Quiet

It's quiet.

Little is being said about the Americans held hostage in Iraq these days. A new name surfaced - an American woman who has been missing in Iraq since roughly November 2009. She had a small NGO and had already been working in Iraq for several years when communication from her ceased. I was asked to refrain from adding her name to the list of Americans Missing in Iraq - at least for the time being.

There's a very short interview with Peter Moore, the computer consultant from the UK, who answered questions at the Washington Post.

Peter Moore, former hostage in Iraq, talks about life in captivity
By Olga Khazan, Washington post, October 27, 2012

On blogging & secrecy

Over the years, a wide range of people of diverse backgrounds have been gracious enough to write to me. It's rather stunning really. I'm extremely grateful that they were willing to share their knowledge and experience with me.

Some correspondents I have had the pleasure to meet in person. Such meetings allow greater discussion and frankly, the ability to discuss things that just can't be put in writing for a variety of reasons. Reasons such as privacy, national security issues, classified information, possible slander or libel, and just protecting sources because they don't want to be identified. There's some information I still sit on years after the fact just because I feel it would unnecessarily hurt some folks feelings. I'm a bit of a softee that way.

I'll give an example.

I know who hijacked the domain registration for John Dawkins company mesopotamiagroup.com and I know why the person(s) did it. Here's the thing. The actual hijacking - who did it and why - is not important. But what is important is what the hijacking tells us about the interpersonal dynamics behind the scenes at Dawkins' predecessor logistics company, Ultra Services. Those interpersonal dynamics are vitally important to understanding the various parties different motivations. It is my own belief that understanding these motivations is the key to unlock the mystery of what happened to Kirk von Ackermann and Ryan Manelick back in 2003.

So there's one minor secret that I don't feel I can reveal in public.

There are at minimum two more secrets that I would like to reveal but can't for the various reasons listed above. I trust the different sources and have no reason to doubt the veracity of the information. Assuming it's true, it should take investigators less than 2 weeks to solve both the disappearance of Kirk von Ackermann and the murder of his colleague, Ryan Manelick. It is my understanding that investigators have access to the same information that I do but bias and a predisposition to a presumption of guilt has slightly derailed their case. One of these days a fresh set of eyes will pick up the cold case files from CID and set things back on course.

Meanwhile, bit by bit, it does seem that secrets eventually out themselves. A recent outing, of course, being the name of the counter terrorism group that Kirk von Ackermann was a member of - DO5 or the Asymmetric Threat Division.

So that's one down with more still to come. It's just a matter of time.

Hopefully, I'll still be around to link to the final story and write the closing post for this blog.

Happy New Year

1459 Civilian Contractors Have Died in Iraq

Iraq: Key figures since the war began
By The Associated Press, Washington Post, February 1, 2010

Deaths of civilian employees of U.S. government contractors as of December 31, 2009: 1,459

The article doesn't include information on kidnappings and/or missing Americans.

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

Weirdness

Based on absolutely nothing, I keep getting this feeling there's going to be a significant break in the case.

It's possible this obsession of mine has pushed me over the edge. On the other hand, my 'lawyer' has a new perfectly ordinary girl friend. A lot of folks would point to that event as a sure sign that hell has frozen over.

So, anything is possible. 

Or not.

PS I thought it might help readers to expand on the above statement...

Me: Did [name] get a new job?

Husband: Why do you ask?

Me: He's wearing pants. The kind that go down to his shoes.

Husband: He never wears pants. And look, he has a goatee too.

Later that day...

Husband: Guess who has a new girlfriend.

Five Years

Five years ago today I wrote my first blog post about a missing contractor in Iraq. If you had tapped me on the shoulder and told me that I would still be following that same story five years later, I wouldn't have believed you.

Fast forward, five years later.

Because of this blog, I've 'met' a lot of people from an incredibly wide range of backgrounds. They share an interest in the events in Iraq 2003 at Ultra Services - the disappearance of Kirk von Ackermann and the death of Ryan Manelick. Today, there remain more questions than answers.

In August of 2006, the US Army's CID determined Kirk von Ackermann was abducted and killed by insurgents in a botched kidnapping attempt. A presumption of death certificate was issued for von Ackermann. The case of his colleague, Ryan Manelick, remains open.

