In this shocking exposé, two government fraud experts reveal how private contractors have put the lives of countless American soldiers on the line while damaging our strategic interests and our image abroad. From the shameful war profiteering of companies like Halliburton/KBR to the sinister influence that corporate lobbyists have on American foreign policy, Dina Rasor and Robert H. Bauman paint a disturbing picture. Here they give the inside story on troops forced to subsist on little food and contaminated water, on officers afraid to lodge complaints because of Halliburton's political clout, on millions of dollars in contractors' bogus claims that are funded by American taxpayers. Drawing on exclusive sources within government and the military, the authors show how money and power have conspired to undermine our fighting forces and threaten the security of our country.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Betraying the Reader:
The authors' thesis is that we (USA) should not be out-sourcing to the private sector critical military functions, primarily logistical. Some of the trigger-pulling has also been outsourced (e.g., Blackwater). I agree wholeheartedly with the authors' political position. But the major point is illustrated only anecdotically with a relatively small number of snafus in the current undeclared war (or battle for the peace, if you will) in Iraq. I do not mean to belittle the illustrations. Real people, true... more info
questionable bias:
I question Amazon's choice here to allow blogs of the authors' opinions to fill the space where independent book reviews normally appear. And I question the authors' predisposition, evident in their search for and characterization of scandal, to distrust for-profit corporations for, of all things, earning a profit. Their writing style also is infused with a bias that americans-in-uniform are more capable and more efficient problem solvers than americans formerly in uniform and now working as... more info
Tremendous reporting:
I know from first-hand experience that it can be shockingly difficult to nail down the facts behind stories that took place in a war zone, even when the documentation is readily available and the participants are happy to discuss events. That Dina Rasor and Robert Bauman have been able to assemble the stories they have for "Betraying Our Troops" is almost amazing, considering the current environment surrounding the Iraq war. In an environment where government and corporate secrecy prevails, and where people... more info
Very scary:
This book points up the need for a draft in the US. If we truly believe we are in a war, then let the whole country fight it. Just keep shopping is not my idea of sacrifice. A child in WWII, I was proud to participate in all the drives, use the stamps, buy war stamps; all the things even children did. We keep lowering the bar for entry into our services so that we no longer have our finest in all too many cases. We could be accused of sending cannon fodder. We should not have to look to mercenaries to... more info
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