Blackwater USA offer "relief"

[katty]

cont'd. at: http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/002357.html

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Blackwater USA...offering "relief" at the business end of a Glock 17
Last week we told you about the growing New Orleans presence of Iraq-hardened security firm Blackwater USA, which on its Web site hails its entry into the Katrina "relief" effort. Apparently, at some point there was some "mission creep," since Blackwater's efforts have morphed into hundreds of heavily armed mercenaries patrolling the flooded ciity with M-16s.

Now here's a first-hand account (first spotted at Daily Kos). It was written by Frank Borelli, who identifies himself as a contractor for Blackwater. And it's legit: We found it by going through Blackwater's Web site and finding the newest issue of its Blackwater Tactical Weekly. The whole thing is a must read, but here are a few highlights:

I came into Baton Rouge on Tuesday afternoon, and was picked up at the Baton Rouge Airport for transportation to "Saber Camp". Once there I checked in with the headshed and found a cot. I was lucky in that I knew several guys on site and therefore had friends in the tent I slept in. Before racking out I got a briefing that included info on Wednesday morning, an intel dump on the situation (to include health concerns) and tentative assignments for Weds morning. I was told to be up, dressed and "packed for three" (days) in front of the headshed at 0700. I was issued a Glock 17 and a Mossberg M590A shotgun. I was also issued a shotshell pouch with ten rounds of slug and ten rounds of 00 Buck. There was (at that time) no 9mm ammo available, but I was blessed to be in a camp full of trigger-pullers.