There are those who would like to believe von Ackermann and Manelick's employer, John Dawkins, was responsible. Until proven otherwise, I believe John Dawkins is innocent. In fact, I believe Dawkins was intended to be the victim - and that Kirk von Ackermann was killed due to mistaken identity. While there may well have been fraud at Ultra Services, I don't believe it is connected to what occurred.

To be crystal clear - I am, as far as I know, the only person who believes in the above version of events.

Technical

I'm feeling the need to cover some technical territory. It'll make for some dry reading I'm afraid but it's much needed background.

So... I'm preparing some future posts on Chain of Custody for Evidence and Property; overview of a relatively new Hostage Reporting contract clause requirement (ref); as well as a look at disposition of Personal Effects in Theater of Operations (ref); and a quick look at the Missing Persons Act (ref).

There's just no other polite way to say this: decades of standard operating procedures went right out the window in 2003. It's almost as if the Pentagon had never fought a war before. That won't be clear without introducing the background material.

PS Bonus offer...a peek at the role of the Coalition Provisional Authority in local law enforcement.

Spring Cleaning

I know, it's almost June, but now seems like a good time to do a little housekeeping around here. I'll be adding labels (tags) to make it easier to find related posts. I'm going to try and double check old links to make sure they still work, update the ones that don't or leave directions on how to find information.

I've also decided to add a quarterly post about the other missing Americans in Iraq, which I hope to have ready by June 1. See previous post:

Americans Missing in Iraq (photos)
March 31, 2008

I need to update the Flickr photo album and add the link to the side bar. Lots of boring stuff to do. Just thought I'd let y'all know what was up.

Have a lovely Memorial Day.

Most Wanted

Considering that 9 Americans are known to currently be missing in Iraq, you'd think they'd at least include information at CID who would maintain a list of missing Americans with their photos and information like, you know names, faces, date and circumstances, etc. Sadly, no. See for yourselves:

Iraq Area of Operations

But if the men were duffle bags, they'd get top billing.

Look, I don't make this stuff up. I just report on it.

Somebody at CID needs to very seriously get their act together.

Health

I have an undiagnosed condition similar to trigeminal neuralgia. After a three year remission, it is now active again. I have no idea how long it will last this time.

As a result, this will likely affect my ability to post and respond to emails as I'll be spending my free time in whirring tubes for a while. Which sounds a lot more fun than it really is.

Short Note

I don't have too much more to add at this point. Some additional research on Anaconda, some background information, that's about it.

I'll let everyone take some time to digest what I've thrown out there for public consumption.

Like I warned, my mind is a dark place.

Into A Dark Place

I'm about to take the Missing Man into a very dark place and I thought readers deserved fair warning. Where are we going? Truly a very dark place, into my imagination.

Index

The following is a list of all posts at the Missing Man. It will be updated as new posts appear.

Note: In May of 2008, I added labels (also known as 'tags') to help locate related posts. A list of the labels is shown in the lower right hand side bar.

Truthout - Intelligence Witheld from Congress
June 13, 2011

Truthout - Unasked Questions
May 23, 2011

Dead Contractors
May 10, 2011

Counter Terrorism and JFIC
May 6, 2011

The Gossip Grapevine or the Anatomy of a Lie
April 14, 2011

Timothy E. Bell - missing 7 years
April 8, 2011

Infrared Video
March 20, 2011

The Birthday Boys - theater
March 6, 2011

Captivity - book
March 4, 2011

Old Photos
March 2, 2011

Hostage Negotiation
March 1, 2011

DBA Summary Reports at the Dept of Labor
February 25, 2011

Reading Room - bibliography of missing person resources
February 22, 2011

Missing Deserter
February 15, 2011

Kidnap & Rescue - Discovery Channel
February 1, 2011

Bob Hamza - missing
January 23, 2011

AP Article on Missing Americans
January 21, 2011

Homeland TV Pilot
January 7, 2011

Happy New Year
January 1, 2011

State Department Statistics
December 31, 2010

SIGACT Reports of Americans Missing in Iraq
December 17, 2010

New WikiLeaks Release - kidnapping reports
October 25, 2010

Come Hell or High Water
September 24, 2010

Coming Soon - Buried
September 5, 2010

Fantasy Finale
August 22, 2010

Joint Personnel Recovery Agency
August 13, 2010

Issa Salomi
August 12, 2010

Date on Kidnappings from the State Department - charts

August 8, 2010

Americans Missing in Iraq - - chart of missing Americans (master)

August 1, 2010

This chart is subject to revision and update.

Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl and WikiLeaks

July 29, 2010

Missing in Afghanistan

July 25, 2010

Books - Iraq Hostages

July 9, 2010

PTSD

July 8, 2010

On Thwarted FOIA Requests

June 28, 2010

Recent DBA Ruling in Texas

June 21, 2010

Iraq Personnel Revocery Division June 2010 - chart of missing Americans
June 15, 2010

Searching for One White Nissan Patrol in Iraq
June 8, 2010

News on the South African Hostages
May 17, 2010

Miles Per Gallon
May 9, 2010

Jeffrey Ake - missing since April 11, 2005 - chart of missing Americans
April 11, 2010

Op-Ed on Hostage Reporting - strange editorial
April 9, 2010

Aerial Surveillance Footage - pt 2
April 6, 2010

Reintegration Program for Hostages
April 6, 2010

Lawsuit Filed Against US State Department
March 31, 2010

Issa Salomi - released
March 28, 2010

Alan McMenemy of Scotland
March 21, 2010

Evidence - physical and other
March 6, 2010

Foreign Affairs Manual - hostage and missing
March 5, 2010

1457 Civilian Contractors Have Died in Iraq
March 01, 2010

AFP - update on Issa Salomi
February 28, 2010

Route Clemson
February 24, 2010

DoD Instruction 1300.18 - update
February 22, 2010

Kidnapping
February 16, 2010

Uncertainty surrounding al-Taayie
February 14, 2010

Former Xe guards asked to leave Iraq
February 11, 2010


18 Americans Missing in Iraq - February 2010
February 08, 2010

Salomi and al-Taayie
February 06, 2010

Contractor Kidnapped in Iraq
February 05, 2010

Buried at Sundance
February 03, 2010

1459 Civilian Contractors Have Died in Iraq
February 01, 2010

Aerial Surveillance Footage
January 27, 2010

Questions for John Dawkins
January 18, 2010

Reading
January 15, 2010

T. Christian Miller on Fresh Air - radio interview
January 11, 2010

A Sliver of Justice - thank you note
January 10, 2010

Safety in Afghanistan
December 30, 2009

Roy Hallums Memoir
November 29, 2009

Americans Missing in Iraq - November 2009 - chart
November 30, 2009

Dream - about Ryan Manelick & Kirk von Ackermann
October 30, 2009

Wild Dogs - Anaconda burn pits
October 20, 2009

Heads
October 19, 2009

Six Years
October 9, 2009

Quiet on the Western Front
September 28, 2009

Hostage Remains Released to UK
September 2, 2009

Who Killed Jim Kitterman?
August 7, 2009

Remains of Capt Speicher found and Identified
August 2, 2009

Two More UK Hostages Believed Dead
August 1, 2009

Wandering Patrols
July 25, 2009

Update on Kitterman
July 20, 2009

New Satellite Imagery (satellite image)
July 19, 2009

Iraq Transition & Missing Americans in Iraq
June 25, 2009

Bodies of Two UK Hostages Identified
June 21, 2009

Satellite Phone GPS
June 20, 2009

Satellite Phone Delay
June 20, 2009

Contractor abducted and killed in Iraq with updates - photo
May 24, 2009

Weirdness
May 22, 2009

Website for Joint Base Balad
May 20, 2009

Contractors and Overseas Clinics
May 7, 2009

Tire
May 5, 2009

25 Fraud Investigations Underway
April 22, 2009

Iraq Contractors Fight for Care
April 17, 2009

FOIA Update
April 16, 2009

New Ruling on 2003 Iraq Fraud
April 11, 2009

Holder Memo
March 28, 2009

Contractor Deployment Guide
March 26, 2009

Base Access - images of id badges
March 20, 2009

Annual Longshore Conference - image
