March 2008

March 2008
Communiqué
BLACKWATER ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
BLACKWATER GOES TO S.H.O.T.
Industry’s largest trade show posts record attendance.
by Eric R. Poole
BLACKWATER GOES TO S.H.O.T.
Industry’s largest trade show posts record attendance.
by Eric R. Poole
The 30th annual S.H.O.T. Show opened the doors at the
Las Vegas Convention Center on February 2nd to the
industry’s military, law enforcement, shooting, hunting
and outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to record attendance, exhibition space and companies, the press was
out in record numbers.
“The buying activity reported is a strong indicator of
a good year to come and reflects the strength of the
shooting, hunting and outdoor industry,” Doug Painter,
president of the N.S.S.F. and S.H.O.T. Show explained.
According to reports, the show comprised 715,000
square feet of exhibit space, a gain of nearly 60,000
over last year, with 1,950 exhibiting companies, up from
last year’s 1,870. Registered attendance totaled 58,769,
attracted 30,686 buyers, 1,725 members of the press,
25,854 exhibiting personnel and 504 guests.
“Traffic was non-stop at
both our booths,” indicated
Melissa Cuthbert-Weinert.
“Traffic was non-stop at both our booths,” indicated Melissa Cuthbert-Weinert. Melissa
made the most of her time as she interacted with passers-by, interacting with various
company executives coordinating advertising opportunities in the Blackwater Tactical
Weekly. “It’s amazing how many people you can meet here.”
Sherry Whitehurst recently expanded Blackwater Pro Shop’s product line in the retail
store as well as online where she is experiencing rapidly growing sales. Spending time
at the booth and on the move, many companies approached her to develop Blackwater
exclusive products to offer for sale.
The public seemed poised to receive Blackwater’s new BW15 rifle after handling two
samples that featured the Blackwater logo. “We’ve had a lot of people ask how they can
get one, said Alan Alligood, Blackwater armorer.” Blackwater’s highly trained and experienced armorers take the basic M4 to the next level by offering custom rifles that are
built exactly to the customer’s wishes. “We have a hard time helping people understand
that we are not offering a line or series of guns. We build want they want. Each one may
be different,” says Armory Chief Bill Kirkland. In a business where the firearms industry
is saturated with variations and types of ARs, the BW15 represents a truly unique
approach. The rifles can only be ordered through the Blackwater Armory, making
them very exclusive and highly desirable.
BLACKWATER ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Eric Davis, Deputy Director of Blackwater’s 80-acre Midwest Campus, in Mt. Carroll, IL.,
was encouraged by the inquiries for training at the new Illinois training center. “Many
people didn’t realize that Blackwater had a facility in this part of the country. That is what
I’m here to fix.” With training beginning at the end of the winter freeze, the show proved
a unique opportunity to reach out to potential clients.
For first-time exhibitors, the show was an eye-opener. “The key customers and the key
decision makers in the industry are under one roof and that’s great for anybody,” said
Matt Kriesel, chairman of Impact Jel, a first-time exhibitor. “What a phenomenal show. I
don’t see how it can get better with the connections we received.”
“When it comes to media, there is nothing like SHOT where nearly 2,000 members of the
press are in one place,” said Tom Taylor, Smith & Wesson Vice President of Marketing.
“This year was great. Press attendance was up, and, since our company has expanded,
we were able to meet with many other publications that we hadn’t in the past.”
The attendance and energy built up around this year’s show suggests another profitable year for this industry, an industry that is often referred to as a family of like-minded
Americans. If attendance has any bearing on the success of the businesses, Blackwater
is anticipating a good year.
Shot Show conference floor.
Photo by Eric Poole
BLACKWATER ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Protestors Guilty as Charged
Appealed convictions, denied….still guilty!
by Dana C. Richardson
Below: Picture from the October 27, 2007 protest at Blackwater headquarters. Protestors
and local media blocked roadway traffic until
sheriff deputies arrived to disperse the group.
On October 20, 2007 a group of about 50 activists gathered in Moyock, North Carolina at
the edge of Blackwater Worldwide headquarters. Wearing blood stained clothing, they
staged a political demonstration against the September 16th Nisoor Square shooting by
placing a vehicle with bullet marks and blood on the property and smearing fake blood
on the company’s welcome sign. It took only moments for the local police to respond
to the protest; the first ever at Blackwater’s headquarters. Seven of the activists were
arrested and charged with criminal trespassing; six of them with an additional charge of
resisting arrest and one with another charge of injury to real property. The activists were
held in the county jail for five days and released pending their trial.
The activists stood before a judge on December 5, 2007 answering the
charges. Their stated intent was to put Blackwater on trial, and explained
that their demonstration was a political statement against the company for
its current actions in Iraq. District Court Judge Edgar Barnes cleared the
courtroom to prevent the activists from grandstanding and attempting to
put Blackwater on trial. The activists were all convicted in District Court,
but with the help of the ACLU, they appealed their original convictions to
the Superior Court.
