Dangerous Jobs

Don't have time or money for a dangerous vacation? Why not get a dangerous job and make money too? In fact, the odds are that you could get your kicks by being splattered on Route 66. Highway deaths accounted for 20 percent of the 6588 fatal work injuries. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, truck drivers had more fatal injuries than any other occupation, with 762 deaths last year.

Homicide was the second leading cause of job-related deaths, accounting for 16 percent of the total. Robbery was the primary motive for workplace homicide. About half of the victims worked in retail establishments, such as grocery stores, restaurants and bars, where cash is readily available. (31,000 convenience store clerks are shot every year.) Taxicab drivers, police and security guards also had high numbers of worker homicides. Four-fifths of the victims were shot; others were stabbed, beaten or strangled.

Although highway accidents were the leading manner of death for male workers, homicide was the leading cause for female workers, accounting for 35 percent of their fatal work injuries.

Falls accounted for 10 percent of fatal work injuries. The construction industry, particularly special trade contractors such as roofing, painting and structural steel erection, accounted for almost half the falls. One-fifth of the falls were from or through roofs; falls from scaffolding and from ladders each accounted for about one-eighth. Nine percent of fatally injured workers were struck by various objects, a fourth of which were falling trees, tree limbs and logs. Other objects that struck workers included machines and vehicles slipping into gear or falling onto workers, and various building materials such as pipes, beams, metal plates and lumber. Electrocutions accounted for 5 percent of the worker deaths in a one-year span.

Occupations with large numbers of worker fatalities included truck drivers, farm workers, sales supervisors and proprietors, and construction laborers. Industry divisions with large numbers of fatalities included agriculture, forestry, fishing, construction, transportation and public utilities, and mining. Other high-risk occupations included airplane pilots, cashiers and firefighters.

California had the highest total fatalities on the job (601) with Texas finishing second with 497. Florida was a close third with 388. New York City led with the highest number of assaults and violent acts in the workplace (66). Apparently, something about the northeast provokes violence at work. The District of Columbia reported 76 violent acts and assaults on the job, and Rhode Island had 55. Hawaii had the highest number of work-related highway deaths with 60.

Who's Out There?

The typical whacko who freaks out at work and starts banging away is typically a middle-aged male over 35, withdrawn, owner of a gun, has served in the military and probably drinks or snorts too much chemical substance.

What's danger worth?

The U.S. Department of State thinks employees who work in dangerous places should receive an additional payment of 25 percent of their normal salary. French companies will pay up to double the standard rate to do business in remote or dangerous places. Americans are the preferred targets. Americans visiting or working in other countries are increasingly becoming targets of anti-U.S. attacks. Latin America is the most likely place for anti-American attacks, with the Middle East just behind.

Don't think that it matters to the private sector paymaster whether you are an American or a former Colombian sent to work in Colombia. You will get preferential treatment: 92 percent of U.S. companies pay the same incremental amount regardless of race or country of origin.

If you're seeking an adventurous career change and don't particularly like the idea of dodging bullets while you're selling Slurpies and cigarettes, here are a few other jobs you might consider:

Army Ranger

The Ranger course is 68 days and emphasizes patrolling and raiding. The course is being restricted, and very few noninfantry soldiers will be able to attend in the future. Troops from other branches can attend if they are being sent to jobs with a specific need for Ranger skills. The Ranger school is considered the toughest course in the army.

U.S. Army
2425 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22210-3385
(703) 841-4300

 

Bicycle Messenger

There are about 1500 bicycle messengers in New York City. Messengers are paid between $3 and $30 per trip. A good bike messenger should make about $125 a day. The faster you are, the more you can make, especially during rush hour. You have to supply your own bike (usually a $500 to $1200 mountain bike), safety gear and health insurance. The messenger company gives you a walkie-talkie and a big bag. Messengers work around the clock and break every rule in the book. Many practice "snatching" or grabbing onto a car or truck to speed up their trip. Contact individual messenger services in large cities for more information.

