REPORT: Blackwater Goons Fueled by Drugs and Steroids

[AuH20]

Animals coming to a street near you.

http://www.thenation.com/blog/154977...t-its-shooters

Lowry says in the deposition that he was a close friend of Jerry Zovko, one of the four Blackwater men killed in the infamous ambush in Fallujah, Iraq in March 2004. Zovko, Lowry says, "provided me tremendous insight into the company and confirmed that the use of steroids and human growth hormone, testosterone, were pretty endemic to them and almost companywide." Lowry said that it was a "wide-ranging problem, and this included individuals that were on [L. Paul] Bremer's personal detail." Bremer was guarded by Blackwater when he ran the CPA from 2003-2004. Lowry says he would purchase the drugs for Blackwater "by the case," adding, "It was as large a quantity as I could get, which was usually a case." He said that the "volume I was being asked to purchase on a daily basis was going up substantially as time went on."

Lowry also claims that he purchased a wide variety of weapons, ammunition and armor for Blackwater on the black market in Baghdad. "I purchased no less than a hundred AK47s for Blackwater personnel to keep them safe," Lowry says. Such purchases, he says he believed, were necessary because Blackwater was not adequately arming its personnel.

Lowry also describes instances of Blackwater personnel firing randomly at Iraqi pedestrians and into buildings for no apparent reason. He details one night where several Blackwater operatives were at his hotel drinking until 5am. When they left, Lowry says, they fired their weapons at random as they drove off. Lowry describes parties that he says some Blackwater personnel would throw at the al Hamra hotel in Baghdad that he says were like "a frat party" with rampant drug use:

One of the suites would be absolutely packed with gentlemen running around with either no clothes on, no shirt on. It was like a frat party gone wild. Drug use was rampant. There was cocaine all on the tables. There were blocks of hash, and you could smell it in the air…walking up to the door.

Lowry described one party where "there was a pile of cocaine that one Blackwater person had estimated to be over an ounce of coke." Lowry said, "to me, considering the job that these gentlemen are doing…at that time [they] were protecting the US ambassador, Ambassador Bremer, seemed a little bit out—well, beyond out of control. And these parties were a weekly ritual." Lowry alleges that at these parties on several occasions Blackwater personnel would pull out AK47s and go out onto the balcony and "would just spray the building next door, which housed Iraqi civilians."

[specsaregood]

//

[oyarde]

I've never seen a frat party that was filled with lots of naked men running around. Must be what I missed by not joining, sounds gay.

Way too gay for me

[oyarde]

I just figured they were running around chewing som Khat

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

Coke is probably a performance enhancing drug in their situation. Steroids, obviously. Neither of those things would surprise me at all.

What I don't understand is why they would want ak-47s when they should have had access to superior rifles.

[jmdrake]

[specsaregood]

What I don't understand is why they would want ak-47s when they should have had access to superior rifles.

Might prove useful if you want to kill people and blame it on the "enemy".

[dannno]

It's very possible that he didn't mention the hookers.

Maybe he's married.

[Jingles]

If I was in the middle of a battlefield I would want to be on a ton of opiates and benzos, personally.

[RiseAgainst]

Coke is probably a performance enhancing drug in their situation. Steroids, obviously. Neither of those things would surprise me at all.

What I don't understand is why they would want ak-47s when they should have had access to superior rifles.

Like what, M-16s and M-4s? Guns that jam if you look at them wrong? There is a reason AK's are so proliferate around the world, they are superior.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

Like what, M-16s and M-4s? Guns that jam if you look at them wrong? There is a reason AK's are so proliferate around the world, they are superior.

Uh, I'm gonna disagree. Reliability matters in ugly circumstances where you NEVER clean your guns, etc. But if you are really right, let's hear you explain why the US military doesn't use AKs.

Anyone else want to chime in as the AK being the best rifle you can have if you are blackwater or otherwise financed by the US government?

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

AKs are well priced ghetto rifles, for the most part.

[RiseAgainst]

Uh, I'm gonna disagree. Reliability matters in ugly circumstances where you NEVER clean your guns, etc. But if you are really right, let's hear you explain why the US military doesn't use AKs.