March 3, 2009

Appeal
February 23, 2009

Super Double Secret
February 21, 2009

New Remains Identified - Fouty and Jimenez
February 20, 2009

New Graft in Iraq Investigation
February 15, 2009

Colin Freeman - video
February 7, 2009

POW/MIA - National Security Act of 1947 - image
February 6, 2009

Rejection
January 23, 2009

The Missing Personal Effects - map
January 2, 2009

Defense Base Act vs War Hazards Compensation Act - graphic
December 23, 2008

Websites of Interest
December 15, 2008

Un-Justice for a Contractor in Iraq
December 11, 2008

Ultra Services Procured Cars - translation French news article
December 3, 2008

Contractor Fatalities as of September 2008
December 2, 2008

Book - Big Boy Rules by Steve Fainaru - image
November 23, 2008

Satellite Image of the Road - map & link
November 22, 2008

Passing Patrol & the Checkpoint - map, satellite image
November 21, 2008

From Point A to Point B
November 20, 2008

Five Years
November 12, 2008

Anaconda Burn Pit - photos
November 4, 2008

Ronald Schulz - remains recovered photo
October 30, 2008

Iraq Court Conviction in Kidnapping
October 28, 2008

Defense Base Act Conference
October 24, 2008

Defense Intelligence Agency - on hostages
October 13, 2008

Phone Taps
October 9, 2008

Baghdad to Samarra (map)
October 4, 2008

The Big Base Near Balad (map)
September 27, 2008

National POW/MIA Recognition Day (photos)
September 19, 2008

Security
August 31, 2008

Omar Taleb and Omar Hadi
August 28, 2008

Ahmed al-Taie (photo)
August 24, 2008

Curse of the al Dulaimi Hotel - Pt II (image)
August 16, 2008

Curse of the al Dulaimi Hotel - Pt I (image)
August 4, 2008

Casualty Status of Missing
July 26, 2008

Iraq, Contractors, and the Missing Persons Act
July 24, 2008

Remains of Two Missing Soldiers Identified (video & photos)
July 13, 2008

Map of Camp Anaconda (image & photo)
June 21, 2008

Technical
June 12, 2008

The Missing Notebook (image)
June 11, 2008

Irex Ltd (graphic)
June 2, 2008

Americans Missing in Iraq - June 2008 (photos)
June 1, 2008

Contractor Casualties: An Update
May 26, 2008

Spring Cleaning
May 25, 2008

Questions (von Ackermann)
May 13, 2008

Suspects
April 28, 2008

Time Line - Work in Progress (table)
April 27, 2008

Note to CID - about the NSA (chart)
April 21, 2008

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

Could U.S. Military Mechanics Hold the Keys to Finding Missing Contractor? - my article at ePluribus Media
April 21, 2008

Unanswered Questions - Ryan Manelick
April 14, 2008

Most Wanted - unrelated
April 12, 2008

Health
April 10, 2008

LSA Anaconda - Virtual Tour & Dump (video)
April 08, 2008

Short Note
April 6, 2008

The Demountable Guard Shack (images, screen caps)
April 6, 2008

The Mind of Susie Dow (fiction - my conjecture of events)
April 6, 2008

Into A Dark Place
April 6, 2008

LSA Anaconda - Motor Pool (video, photo)
April 3, 2008

LSA Anaconda - General (satellite image, photo)
April 3, 2008

Americans Missing in Iraq (photos)
March 31, 2008

Thoughts on Conspiracy
March 27, 2008

The Bridge Theory (graphic, chart)
March 25, 2008

Sun, Moon, Weather Data (graphic)
March 17, 2008

Nice White Land Cruiser (images) - driven by Manelick's assailants
March 09, 2008

