Quiet on the Western Front

Assorted bits and pieces....

ePluribus Media articles

I've cross-posted most of my old articles from ePluribus Media to the Missing Man archives. The posts are backdated to coincide with the original publication dates. The Missing Man was always intended to be a library of materials, all be it one with a very narrow focus of interest. Enough time has passed that it seemed appropriate to include the full text of the articles here.

Review of The Curse of the al Dulaimi Hotel
By Susie Dow, ePluribus Media, August 18, 2008

Missing Contractor: U.S. Military Mechanics May Hold the Keys
By Susie Dow, ePluribus Media, April 21, 2008

Iraq, Contingency Contracting and the Defense Base Act
By Susie Dow, ePluribus Media, March 4, 2007

One Missing One Dead: An Iraq Contractor in the Fog of War
By Susie Dow, ePluribus Media, May 21, 2006

FOIA

Still no word on my administrative appeal regarding the FOIA request with the NSA. Nor any word on another equally important FOIA request with CENTCOM for base access records, short of the confirmation that the request was in fact received.

In case I've never mentioned it before, the base access FOIA request seeks entrance and exit records for all of the bases in the northeast of Iraq for any and all Ultra Services personnel within a limited time frame. Specifically, records from the three days before and after Kirk von Ackermann disappeared. I'm hoping the records will disprove my own hypothesis that Kirk von Ackermann visited another base to fix a wonky tire after he left FOB Pacesetter.

Why disprove rather than prove the hypothesis? It's impossible to prove von Ackermann entered or exited area bases if no record exists. Absence of a record is not in itself proof. It's only possible to disprove von Ackermann did not visit a base if a record shows that in fact he did.

Missing in Iraq

Megan von Ackermann has been writing over at her blog, Missing in Iraq, about legal action regarding survivor benefits stemming from her husband's disappearance that is slowly winding its way through the system. The basis of the suit is the Defense Base Act. I've compiled links to recent posts below:

Fallout
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, July 20, 2009

Reality
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 29, 2009

Re-charted
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 26, 2009

Charted
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 24, 2009

Ideal
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 11, 2009

Reluctant
By Megan von Ackermann, Missing in Iraq, June 5, 2009

And speaking of the Defense Base Act....

Several recent articles by T. Christian Miller on the Defense Base Act. (Click on his name to check out more of Miller's articles at ProPublica.) There's some misguided criticism around the web that the Defense Base Act works just fine and no changes are needed. Funny: the various editorials are not written by contractors rather, such editorials are usually penned by folks who directly benefit under the current system, like lawyers and insurance executives. Funny that.

Pentagon Study Proposes Overhaul of Defense Base Act to Cover Care for Injured Contractors by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - September 15, 2009 6:52 pm

Congressman Announces Plan to Reform U.S. System to Care for Injured Civilian Contractors by by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - September 9, 2009 5:19 pm

Sometimes It’s Not Your War, But You Sacrifice Anyway by by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - August 17, 2009 9:19 am

Company That Probes War Contractor Injuries for AIG Is Itself Under Scrutiny by by T. Christian Miller, ProPublica - July 31, 2009 4:06 pm