 

Blowout Control

If you like your work hot and dangerous, try containing oil blowouts. The most famous of these workers is, of course, Red Adair's group which inspired a movie starring John Wayne. Despite the dramatic footage of men covered in oil and being roasted, safety comes first. Red is retired, but the company lives on.

The general idea is that when oil wells catch on fire, or blow out, there is a lot of money being sprayed into the air. So these people have to work fast. Saddam Hussein overtaxed companies from eight countries when he set the Kuwaiti fields alight. There were 732 oil wells in need of capping, but not before US$60 billion worth of oil had disappeared.

Even though the companies can be paid up to a million dollars a job (mostly for equipment and expenses), a more realistic fee is between US$20,000 and US$200,000 to control a blowout. The members of the crew make about US$300 to US$1000 a day each plus room and board. The work requires a drilling background. It is tough, hard and dirty work. You also can't pick your customers, since blowouts happen anywhere, anytime.

Safety Boss

Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
(403) 342-1310

Boots & Coots

Houston, TX
(713) 931-8884

Red Adair

Dallas, TX
(214) 462-4282

Bodyguard

Not much danger here, but it sounds dangerous. Big and beefy works for the low level celebrity stuff, spry and deadly for the high level political jobs. You can make about $200-$300 a day (when you work) and if you think you'll be working on a yacht in Monte Carlo protecting bikini-clad rich gals, wake up and smell the B.O.

Most bodyguards work for businessmen. You can carry a gun but it'll just wear a hole in your nice dry cleaned shirts. If you're lucky you can get a full time gig where you also get to drive a car, open doors and other Step `n Fetch-it stuff. Should something go down, you get to throw yourself in front of your employer and spend a few months in the hospital if you get shot. Ex's are the preferred folks here. ex-secret Service, ex-cops, ex military etc. DP's best bet for adventure (but not bucks) is to go south (Latin America) young man where bodyguarding is serious business. One of our buddies ended up being one of Vesco's bodyguards when he and a pal (ex-navy) were bumming around Costa Rica in the old days. They were hanging out in a bar and were enlisted to make a few sucres standing around looking tough.

International Bodyguard Association

458 West Kenwood
Brighton, Tennessee 38011
(901) 837-1915, FAX: (901) 837-4949
The IBA is a professional association for bodyguards ($50 first year, $40 per year thereafter.) They also provide a skills course in firearms, bodyguarding.

P.O. Box 500
South Croydon, England CRZ 6ZD
[44] (181) 668 5190, FAX: [44] (181) 668 8745

Asset Protection Team

10467 White Granite Drive, Suite 210
Oakton Virginia
(703) 385-6754
APT is run by Chuck Vance, an ex Secret Service agent who married President Ford's daughter Susan.

Falcon Global Corporation

837 Washington Boulevard, Suite 2
Williamsport, Pennsylvania, 17701
(800) 326-9838
Ex-Green Berets started Falcon Global to provide a little muscle during strikes.

Executive Protection Associates, Inc.

316 California Avenue
Reno, NV 89509
http://www.iapps.org/epaihm.html
Executive Protection Specialist Handbook

Varro Press

P.O. Box 8413 Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66208
(913) 432-5856

Bounty Hunter

For those of you who can't hold a day job, you might consider bounty hunting. Since the romantic notion of men being brought in dead or alive for a price on their head is almost gone, you end up working for bail bondsmen, not the most romantic of employers. They will pay you a finder's fee so they don't have to cough up the entire amount of the court-imposed bail when their client doesn't show.

The job does not require much training or even much of anything except a pair of handcuffs and a little skip-tracing education. (Don't believe everything you see on "Renegade." It isn't necessary to have a Lorenzo Lamas physique, long hair or a Harley.) What you get for bringing in bad people is between 10 and 30 percent of the fugitives' bail from the grateful bondsmen. Their clients will not be happy to see you and, in most cases, will try to elude you, since you have neither an attractive uniform nor a big gun. If you have a permit to carry a gun, you are not always allowed to use it. You need a license to operate in Indiana and Nevada but in other states, you are essentially making a citizen's arrest, and if you end up with broken bones or holes in you, it's your problem. Some states don't like bounty hunters; you can't practice your business in Illinois, Kentucky or Oregon, for example.