Ryan Manelick's Hyundai Galloper (images)
March 9, 2008

Kirk von Ackermann's Nissan Patrol SUV (images)
March 5, 2008

Ultra Services - Who, What, Where (photos)
February 19, 2008

Still Missing
February 16, 2008

Military Bases in North East Iraq (maps)
February 12, 2008

The Tikrit & Kirkuk Road (video, satellite image, photos)
January 24, 2008

Jabal Hamrin and Jabal Makhul (satellite image, photo & maps)
January 5, 2008

FOB Pacesetter (satellite image, photo & maps)
December 26, 2007

Safa Shukir & the Phone Call (photo)
December 9, 2007

Kirk's Car
December 4, 2007

Testimony at Oversight Hearing
November 24, 2007

Majid Kadom
September 27, 2007

Contractor Casualties - 1,001
August 10, 2007

Manelick in South Africa (image)
May 25, 2007

We Get Mail (image of ID badge)
April 18, 2007

The ID Badge
April 14, 2007

Jeffrey Ake
April 11, 2007

The Defense Base Act - insurance for contractors
April 6, 2007

Iraq, Contingency Contracting and the Defense Base Act (reprint)
March 4, 2007

Death of a Contractor (image)
February 26, 2007

Obituary for Kirk von Ackermann
January 16, 2007

Von Ackermann in AP Article
January 6, 2007

Light Reading
December 6, 2006

Dia De Los Muertos
October 27, 2006

TV Ads in Iraq
October 14, 2006

Counter terrorism and Kirk von Ackermann (see Missing in Iraq)
October 8, 2006

Office of Hostage Affairs (also see post on Hostage Working Group)
September 8, 2006

Ryan Manelick - in his office (photos)
September 3, 2006

An Update (von Ackermann presumed dead)
August 19, 2006

Two Weeks in Baghdad by Robert Sinclair, guest writer
August 1, 2006

Missing Man Index
July 29, 2006

Ryan Manelick Iraq 2003 (photo)
July 1, 2006

USA Today Article - side bar (image)
June 30, 2006

13 Americans Still Missing
June 21, 2006

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

An Iraq Contractor in the Fog of War (summary of my article)
May 18, 2006

About Geoff Nordloh (photo)
May 18, 2006

For Kids in Iraq
May 2, 2006

Hostage Working Group
April 1, 2006

FBI
March 30, 2006

Missing in Iraq (von Ackermann family blog)
March 24, 2006

Technorati
March 12, 2006

Kidnapped and Missing in Iraq
March 12, 2006

Letter of Appreciation (image)
March 8, 2006

Waterskiing on the Tigris - Part 2 (photo)
February 18, 2006

One Year
February 16, 2006

Joint Service Commendation (image)
January 26, 2006

Wikipedia
December 10, 2005

A Book
November 27, 2005

Obituary for Ryan Manelick
September 13, 2005

Waterskiing on the Tigris
August 8, 2005

Bibliography
August 4, 2005

Short Clip
July 7, 2005

An Open Request
June 29, 2005

Reports of Corruption in Iraq
June 7, 2005

Fighting Fraud and Corruption
June 7, 2005

Memorial Day
May 30, 2005

WGAL
May 14, 2005

The Investigation
April 16, 2005

Editor's Note
March 12, 2005

Stratex Freedom Services (for complete details see One Missing, One Dead)
March 12, 2005

Irex Corp (inaccurate - see One Missing, One Dead)
March 5, 2005

A Grave Discovery
March 3, 2005

Bloggers
March 3, 2005

Letters to the Editor - Sojourner
February 27, 2005

Radio
February 26, 2005

Ultra Services (for a more complete history see One Missing, One Dead)
February 24, 2005

Sakhalin
February 22, 2005

Sojourner
February 20, 2005

A Sudden Flurry
February 18, 2005

Ryan Manelick
February 17, 2005

Kirk von Ackermann
February 16, 2005

Into Thin Air
February 16, 2005

Frequently Asked Questions
February 16, 2005 (back dated)

Introduction
February 16, 2005

Question (reprinted from my old blog)
June 1, 2004

Kirk von Ackermann (reprinted from my old blog)
January 1, 2004

The Employer of a Missing Man (reprinted from my old blog)
November 12, 2003

Technorati

I've added The Missing Man to Technorati to assist in monitoring other blogs that might link to the Newsweek article.

