Abandoned Brothers & Sisters

Census Counts 100,000 Contractors in Iraq - Article
The Washington Post
By Renae Merle
There are about 100,000 government contractors operating in Iraq, not counting subcontractors, a total that is approaching the size of the U.S. military force there, according to the military's first census of the growing population of civilians operating in the battlefield.

Contractors in Iraq Are Hidden Casualties of War
Los Angeles Times / ProPublica
By T. Christian Miller
In 2004, Lane was driving a fuel truck in Iraq for a defense contractor when insurgents attacked his convoy with rocket-propelled grenades. For most of the five years since, Lane, now 60, has spent his days in silence -- a reminder of the hidden costs of relying on civilian contract workers to support the U.S. war effort.
His wife, Linda, said visiting her husband was difficult. They were childhood friends and fiercely loyal to each other. On this spring morning, she caressed his hand and told him she loved him.

Civilian workers in Iraq suffering combat trauma 
By Anna Badkhen
Chronicle Staff Writer
"He scans pastures and chicken farms for roadside bombs. He shoots wary glances at the faces of shoppers and moviegoers, searching for potential suicide bombers. Explosions blow off Thompson's limbs, over and over, in nightmares that stalk his sleep. The war haunts him the way it haunts thousands of U.S. troops returning from their tours of duty in Iraq..."