“former military contractors working overseas”? Are we supposed to provide them health care through the state dept? I don’t understand what the expectation was here.
Yes. They are operating under contract with the State Dept and part of that contract is medical care.
Besides, if a US citizen arrives at a US Embassy and requests aide, they must see him for life-saving treatment.
Sound very much like the DoS screwed up.
I am appalled the Marines at the Embassy didn’t ensure the Mil Attache knew as the Mil Attache can call in the guns to get this guy care.
It’s a very gray area, with many particulars. “Contractors” may be actively guarding a senior State Dept or CIA official, they may have extensive military backgrounds, but when they get sick it’s “so sorry, beat it.”
OTOH, Blackwater and others have done helo rescues etc on their own dime of all kinds of folks, including locals, active duty U.S. soldiers and Marines, etc, that they never ever got a bit of credit for. Rescues including where US Army chopper pilots were refused permission to fly, leaving the trapped to be rescued by Blackwater, or nobody. And Blackwater (and others) did them.
Sure, they make a ton of money per diem, I get it. But remember Behghazi? The two guys we remember as the heroic SEALs who saved so many, and died, were just nasty mercenary paid gunslingers when seen from the other side of the prism.
But those rescues done by “mercenary” chopper pilots, flown when the U.S. military would NOT fly....they happened.
But when a “mercenary” (last year he was a heroic active duty SEAL, remember?) shows up at the embassy looking for a break....BEAT IT, BUM.