There are about 2000 bounty hunters (50-100 are active) in the U.S. who return about 20,000 fugitives each year. It is estimated that about 35,000 folks jump bail (don't appear in court) and about 87 percent are brought back by bounty hunters. Most of these hunters don't make much money. The lower the bail, the less serious the crime, the less money they make, the easier the errant crooks or fugitives (don't forget they are innocent until proven guilty) are to find.

There is a market for high-end bounty hunters. There are many fugitive terrorists with very big prices on their heads. But you will need a working command of Arabic, Persian, French and some tribal dialects. You will need to be fully conversant with Islam and the Koran and be able to travel around Afghanistan and Pakistan. If you're caught, you will be lucky if you are shot. If you want to know more about bounty hunting or just hang out with the 1500 or so members of the NIBE contact the following:

National Institute of Bail Enforcement

P.O. Box 1170
Tombstone, AZ 85638
(520) 457-9360

Western States Bail Enforcement Association

P.O. Box 352
Los Altos, CA 94023
e-mail: webmaster@bounty-hunter.org
http://www.bounty-hunter.org/

Cab Driver

Taxis were introduced in 1907 in New York City. Today, it is a job usually taken by recent immigrants. In New York City, there are 11,787 Yellow Cabs, 30,000 livery cars and between 5000 and 9000 illegal gypsy cabs. Cab drivers are usually independent contractors who lease their cabs from a cab company. In New York, a cabbie pays about $40 a day for the cab and maybe about $20 for gas. He gets to keep everything after that. The term for breaking even is "making the knot." There are no benefits, worker's comp or holidays. The hours are flexible, and you meet a lot of interesting people, albeit briefly. The Lexan dividers in some cabs have been credited with saving lives, but driving a cab is still a dangerous business.

In a recent one-year span in New York City, there were 40 murders of cabbies; most were drivers of livery or gypsy cabs. In a five-year period, 192 drivers were killed. There were 3892 robberies in that one-year period. The average amount of the theft was $100 in cash.

N.Y. Taxi Commission

(212) 302-8294, FAX: (212) 840-1607

CIA

The U.S. intelligence community is comprised of about 100,000 people who work for 28 different organizations. It takes eight agencies just to process and analyze the satellite images sent in by five different intelligence groups. It costs about $28 billion to find out what our friends and enemies are up to. The adventurous, spooky stuff is the Clandestine Service. You get to recruit foreign agents, pretend to be somebody else and then be airlifted out by Marines or Navy SEALS when Uncle Sam screws up as they did in Northern Iraq. If you want to be a Clandestine Services case officer only mention your interest in your first interview. They need folks who have language skills and background in Africa, Central Asia (especially Former Soviet Republics) and of course they will wet themselves if you are a well placed North Korean or Iraqi. Entrance salary is between $31,459 to $48,222. Maximum age is 35 and you need to have a college degree. How do we know all this super spooky stuff. Well the CIA has taken to advertising in the Economist. For super secret jobs contact:

Chief Career Training Program

P.O. Box 1925
Washington, D.C. 20013
(703) 790-0345

The job category that might attract MBAs/adventurers is what is known as nonofficial cover. Opportunity is knocking (or NOCing) for a few lucky business grads. Dissatisfied with the traditional foreign embassy bureaucrat or aid worker as a cover for its operatives, the CIA has decided to get creative. The CIA now recruits young executives through bogus companies usually based in northern Virginia. The ads appear in major periodicals and newspapers and seek recent business school grads who want to work overseas. The job pays well but requires training. The NOCs are not trained in Camp Peary nor do they ever appear on any CIA database to keep them safe from moles. Sounds like a great movie plot, so far.

