[Riggs]

FYI, Blackwater changed their name to "Xe" recently, and even more recently changed their name again to "Academi". Sounds like Final Fantasy organizations or something.

Once they fuck up, or get bad press they just shut down and open under a new name. It's great, there is like zero accountability at all.

[Canis lupus]

He sounds like a murderer. Real cool dude.

Just what a guy with the name Kefka would say no?

[Sho_Nuff82]

So is he, like, a real mercenary, or does he collect Airsoft guns and katanas and have a Soldier of Fortune subscription?

OP is being trolled.

He's not lying, if that's what you're insinuating. I know the family quite well, and my friend (his sister) can vouch for everything he says.

He doesn't brag about it. In our most recent conversation, we were actually discussing, "things you shouldn't say because they will totally end a conversation with a girl at a bar." Naturally, I brought up the stint I had as a "yeast molecular geneticist" (you may as well just stamp "NERD" or "BORING" on your forehead), and he said that once in a while, he'll respond "I kill people." Suffice to say, most people quickly change the subject after that.

[ReBurn]

Now he's going to have to kill you, OP.

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Good friend of mine is an ex-Navy SEAL. Trained Team Six. No, he didn't train with SEAL Team Six, he trained them. He has done some private security work as well, although I'd never describe him as a mercenary in any way shape or form. He also did work with the U.S. government until the Obama administration took over.

He's a very interesting guy and also very down to Earth and laid back. You'd never know or guess his history if he didn't tell you.

[Dark Octave]

I would call him a "contractor." Mercenary implies loyalties can be bought. Unless of course he would kill US troops for money.

I would agree with this. Never thought about that. This is also what my coworker called it when he told me he was thinking about joining.

[Arment]

He sounds like a murderer. Real cool dude.

You could say the same for combat soldiers all over the world. Either way this sounds really naive.

[donkey show]

War never changes

War, war has changed.

Which one is it? :O

[Keru_Shiri]

Any time I hear of real life mercenaries, I think of this:

http://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/

[Tesseract]

Which one is it? :O

it has changed into never changing.

[Dark Octave]

Which one is it? :O

lol Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't both those saying in MGS4?

[Deified Data]

Which one is it? :O

Both are wrong.

War.

War never changes.

lol Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't both those saying in MGS4?

Fallout.

[SUPREME1]

"I send people to their makers for money."

Smh. Sounds like a tool.


Getting paid to kill people probably isn't something he should be proud of.

[ChiTownBuffalo]

I would agree with this. Never thought about that. This is also what my coworker called it when he told me he was thinking about joining.

Yeah, I have a friend who wa sin Special Forces, and then he was going to be a contractor. Then he got an offer from OGA and went to school and got his master's. Then...I have no idea. I see him a couple times a year and I never ask him about work. He asks me to fill him in on pop culture and sports.

[animlboogy]

Wow. This thread really illuminates how many basic misunderstandings/general ignorance there is about modern conflicts.

You guys really never turned on the radio and heard the words "Black Water"?

[artist]

So he's a hitman?

[Cousteau]

Female Merc or not aroused.

[Flynn]

I would call him a "contractor." Mercenary implies loyalties can be bought. Unless of course he would kill US troops for money.

Contractor implies that he's putting up drywall.

The way the news reported the deaths of contractors early in the Gulf War was really misleading. They made it sound like a bunch of people just trying to do work over there getting killed -- rather than the reality of men with guns trying to shoot other men with guns getting shot.

[BocoDragon]

I would call him a "contractor." Mercenary implies loyalties can be bought. Unless of course he would kill US troops for money.

"Contractor" is just the rebranding that modern day mercenaries would love for you to think of them as. Corporatist newspeak.

In another age, a group of people hired to wage war would be mercenary. End of story.

[Hartt951]

Wow. This thread really illuminates how many basic misunderstandings/general ignorance there is about modern conflicts. You guys really never turned on the radio and heard the words "Black Water"?

The vast majority of American's can't even differentiate between the 4 branches of the military, it makes sense that most wouldn't know about PMCs especially considering the whole industry is shrouded in secrecy.

[Deified Data]

So he's a hitman?

Insofar as the men who killed bin Laden are hitmen, yes.

[Dark Octave]

Insofar as the men who killed bin Laden are hitmen, yes.

