More dead contractors than soldiers -In the first six months of this year, 235 American troops died in combat zones, while 250 contractor personnel died as well. This was not unexpected, and there were many factors at work to make it so. Combat casualties were way down in this period. There are about as many civilian contractors involved out there as there are troops. The military personnel are in much better physical shape, thus much less likely to die from accidents or disease. The contractor personnel spent more time on the road, and vehicular accidents have always been higher in combat zones. Another little discussed (in the mass media) aspect of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan was that they are much lower than in Vietnam, where you were more than twice as likely to get hurt in combat, and three times more likely to be killed. Even with civilian workers suffering less than half that rate, why take the risk? It's the money. A year in Iraq or Afghanistan pays more than several years of work back home, so recruiting civilians is no problem. But the lower level of training and discipline among these civilians led to more deaths from accidents. Free stay for Veterans Day event a national effort to honor military - Members of St. Augustine Historic Inns (SAHI) join hundreds of bed and breakfasts nationwide providing free rooms on Nov. 10, in observance of Veterans Day (Nov. 11) to honor men and women currently serving in the military, as well as those who have served their country in the past. More than 200 inns in 39 states and Canada have donated rooms for this holiday promotion. The program was started in 2009 by the West Virginia Bed & Breakfast Association. "We just wanted to say thank you to the courageous men and women from our armed forces," says Kathleen Panek, owner of the Gillum House in Shinnston, West Virginia and originator of the concept. "These are trying times for anyone serving or who has served and a good night's rest is our way to say, thank you."The 26 member inns of SAHI are taking part in the Veterans Day promotion. SAHI president Dave Brezing, owner of Our House of St. Augustine B&B, said, "We appreciate what our servicemen and women face day to day, and the sacrifices made in putting their lives on the line for our country. We are happy to welcome them as we celebrate Veterans Day." A valid military or Veterans Administration ID will be required for each reservation. Each participating Bed and Breakfast is making at least one room available on the night of Nov. 10 and availability is limited to first come, first served. Investigation reveals gambling, porn site access at Stars and Stripes - A Stars and Stripes internal investigation found that 'a considerable number' of the news organization's Pacific employees have accessed gambling and pornography sites using government computers, officials confirmed this week. The suspected improper use was discovered during the past month after Pacific bureau managers received a monthly report that monitors employees' Internet usage. Pacific Stars and Stripes general manager John Panasiewicz did not disclose how many of the roughly 200 Pacific workers who use government computers are suspected of improper Internet use, but he said the number was considerable. U.S. civilians and servicemembers, as well as both Japanese and South Korean civilian employees, are suspected of accessing prohibited sites from various Stars and Stripes offices across the Pacific region, Panasiewicz said. By congressional mandate, Stars and Stripes is editorially independent from the Department of Defense. But the organization does receive a subsidy from the Defense Department to help defray the extraordinary costs of delivering a daily newspaper to troops on the front lines overseas, and is subject to many military personnel regulations.