Anyone else want to chime in as the AK being the best rifle you can have if you are blackwater or otherwise financed by the US government?

Uh, okay. I carried them in combat, and I would far prefer an AK to an M16/M4. For CQB I'll take an AK any time, other possibilities being SMGs which lose their flexibility in long ranges. If you're talking about long-range accuracy, again the M16 is not a preferable weapon to the AK, and for my money I'll take an M1A over either.

[RiseAgainst]

AKs are well priced ghetto rifles, for the most part.

And this is from combat experience with various weapon systems?

[Demigod]

Coke is probably a performance enhancing drug in their situation. Steroids, obviously. Neither of those things would surprise me at all.

What I don't understand is why they would want ak-47s when they should have had access to superior rifles.

Because they would need to worry about things like ambushes and convoy attacks.This are engagements in less that 100 meters.At that range it doesn't matter which rifle you use you can not miss.On the other hand the AK has a bullet that can go trough most things and kills at first shot

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

And this is from combat experience with various weapon systems?

No, not at all. I have no combat experience or weapons. I just read a bunch of message boards.

So being that I'm so uninformed, maybe you can explain to me why an AK is the best you can get.

Because they would need to worry about things like ambushes and convoy attacks.This are engagements in less that 100 meters.At that range it doesn't matter which rifle you use you can not miss.On the other hand the AK has a bullet that can go trough most things and kills at first shot

I understand why an AK might be adequate, but I don't see why it would be a first choice for someone like blackwater under any circumstance. Tell me how a round from an AK beats other things when you have no resource constrictions.

[presence]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compari..._AK-47_and_M16

Reliability of the M16 was improved with the M16A1 version

[Pericles]

In that case, you are the first operator I've run across that lists an AK as a first choice:

[FindLiberty]

This is the likely outcome after combining basic training, powerful weapons,
PSYOPS propaganda and an ample supply of psychotropic drugs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...61J5RYqo#t=39s

[jmdrake]

Coke is probably a performance enhancing drug in their situation. Steroids, obviously. Neither of those things would surprise me at all.

What I don't understand is why they would want ak-47s when they should have had access to superior rifles.

From the article:

Lowry also claims that he purchased a wide variety of weapons, ammunition and armor for Blackwater on the black market in Baghdad. "I purchased no less than a hundred AK47s for Blackwater personnel to keep them safe," Lowry says. Such purchases, he says he believed, were necessary because Blackwater was not adequately arming its personnel.

When in the Baghdad arms market, buy what the Baghdad arms market has.

[slamhead]

I have no problem with blackwater. If there is a market for it then so be it. In a Ron Paul world there would be more of a market for it when we do not commit our troops and the oil companies and banks would have to pay their own way and hire blackwater to do their bidding for them. Hell if I was a soldier with combat experience and I could take a job for over 100K I would do it. The problem is not that a company like blackwater exists, the problem is that the government engages in corporatism with them.

[Demigod]

No, not at all. I have no combat experience or weapons. I just read a bunch of message boards.

So being that I'm so uninformed, maybe you can explain to me why an AK is the best you can get.



I understand why an AK might be adequate, but I don't see why it would be a first choice for someone like blackwater under any circumstance. Tell me how a round from an AK beats other things when you have no resource constrictions.

The second bullet is an AK round,the sixth is a NATO 5,56 NATO Round. The 5,56 is used by all western made weapons and even by some more modern types of AK's.Do you see the difference now ?

The AK round can go trough doors,walls ,cars and in close range body armor does not really help.If you get hit in an ankle,knee or any other joint it can cut an arm or a leg,a round or 2 in the neck can even lead to decapitation.This is because the Soviets were to lazy to develop new rounds for the assault riffles so the basically shorthened old rifle rounds which have a small entry hole but leave a crater when exiting. If you take an AK hit to the body you will go down and there is no question about it.

Now I am not very familiar with modern weapons as most here are so they can tell you but as far as I know except for the Belgian FAL (which a very big gun and not usable for urban warfare although its rounds can go not just trough walls but houses ) and some sub machine guns with the .45 round all other modern western rifles have inferior bullet power to the AK.