The successful graduates are then posted with real companies overseas. Many large American corporations gladly accept these folks, since they get a real business grad who works long hours for free. Each NOC has a liaison person who must handle the intel that is provided by his charge. Many of these positions are with banks, import-export firms and other companies in such nasty places as North Korea, Iraq, Iran and Colombia. Although the CIA has to cut corners on its $28 billion dollar annual budget, NOCs cost more to train and support, but it's hoped they can provide hard information in countries where the embassy is a little light on cocktail party chatter.

If you are exposed or captured, you are officially a spy and not protected by a diplomatic passport.

CIA Employment Office

Career Trainee Division
P.O. Box A2002
Arlington, VA 22209-8727
(703) 613-8888, FAX: (703) 613-7871

To join the Clandestine service branch of the CIA you need a bachelor's degree along with strong communication and interpersonal skills. Military experience helps. The CIA is keen on folks with backgrounds in Central Eurasian, East Asian and Middle Eastern languages (kind of tells you where the action is doesn't it?). You need to pass a medical, psychiatric and polygraph test. You must be a U.S. citizen and can't be over 35. The starting pay is $31,459 to $48,222. A lot of the training takes place at the 9000 acre Camp Peary, outside Williamsburg, Virginia. Here students spend a year at "the Farm" learning how to be spies.

Former CIA operatives can also sign up with any number of security consultants (See Save Yourself) or groups like CTC who provide the private sector with intelligence gathering and security.

Delta Force

The 1st SFOD-Delta (Delta Force) began in 1977 as Uncle Sam's sharp edge against terrorism. Today it is estimated to employ between 2500-8000 men (and females). Charlie Beckworth was given two years to create an anti-terrorism unit similar to European units like the SAS. There are three assault squadrons (A, B and C) made up of 75 people which are split into 4-6 man teams. When they need a lift they use the Air Force Special Operations Command and the Army 160th Aviation Regiment. It also has its own small air force made of civilian dressed aircraft which can be converted once in country. There is also the Funny Platoon, an intel group that uses female operatives.

A $75 million facility on old Range 19 (on Fort Bragg's McKellars road) at Fort Bragg is their home. Their specialty is storming buildings or planes and like the Navy SEALs; they may or may not have been used for a variety of rescue and black ops. The world knows about their botched attempts to rescue the hostages in Tehran and the casualties they suffered trying to take out Aidid in Mogadishu. Delta operatives have spent quite a bit of time cooling their hills in Cyprus trying to rescue hostages or Howard Air Force base in Panama.

Delta Force prides itself on being the world's best marksmen under all conditions. The latest thrill ride is being invited to sit in the middle of a Delta Force shooting house during CQB (Close Quarter Battle) and watch the team storm the buildings, kill all the paper terrorists without messing a single hair on the guests' head. Like the Navy SEALs (who often work in conjunction with the Delta Force), the Delta Force can go anywhere, anytime; they just leave the wet jobs to SEAL Team 6, the Navy's version of Delta Force. The FBI has a hostage team that handles domestic terrorist incidents. Delta Force operatives are recruited from the army. The average candidate is around 31 years old, has ten years of service, has an above average IQ. Candidates are by invitation only basis (usually recruited from Green Beret and Rangers) and must go through physical and psychological tests. There is an 18 day formal selection course that mimics the SAS course with the addition of rigorous mental tests after periods of physical hardship and sleep deprivation. If accepted the candidate then goes through a six month Operators Training Course. The course includes, shooting, air assaults, bodyguarding, high speed driving, mental sharpening and covert operations.

 

Explosives Expert

If Uncle Sam taught you how to blow things up, you might want to try demolishing buildings (no we don't mean Federal Buildings). The skill of imploding existing skyscrapers, apartment buildings and large factories has spawned companies that do nothing but take down buildings in a few seconds flat. Controlled Demolition Group holds the world record for blowing up buildings. Although not a dangerous job with the correct training (hell, even I used to work with explosives) it does demand a certain level of attention.