Damn, that was a good one.

[Kwixotik]

My friend is a sniper for a nuclear power plant in the middle of no where South Carolina. He did 2 tours of Iraq, and makes something like 80K a year sitting in a tower.

Jesus Christ, how can I get this job? Seriously, you would never have to do anything.

[Kwixotik]

How is that different from normal armed forces? Not being glib, I genuinely don't know.

The US military has a reputation and code of ethics to try and keep up. Mercenaries are all fuck ethics, get money.

Edit: That's not to say the US military is as ethical as would be ideal. I'm just saying mercenaries have to give much less of a fuck about it.

[ChiTownBuffalo]

"Contractor" is just the rebranding that modern day mercenaries would love for you to think of them as. Corporatist newspeak. In another age, a group of people hired to wage war would be mercenary. End of story.

It's somewhere in between.

Mercenaries have flexible loyalty.

I would venture the bulk of Western PMCs would never take action against their home governements, for any price.

[Alucrid]

The vast majority of American's can't even differentiate between the 4 branches of the military, it makes sense that most wouldn't know about PMCs especially considering the whole industry is shrouded in secrecy.

the people who fly planes, steer boats, run on the ground and border patrol

[Arment]

Jesus Christ, how can I get this job? Seriously, you would never have to do anything.

Be a sniper in a military, be good at it, profit.

[Bloodrage]

"I send people to their makers for money."
"I kill people."

Surely enough, OP watches too many movies with characters he wants to be confirmed.

[Deified Data]

The US military has a reputation and code of ethics to try and keep up. Mercenaries are all fuck ethics, get money.

So the difference between principled warrior and blood-thirsty marauder is having a good excuse? They're just killers. Whether they deserve to be celebrated or not seemingly depends on how much you personally benefit from their line of work.

[Sho_Nuff82]

Jesus Christ, how can I get this job? Seriously, you would never have to do anything.

Until a team of terrorists led by Timothy Olyphant and Maggie Q try to take over the place.

Edit: The guy himself uses the word "contractor". I used mercenary in the title so people would know what I was talking about.

[zoukka]

Yep I have a friend who's a soldier and he wants to be a merc. Basically just said to me one night, that he wants to shoot people with a sniper rifle.

Some people are like that.

[Arment]

So the difference between principled warrior and blood-thirsty marauder is having a good excuse? They're just killers. Whether they deserve to be celebrated or not seemingly depends on how much you personally benefit from their line of work.

Why yes, they kill people in their work - both of them. What is the overall point you're trying to make? Because certainly every single person here knew that.

If you're trying to say a mercenary is the same as a soldier, the difference is a soldier is paid by and works for their nations government while the mercenary is paid by a PMC who is contracted by private parties or other governments.

[Hartt951]

the people who fly planes, steer boats, run on the ground and border patrol

You basically demonstrated my point exactly haha.

[John Dunbar]

What does it mean "no women, no kids"? Aren't these guys mostly for security, but he won't do shit if an attacker is a kid or a lady? A contract killer could have a choice like that, but I can't see how a mercenary like this has such a luxury.

[Sho_Nuff82]

Why yes, they kill people in their work - both of them. What is the overall point you're trying to make? Because certainly every single person here knew that. If you're trying to say a mercenary is the same as a soldier, the difference is a soldier is paid by and works for their nations government while the mercenary is paid by a PMC who is contracted by private parties or other governments.

The thing is, none of the PMCs that operate from within the United States would send their forces against US troops abroad.

[Balphon]

So the difference between principled warrior and blood-thirsty marauder is having a good excuse? They're just killers. Whether they deserve to be celebrated or not seemingly depends on how much you personally benefit from their line of work.

I really don't think it's hard to conceptualize the difference between loyalty to a government and loyalty to the highest bidder.

[Deified Data]

Why yes, they kill people in their work - both of them. What is the overall point you're trying to make? Because certainly every single person here knew that. If you're trying to say a mercenary is the same as a soldier, the difference is a soldier is paid by and works for their nations government while the mercenary is paid by a PMC who is contracted by private parties or other governments.

I know. I just don't think one justification is any better (or worse) than the other.

I really don't think it's hard to conceptualize the difference between loyalty to a government and loyalty to the highest bidder.