This is just my opinion many here know a lot more about guns.

[Pericles]

The second bullet is an AK round,the sixth is a NATO 5,56 NATO Round. The 5,56 is used by all western made weapons and even by some more modern types of AK's.Do you see the difference now ?

The AK round can go trough doors,walls ,cars and in close range body armor does not really help.If you get hit in an ankle,knee or any other joint it can cut an arm or a leg,a round or 2 in the neck can even lead to decapitation.This is because the Soviets were to lazy to develop new rounds for the assault riffles so the basically shorthened old rifle rounds which have a small entry hole but leave a crater when exiting. If you take an AK hit to the body you will go down and there is no question about it.

Now I am not very familiar with modern weapons as most here are so they can tell you but as far as I know except for the Belgian FAL (which a very big gun and not usable for urban warfare although its rounds can go not just trough walls but houses ) and some sub machine guns with the .45 round all other modern western rifles have inferior bullet power to the AK.

This is just my opinion many here know a lot more about guns.

Things have changed in the last 20 years. The world's armies (with a possible exception in some backwaters) have standardized on either the 5.56 x 45 NATO, 5.45 x 39, or 5.8 Chinese rounds. The 7.62 x 39, and thus the AK-47 and SKS can now only be found in in use by backwaters of the world, 3rd world insurgents, and US militia ninjas.

The full size rounds such as the 7.62 x 51 NATO are used in medium machine guns for suppression and firepower, and in designated marksman / sniper roles.

Any modern body armor (meaning SAPI plates) will stop at least 3 rounds of anything up to .30 cal AP.

[Demigod]

Things have changed in the last 20 years. The world's armies (with a possible exception in some backwaters) have standardized on either the 5.56 x 45 NATO, 5.45 x 39, or 5.8 Chinese rounds. The 7.62 x 39, and thus the AK-47 and SKS can now only be found in in use by backwaters of the world, 3rd world insurgents, and US militia ninjas.

The full size rounds such as the 7.62 x 51 NATO are used in medium machine guns for suppression and firepower, and in designated marksman / sniper roles.

Any modern body armor (meaning SAPI plates) will stop at least 3 rounds of anything up to .30 cal AP.

As I said all modern army's use the NATO round ( Except Eastern European countries to some point ) but what they sell at markets are not modern guns they are 90% of the time Soviet and Eastern European stored weapons that were sold everywhere when the SU fell apart.

Those weapons use the old 7.62 mm round.

[MoneyWhereMyMouthIs2]

This is just my opinion many here know a lot more about guns.

Thanks for giving me a serious and in-depth explanation of your opinion. I really appreciate it. I'm also not knowledgeable enough to refute it, but it was well presented and something for me to think about.

And I did see that the reason given in the article was that blackwater was not being adequately armed. My impression was that blackwater was hired so they weren't subject to military rules, but they still had unlimited resources. I would think if they needed AKs instead of ARs, or needed something different, they would get them. So even if I were convinced the AK was what they needed, I find the article suspicious. If they could be adequately armed cheaper, you'd think that would be an easy yes from the higher ups who likely had no budget restrictions.

Like I said, never been in a war zone. Maybe everyone gets hung out to dry, whether paid military or "contractor."

[Pericles]

Thanks for giving me a serious and in-depth explanation of your opinion. I really appreciate it. I'm also not knowledgeable enough to refute it, but it was well presented and something for me to think about.

And I did see that the reason given in the article was that blackwater was not being adequately armed. My impression was that blackwater was hired so they weren't subject to military rules, but they still had unlimited resources. I would think if they needed AKs instead of ARs, or needed something different, they would get them. So even if I were convinced the AK was what they needed, I find the article suspicious. If they could be adequately armed cheaper, you'd think that would be an easy yes from the higher ups who likely had no budget restrictions.

Like I said, never been in a war zone. Maybe everyone gets hung out to dry, whether paid military or "contractor."

Logistics plays a big role in weapon choice. I was looking at a deal in which we would be way out of range of FOBs and US Forces. We would have gone with AKs in that case, because the ammunition one way or another was going to come from the Afghan National Police.