Controlled Demolition Group

Charlesworth House
Richardshaw Road
Leeds, England LS28 6QW
[44] (0113) 255-8455
[44] (0113) 239-3191
e-mail: marketing@cdg5.discovery-net.co.uk

Green Beret

The Green Berets are the outgrowth of the WWII "Jedburgh teams," special teams that were dropped behind enemy lines to link up with French partisans. They evolved into eight man Detachment Alpha or "A" teams. Each team member had multiple and overlapping skills. Later the teams would be expanded to 12 men. They were used to train other military or insurgent groups. Despite the shoot 'em John Wayne image, Green Berets are officially known as U.S. Army Special Forces, and they have always been linked with spook work and covert operations. They were created in 1953 by a veteran of the OSS (the precursor of the CIA) and the green beret wasn't officially endorsed until President Kennedy visited Fort Bragg in 1961. To get in, you have to already be a member of the Army and pass the three week selection course at Fort Bragg. Once accepted there is the Q course, a three to 12 month course that teaches the basic skills of counterinsurgency:

John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School

Attention AMU-SP-R
Fort Bragg North Carolina 28307
(919) 432-1818

101st Airborne Division

ATFN: RCRO-SM-SF-FC
Fort Campbell, Kentucky 42223
(502) 439-4390

Mercenary

If someone paid you $40 million (some say $23 million), could you clean up a civil war? Well, that's what Executive Outcomes(Shutdown as of January1999) was reportedly paid to clean up things in Angola. They also cashed half of a $46 million fee to clean up Bougainville, but that gig was a fiasco. Nobody has a clean accounting on what they got in Sierra Leone but considering that one of last EO mercenaries left on the ground was an accountant, it should tell you "outsourcing your military needs" has become is a big business.

The curious thing about South African based EO is that it is part of a larger Canadian mining group that, along with killing rebels, also looks for gold in Uganda, explores in Ethiopia, and is busy in various mining operations in Lesotho, Botswana, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and a growing number of other African nations. They also have a large aviation division that can hustle up tired old Russian gunships as well as shiny business jets. The new mercenary business is convoluted and meant to be. Although EO is a security company, it is part of a group of 32 companies. If you are wondering what the folks working for EO make, it isn't much--about $1500 a month and all the land mines you can step on. Officers are in greater demand and can negotiate monthly salaries of $4500-$15,000. In-country shifts are eight weeks on and two weeks off. It helps to know a little Afrikaaner, since the officers use it as a code to confuse the bad guys. The mercs are typically black and recruited from the South Africa Defense Forces when they fought against the well-armed and highly trained mercenaries. The kill ratio is about 50 rebels to one mercenary. Yes, they do provide insurance coverage in case you get killed or injured. If you contact EO Mr. Pelser will politely ask you to send your CV (resume) but they typically only hire ex-SADF folks.

For those who want less action but more money. MPRI is owned and operated by former U.S. military officers and NCO's who provide training, equipping, force design and management, professional development, concepts and doctrine, organizational and operational requirements, simulation and wargaming operations, humanitarian assistance, quick reaction military contractual support, and democracy transition assistance programs for the military forces of emerging republics. Now entering its 10th year, MPRI has in excess of 350 employees. The 1996 volume of business exceeded $24,000,000. Other units like DSL provide a wide range of security services and manpower to the military, mining and oil businesses.

Defence Systems Limited

Eggington House
25-28 Buckingham Gate
London, England SW1E 6LD
(0171) 233-5611, FAX: (0171) 233-7434
e-mail: DSL_London@dial.pipex.com

Executive Outcomes (Shutdown as of January1999)

P.O. Box 75255
Lynwood Ridge
Pretoria 0040, South Africa
[27] (12) 473-789

GSG

Suite 11, Queensway House
St. Helior, Jersey JE4 81Y
Channel Islands, U.K.
[44] (1534) 74-707

Military Professional Resources Inc.