Technorati Profile

One Year

The first post to The Missing Man was one year ago today. Unfortunately, there's been little mention of Kirk von Ackermann or Ryan Manelick in the mainstream media since March.

Please be sure to visit the Bibliography. It lists all known articles and news reports of the two men to date and is updated regularly.

Bibliography

A rough and tumble attempt at a bibliography of news reports and articles that mention Kirk von Ackermann and/or Ryan Manelick.

Note: some of the following are no longer available online. Some have now been archived and are pay-to-view.

A quick trip thru the Missing Man archives, just to the right, should help in locating a few excerpts. The two articles by Colin Freeman, also linked to the right, are the most comprehensive to date. They are also included below.

Bibliography

My Waterski Hol on Saddam River
by Philip Cardy, The Sun, September 22, 2003

Two injured in Tikrit army base blast
Thomas Crosbie Media, October 12, 2003

Mystery surrounds US businessman missing in Iraq's 'Sunni triangle'
by Colin Freeman, Telegraph, November 9, 2003

Bay Area civilian vanishes in Iraq
by Colin Freeman, San Francisco Chronicle, November 11, 2003

Moss Beach man missing in Iraq
San Mateo County Times, November 12, 2003

Local mysteriously vanishes in Iraq
Burlingame Daily News, November 12, 2003

News In Brief
by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, November 14th, 2003

U.S. Civilian Contractor Killed in Iraq
by Jim Gomez, The Associated Press, November 14, 2003

Contractors' Deaths Add to Iraq Toll
by Seth Porges, Editor & Publisher, November 14, 2003

C'est l'histoire de deux chefs d'entreprise - interview with Ryan Manelick
24 Heures, November 18, 2003

Von Ackermann: 'a regular guy?'
by Jeanine Gore, Half Moon Bay Review, November 24, 2003

Family mourns CV grad killed in Iraq ambush
by Cindy Stauffer, Lancaster New Era, December 18, 2003

Drive-By Shooting In Iraq Kills Civilian CV Graduate
WGAL Channel, December 18, 2003

Two men with ties to county fall victim to Iraqi violence CV graduate shot to death in Baghdad
by Justin Quinn, Intelligencer Journal, December 18, 2003

Ryan G. Manelick, Air Force linguist - obituary
Intelligencer Journal, December 18, 2003

Ryan G. Manelick, Air Force linguist - obituary
Lancaster New Era, December 18, 2003

WLMI News Briefs
WLMI, 11:00 AM, December 30, 2003

Outsourcing the War
by Peter W. Singer, Salon.com, April 16, 2004

Iraq, Inc.: A Profitable Occupation
by Pratap Chatterjee, Seven Stories Press, November 2004, page 144

Hostage Families Face Tough Choices
by Libby Lewis, NPR, Morning Edition, February 7, 2005

Suspicion surrounds missing Bay Area man
by Colin Freeman, San Francisco Chronicle, February 13, 2005

US Army launches fraud probe in Iraq contractors' killing, disappearance: report
by Andrew Hay, Agence France-Presse, February 13, 2005

Foul Play in Iraq?
by Douglas Waller, Time Online, February 13, 2005

Without A Trace In Iraq
by Douglas Waller, Time Magazine, February 13, 2005

Murder mystery in Iraq
by David Batstone, Sojourner, February 17, 2005

An Iraq Murder Mystery for Negroponte?
by David Corn, davidcorn.com, February 18, 2005

Winters business employed murdered, missing workers
by Debralo Guercio, Winters Express, Ferbuary 24, 2005

Graves found at depot pose puzzle in Iraq
by Harry Esteve, The Oregonian, March 03, 2005

The Missing
by Rod Nordland, Newsweek, March 11, 2006

One Missing, One Dead: An Iraq Contractor in the Fog of War
by Susie Dow with Steven Reich, ePluribus Media, May 15, 2006

Military: Missing soldiers found dead
by Cesar G. Soriano, USA Today, June 20, 2006 - side bar to article

13 Americans still listed as missing
AP, June 20, 2006

American soldiers and civilians kidnapped or missing in Iraq
AP, June 21, 2006

Soldiers' bodies recovered
by Kim Gamel, AP, June 21, 2006 - side bar to article

Rules usually protect GIs from capture
by Ryan Lenz, AP, June 21, 2006 - side bar to article