Doesn't make one side inherently right and the other inherently wrong.

[Arment]

The thing is, none of the PMCs that operate from within the United States would send their forces against US troops abroad.

That would be a most unwise business decision.

I know. I just don't think one justification is any better (or worse) than the other. Doesn't make one side inherently right and the other inherently wrong.

Me neither.

[alphaNoid]

Proxy soldiers

/raspyvoice

[G-Fex]

So is he, like, a real mercenary, or does he collect Airsoft guns and katanas and have a Soldier of Fortune subscription?

You forgot police scanner and CB Radio collector

[BattleMonkey]

Actually one of the dudes who we sometimes airsoft with is one. Hes buddies with alot of the ex military dudes who also play with us, and he owns a tactical supply shop (sells the real deal tactical gear and police supply stores) in Ft Lauderdale area. He will just disappear for a few months for a deployment while the family runs the shop.

Hes a very calm and normal dude, expert on everything and makes a ton off the weekend warrior airsofters who he meets and they want to buy all the real deal tactical gear from him. Never got any macho attitude or anything from him, he doesn't talk about what he does or glorifies it.

Once they fuck up, or get bad press they just shut down and open under a new name. It's great, there is like zero accountability at all.

Eh the name changes and stuff does nothing for accountability, they only change the names to hide the bad rep.

[Hartt951]

I know. I just don't think one justification is any better (or worse) than the other.

While you can't really say ones justification is better... one has repercussions for unethical actions while the other does not. That differentiates the two.

[WanderingWind]

So is he, like, a real mercenary, or does he collect Airsoft guns and katanas and have a Soldier of Fortune subscription?

lol. Exactly what I was thinking when I saw this thread. Some legit guys with Academi (ne: Xe, ne: Blackwater) though.

[surrealist]

When the war started PMCs were recruiting like crazy in the military town I live in. No special forces or force recon background needed. They just wanted people with infantry or police officer experience. Paid well, but those guys were getting mowed over at the start of the war.

[Osiris]

The father of a friend was a British ex-SAS member turned Mercenary back in the early 90's, there was quite a few of them around the Hereford / Worcester area of England.

I remember specifically there was some blowback for a few of them after a failed "intervention" in South America (Colombia, I think) and all SAS / ex-SAS and family members received official warning to hide any regimental paraphernalia as the South American's actually tracked the Mercs back to the Hereford area and the MoD feared that rather than go after the Mercs specifically, that they would target serving and ex-SAS and their families.

[Kwixotik]

So the difference between principled warrior and blood-thirsty marauder is having a good excuse? They're just killers. Whether they deserve to be celebrated or not seemingly depends on how much you personally benefit from their line of work.

No, the difference is that mercenary groups don't have to answer to public opinion and have the freedom of method and lack of bureaucracy/red tape that comes with being a private organization.

[Wazzim]

So being a murderer is A-OK now?

[KefkaPalazzo]

You could say the same for combat soldiers all over the world. Either way this sounds really naive.

You could to an extent. Though some soiders actually fight for what they believe is right, if it truly is or not is irrelavant. A mercenary fights and kills for the sole purpose of monetary gain. Only few get more souless than that.

[Enco]

Seriously, might be exhilarating at first, but I can't imagine the stress and pressure it must put on you as you get older. Wouldn't the cold thought that because of the blood on your hands, someone might be coming to kill you make you paranoid as fuck?

Err you're looking at it the wrong way. Poor killer under stress? What about the people he has killed?

[Arment]

So being a murderer is A-OK now?

So you believe every soldier who fights for their country is a murderer and that it isn't okay that they're a soldier? A PMC is hardly much different, it's just that they're in the private sector.

War blows. No one should like it. But if a soldier is going to do the same job as a PMC, why not do it for the PMC and get paid more? As is stands in this thread anyway, you also have a lot less pressure on you because if you muck up you aren't going to be court marshaled.

You could to an extent. Though some soiders actually fight for what they believe is right, if it truly is or not is irrelavant. A mercenary fights and kills for the sole purpose of monetary gain. Only few get more souless than that.

Nationalism is the only thing that separates a soldier from a mercenary. Wipe that away and you have men and women trained to be soldiers working for money to kill the bad guy. When is the last time we've been in a just war anyways? World War 2 or Korea?