1201 East Abingdon Drive, Suite 425
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
(703) 684-0853, FAX: (703) 684-3528
e-mail info@mpri.com
http://www.mpri.com/

Minesweeper

Land mines kill or maim someone on this planet every hour. There is a big demand for former explosives and munitions experts to clean up these killers. Mine clearance personnel are paid about US$90,000 a year. There are about 20 companies that specialize in the detection and removal of land mines. Kuwait spent about US$1 billion to clean up the 7 million land mines sewn during the five-month occupation of Kuwait by Iraq; 83 mine clearance experts have been killed just in Kuwait. If you are looking for big money, be aware that local minesweepers in Angola make only US$70 a day.

Explosive Ordnance Disposal World Services

Fort Walton Beach, FL
(904) 864-3454

Ronco

Berkeley, CA
(510) 548-3922

Royal Ordnance

London, England
[44] (81) 012-52-37-32-32

UXB

Chantilly, VA
(703) 803-8904

Navy SEAL

Specialists in Naval Special Warfare, the SEALs (SEa Air, Land) evolved from the frogman of WWII. The SEALs have been glorified in films and books. Their most recent brush with fame was their less-than-secret invasion of Kuwait City, with the world's press watching and filming with high-powered camera lights. The SEALs were born on January 1, 1962 when they were created by President Kennedy along with the revitalized Green Berets.

In 1989 the SEALs were the first into Panama, using rebreathers and midget subs. In the Gulf War they even used custom-made dune buggies to operate behind enemy lines.

The SEALs go through 27 weeks of intense basic training, either in Coronado, which is near San Diego or on the East Coast. The training starts with a seven week exercise and swimming course just to get ready for basic training. Then there are nine weeks of extreme physical and mental abuse. The focus is on teamwork and surviving the constant harassment. The sixth week is "Hell Week," six days of misery and physical torture with little or no sleep. Then there is extensive classroom and underwater training in SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) diving. This phase ends with another serious physical challenge. The third and final phase is the UDT and above-water training on San Clemente Island. There is also a 6 month probation period.

SEAL teams must practice close-quarter battle drills by firing 300 or more rounds of 9-mm ammunition weekly. Each of the six-line SEAL teams is given 1.5 million rounds of ammunition annually to train its five 16-man platoons. According to the specs on their Beretta 92F pistols, this means they burn out one handgun a year. Their MP5 machine guns last a little longer. The symbol of a seal is the gold plated "Budweiser" pin, the eagle and a trident symbol. SEAL Team 6 specializes in anti-terrorist operations. They are controlled by NAVSPECWARCOMDEVGROUP out of Coronado, California.

If you just want to look like a SEAL you can shop at the same place SEALs shop. Be the first on your block to wear a shirt that says "Pain is just weakness leaving your body." Bullshirts, 1007 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118.

U.S. Navy Human Resources

2531 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, VA 22242-5161
(703) 607-3023

 

Smoke Jumper

If the thought of being parachuted into a raging inferno and having to fight your way back until you can be airlifted out many sleepless nights later appeals to you, then you should try smoke jumping. Smoke jumpers are firefighters who must be in the air within 10 minutes and parachute into remote areas to fight fires. Dropped from small planes as low as 1500 feet in altitude, they quickly must hike to the scene of the fire, and instantly begin to chop and backburn areas to head off forest fires before they get too big. The work is all manual and requires strength, endurance and an ability to work around the clock if need be.

Most smoke jumpers are attracted by the danger and the camaraderie these jobs afford. They are known to be party animals, close friends and hard workers

Although the death of 14 firefighters in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on July 6, 1994, reminded people that smoke jumping is dangerous, that there are only 387 smoke jumpers in the U.S. makes those deaths even more significant. The last time any smoke jumpers were killed actually fighting a fire was in 1949 during the Mann Gulch blaze in Montana. During this 45-year period of calm, one jumper pancaked into the ground due to chute failure and another hanged himself when he tried to get out of a tree where he had landed.