Military releases new details about killing, recovery of kidnapped soldiers
AP, USA Today, June 27, 2006 - side bar to article

Family's nightmare begins at gunpoint Part 1
By Deborah Hastings, AP, Salt Lake Tribune, December 24, 2006

Kidnapped Americans in Iraq
By Deborah Hastings, AP, Salt Lake Tribune, December 24, 2006

Von Ackermann - obituary
The Albuquerque Journal, January 14, 2007

Death of a Contractor: Greed and Murder in Iraq's Lawless Desert - original link expired

Death of a Contractor - alternative source

pp. 70-74, 76-69 (print version includes photos)
By Dan Halpern, Rolling Stone, March 8, 2007, Issue 1021

Missing Contractor: US Military Mechanics may Hold the Keys
By Susie Dow, ePluribus Media, April 21, 2008

Curse of the Al Dulaimi Hotel: And Other Half-truths from Baghdad
By Colin Freeman, Monday Books, July 2008

Iraq calmer but copycat kidnappings spread
By Pamela Hess, Associated Press, October 13, 2008
(includes photo of Kirk von Ackermann)

EXCLUSIVE: New Documents Claim Intelligence on Bin Laden, al-Qaeda Targets Withheld From Congress' 9/11 Probe - about von Ackermann's former intelligence work
By Jeffrey Kaye and Jason Leopold, Truthout, June 13, 2011
Related: Attachment - Unclassified FOIA Response - PDF (must read)

Report: Intelligence Unit Told Before 9/11 to Stop Tracking Bin Laden - about von Ackermann's former intelligence work
By Jeffrey Kaye, Truthout, May 23, 2011
Related: Review of Joint Forces Intelligence Command Response to 9/11 Commission - PDF
Deputy Inspector General for Intelligence
Department of Defense
September 23, 2008

This post will be updated on occasion as new articles appear in the press.

An Open Request

The only known photo of Kirk von Ackermann was originally published by the Half Moon Bay Review accompanying the article, Von Ackermann: 'a regular guy?', by Jeanine Gore, on November 24, 2003.

I am unaware of any photos on the web of Ryan Manelick.

I would be grateful if members of either of the two famillies would kindly consider emailing me a photo of Kirk von Ackermann or Ryan Manelick for posting on the Missing Man. Privacy of senders will be respected.

susie dot dow at gmail dot com

Thank you for your attention and consideration. My apologies to those of you whom this request might offend.

Update: Replaced old yahoo email address with new gmail address.

Memorial Day

missing_man

To the best of my knowledge, there have been no new articles since the one brief mention of Kirk von Ackermann on March 3, 2005.

Ryan Manelick
December 14, 2003

Kirk von Ackermann - missing
October 9, 2003

The Missing Man formation is performed as a symbolic farewell to fallen airmen. At the moment at which the formation passes over the ceremony, one of the planes leaves the formation and heads for the skies.

Editor's Note

The emphasis of The Missing Man is Kirk von Ackermann and Ryan Manelick.

The overall intent is to link to articles that mention either of the two men. Occasionally, I'll provide links for background information on specific subjects, such as links to their employers' websites.

With that said, there are two posts I feel should be included for context but that fall outside of the general scope of The Missing Man.

Stratex Freedom Services
Reports of Corruption in Iraq

Stratex Freedom Services in Afghanistan looks to have been a successful business model that John Dawkins of Ultra Services hoped to recreate in Iraq. The company's track record gives some insight into what should have been Ultra Services experience in Iraq. That this was John Dawkins' intention is assumption on my part, which is why I hesitate to include the information.

Reports of Corruption in Iraq. Rare or widespread? Colin Freeman reported in his most recent article that both von Ackermann and Manelick had raised concerns about corruption. News reports of corruption in Iraq have recently been appearing in the press. While the various articles discuss companies and people unrelated to Kirk von Ackermann or Ryan Manelick, it provides a glimpse into the bigger picture of the overall business environment that some contractors are working in.