would be nice.

Welfare, foodstamps, whatever.

Yeah if they knew where Pearl was before he was killed they probably could have gone in killed the bad guys and transported Pearl to safety, but once he was dead the military cant provide long term social services to civillians.

the military did nothing. Even if they new where he was its highly unlikely they would have sent in a team for one guy.

I'm responding to this quote,

"Despite whatever strong feelings you have about the war, remember that the man is an American captured and held by people who may have intended to kill him. Any and every means available should have been used to aid in his rescue.."

I'm saying Daniel Pearl was also an American who did not get this attention. There are many cases of captured Americans, all over the world who were never helped by the state department other than comforting the families. American workers get kidnapped in Central America and the government doesn't foot the bill, the companies and/or the families do.

If we remove the context of war from this scenario and say this truck driver was kidnapped in Iraq from a construction site would we be having this discussion?

Also we have to remember that the "embedded" journalists signed a paper saying that they would be responsible for their own well being. I've read the document and can find the link if need be.

As far as long term social services to Pearl's widow I didn't mean that. What I meant was her case that she should be entitled to some of the 9-11 victim's funds. I'm on the fence there. I haven't decided on what would be the right thing to do in that case.

I think it looks like this guy is getting the military benefits - but with a better salary and without military restrictions.

I think the military/civilian status is getting very confused and it's a bad deal all around - esp. for enlisted people and the taxpayers.

around and bill his health insurance provider and/or Halliburton. I've got bigger things to worry about, namely bringing our troops home. :hi:

You're way off base. Would you prefer for a man who has a bullet wound and was just held hostage for three weeks and needs treatment for an infection not be taken care of? Who do you think transported our freed hostages who were released in Beirut?

not really way off base I don't think. Its a weird war with civilians doing weird jobs in hostile environments. We could look at it this way. Say an American climbing team is on Everest and they are attacked by militants, does the US government fly them out or does the sponsors of the expedition handle it? These scenerios have taken place and its usually left up to the individuals or companies and even sponsors to get them home. About the only time the government gets involved if there is political gain. I think that the author of this thread is making that point, this is a politically motivated issue by where bush* will parade this man up and down main street America. I may be wrong.

If given time I'm sure I can find links to stories of Americans having to find their way out of harms way without the help of the government.

is to protect and extricate American civillians from dangers abroad.

This is why when there is some crisis in some random country we will most times send the Marines in to evacuate Americans from the embassy and whatnot.

"Its a weird war with civilians doing weird jobs in hostile environments."

In most wars there is always civillian involvement.

"We could look at it this way. Say an American climbing team is on Everest and they are attacked by militants, does the US government fly them out or does the sponsors of the expedition handle it?"

Well if that government lets us fly in there and there is some sort of decent plan to solve the problem then probably yeah.

"About the only time the government gets involved if there is political gain. I think that the author of this thread is making that point, this is a politically motivated issue by where bush* will parade this man up and down main street America. I may be wrong."

I think you are wrong, the government does along to help civillians abroad if there is political gain or not. However you will only hear much about it on the media if there is political gain.

"If given time I'm sure I can find links to stories of Americans having to find their way out of harms way without the help of the government."

Well the government cant help everyone.

gets to choose? And what is the criteria?

your quote, "Well the government cant help everyone"

I think that the author of this thread is making that point, this is a politically motivated issue by where bush* will parade this man up and down main street America.

I think you are right. Thank you for saying all that you have said here.

I have no problem with anyone who is in a position to do so and offers to get someone out of harm's way, but the wife is being flown to Germany for the reunion, and at whose expense? Mine? Yours? Surely Mrs. Pearl's husband is more than deserving of honor and she could certainly use a bit of extra help.

Check out this site: http://www.danielpearl.org/

Take notice that "the Daniel Pearl Foundation was formed in memory of journalist Daniel Pearl to further the ideals that inspired Daniel's life and work. The foundation's mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and innovative communications.

Seems to me that those goals are far more worthy than the goal of making more money for a multi-billion dollar corporation bent on controlling the oil resources of another nation.

I was beginning to think I was debating a loosing battle :) had my first post deleted this morning in another thread and I have no idea why. I almost gave up trying to be the wise old man.

I can't take it anymore, over a thousand posts and someone is going delete happy on me.

Halliburton has contracts with the U.S. on a cost plus basis. So medical care for their personnel would be one of their costs, then we taxpayers would pay not only that cost, but also their profits on providing this service.

But I object to him having ONE BED that might be needed by a serviceman, or ONE MILITARY DOCTOR'S SERVICES.If Halliburton wants medical services for their personnel, they can set up an arrangement in Kuwait.

country gets into the trouble, will the U.S. military use any of it's vast tax payer provided assets to aid and assist them? I thought that when you left this country, you were pretty much on your own. This is what I learned ten years ago when I was contemplating working overseas.

so many stories to back up your claim I wouldn't begin to know where to look. I'm sure we could find tons of cases where American's we're stuck in 3rd world countries, held by extremists and the US government did nothing. Guess I'll start looking because it looks like that is the only way out of this debate :)

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

I think the situation would be different if an employee of a private company was kidnapped in another foreign country. The coalition military is the governing authority at this time.

Also, wasn't there some uprising in the Caribean back during the Reagan administration where U.S. citizens attending a medical school were rescued by the military? I don't think this is a precedent.