Like most dangerous jobs, the goal is to stay alive and healthy, and you definitely don't do it for the money. Pay for smoke jumpers starts at about $9 an hour, and there is additional pay during fires and with overtime. Most are part-time jumpers who earn the money during the hot summer fire season.

There are nine U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management regional jumper bases in the West. The supervisors react quickly to fires and send in anywhere from two or more jumpers, depending on the size of the fire. If a lightning strike starts a small blaze, fire jumpers can deal with it quickly and effectively before calling in the water bombers. Supplies can be parachuted in as soon as the jumpers are on the ground. Once done, the jumpers then get to hike out with their equipment or be picked up by helicopter.

Training requires federal certification to fell large trees and to be able to climb in and more likely, out of trees. They maintain their own chain saws and other equipment. Their protective Kevlar suits hold their equipment and protect them when landing in trees. Forest Service jumpers use round chutes and jump at 1500 feet BLM; smoke jumpers use the more modern rectangular chutes and exit at 3000 feet.

Aerial Fire Depot

Missoula, MT
(406) 329-3402 ext. 4893

Northern California Service Center

Redding, CA
(916) 246-5467

Payette Wildlife Center

McCall, ID
(208) 634-0700

Redmond Air Center

Redmond, OR
(503) 548-5070

U.N. Peacekeeper

Not many soldiers ask to be U.N. peacekeepers, and they usually find the idea of talking to a highly trained killer and making him Gandhi for a day even stranger. It's tough enough trying to figure out why someone is trying to kill his closest neighbor, or in our case, why we send pimply kids thousands of miles to whomp Third World revolutionaries. Being a U.N. peacekeeper means wearing silly blue berets and driving around in white trucks. You can be shot at, but you can't shoot back. You can be insulted, but you can't insult back. In fact, you may find yourself actually helping people kill their enemy as you protect war criminals, maintain archaic political boundaries and provide security for execution squads. You will come under shell fire, and gun fire and have to keep up with deadly bureaucratic paperwork. In Bosnia, Canadians were told to return mines they dug up to the armies that planted them. Some scratched their initials on the casings and dug up the same mines weeks later. They must use photodegradable sandbags, and the rules of engagement are so Byzantine that it requires hours to get official clearances to shoot back when they come under fire.

United Nations

Field Operations Staffing
42nd Street and First Avenue, Room 52280-D
New York, NY
(212) 963-1147

I found your book last Saturday in Pretoria, and I couldn't wait to write to you. I'm 28 years old, French and live in South Africa. I spent 4-1/2 years in the Naval Infantry as a sergeant, I resigned to join the Legion, but they didn't take me because I was short sighted. It was a shock because I never intended to be a civilian. I stayed in France got a diploma and became a fitness instructor in a gym. I missed the Army very much. I resigned to go to Bosnia to join HVO. I first went to Mostar where people were nice, but told me I had come a little late. I went to Zagreb where I tried to join the Croat Brigade. Unfortunately a law had been voted in which banned the hiring of foreigners. Two months later I was working as a fitness instructor for Club Med in Morocco.

A friend called and told me he could arrange for me to fight for the Karens in Burma (Myanmar). I quit to go back to France and meet the recruiter. He says he hasn't had any news from Burma for the last two months. "The Karens have lost Manerplaw so I prefer not to send you there now."

I became a security guard in Luxembourg, but it was too boring so I quit and left for South Africa. I tried to join Executive Outcomes but they only hire ex-SADF people. I ended up working for COIN security in the Comoros Islands. When I returned, some former EO people and I went to Kinshasa. We waited, but nothing happened. I was an interpreter and four members of the secret police stole $200 from me. We never got any money from the Zaireans. I was told that the contract was signed with Mobutu's government (it wasn't) that the money was on its way to South Africa (it never arrived) and that we would have all the equipment we needed (it never showed up either). I quit my job at COIN in expectation of going to Kinshasa but nothing ever came of it. Like you said the merc business is 99 percent bullshit and one percent reality. Long life to DP and best regards to the whole team.