“You now state you are not
going to abide by the law,
and you don’t respect my
judgment. That grieves me,”
Judge Duke stated.
On January 24 in Currituck County, North Carolina Superior Court, Judge Russell Duke
presided over the activist’s appeal. Judge Duke allowed the defendant’s right of freedom
of speech and decided to let the public witness the daylong trial. The protesters engaged
in a gentle debate with their sentencing judge, professing their beliefs about Blackwater’s actions in Iraq, frequently citing the Bible and the Constitution as support for their
actions.
Judge Duke told them, “We’re not here about what’s happening in Iraq, we are here
about the peace and harmony of this particular community. The law of this state is
instituted to protect the peace and harmony. This is a place, a state, a nation, of laws –
not of men.” Five of the seven protestors were convicted on second degree trespassing
charges. Judge Duke sentenced each protester to five days and credited time already
served. The other two protestors also received five day sentences which the judge suspended. All were ordered not to return to the Blackwater’s property.
“You now state you are not going to abide by the law, and you don’t respect my
judgment. That grieves me,” Judge Duke stated. Good luck was the last words that
Judge Duke said to the protestors. They all filed out of the courtroom. One Protester
responded to the comments that Judge Duke had made to the group. He was sorry that
the group grieved the judge; especially since he given each one of us protestors a lot of
leeway, and that he couldn’t speak for anyone else but that he personally appreciated
that act of kindness.
BLACKWATER ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Interested in Training at Blackwater?
Five days of Tactical Pistol Training
by Dana C. Richardson
Blackwater Training Center is known worldwide for providing the highest caliber of training to law enforcement, military, and government agencies. Training is conducted at our
facilities located in Moyock, North Carolina and Mount Carroll, Illinois along with mobile
training at any approved facility.
Training objectives covered:
The Tactical Pistol I course is one of many courses offered by Blackwater. This five day
training course emphasizes the development of real life tactical and shooting skills. You
will learn and use techniques that will reduce your reaction time, allow you to shoot
faster with a higher degree of accuracy and increase your confidence with your handgun. The class predominately uses the Glock 17, but students are encouraged to bring
their own handguns.
• Weapon handling and safety
• Gear placement
• Conditions of readiness
• Fundamentals of shooting
• Proper ready positions
• Recoil managements
• Reloading and malfunction clearing
• Shooting positions
• Drawing and firing techniques
• Firing positions and barricades
• Shooting multiple and moving targets
• Low light shooting techniques
• Shooting on the move
• Strong hand only and support hand only
shooting
The course objective is to start at the basic skill level, continually adding techniques,
developing the student’s shooting skills. Each major skill-set is taught, building upon
the previous lessons and challenging the students to excel. The course will raise your
expectations, making you more comfortable with a handgun and a better shooter. The
course uses 3-inch dots, 8-inch dots, and silhouette targets throughout training (up to 25
yards), ending with static steel and pie plates. The instructors often encourage competitions between the students on the single, multiple and moving targets. These competitions emphasize and reinforce the basic skills such as drawing and firing.
Instructors demonstrating firing positions to
students
Ron Conrad, Program Manager for Firearms and Tactics department advised,
“Depending on the class abilities as a whole, the instructors may tailor the course so
the less experienced and the more experienced shooter develops new fundamental
skills, have a positive outcome and that we meet all the expectations of this course.”
Information on this course and other open enrollment courses is available from
our Sales Department at: 252-435-2488 or [email protected]. As with all
Blackwater skill development courses; the combination of our superior instructors,
facilities and materials provides the student with an astounding experience.
BLACKWATER ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Barack OBAMA Shows Tacit Support
Not “ruling out” use of private security companies
by Dana C. Richardson
The Nation reports, Barack Obama gave a qualified show of support to Blackwater
Worldwide. One adviser stated that Obama does not plan to sign on to legislation that
seeks to ban the use of these forces in U.S. war zones by January 2009, after a new
President would be sworn in.
Obama’s Iraq withdrawal plan provides for some U.S. troops to remain in Iraq but how
many is still uncertain. “If Obama comes into office next January and our diplomatic
security service is in the state it’s in and the situation on the ground in Iraq is in the state
it’s in, I think we will be forced to rely on a host of security measures,” said the senior
adviser. “I can’t rule out and I won’t rule out the use of private security contractors.”
The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is slated to become the largest embassy in world history. If we
continue to have diplomats and U.S. personnel traveling in and out of the Green Zone,
a significant amount of protection will be required while still maintaining the embassy.
Blackwater, DynCorp and Triple Canopy are the current companies that provide protection for U.S. diplomats and personnel. Obama acknowledges that there may be no existing U.S. laws that could be used to prosecute security contractors for crimes committed
in Iraq, but he will focus on bringing accountability to these forces. “What we’re focused
on at the moment is getting the legal architecture in place that will hold these guys accountable to the same standard that U.S. military personnel are accustomed to.”
Blackwater Worldwide Headquarters Building
located in Moyock, North Carolina
” Contractors continue to
offer a cost effective
solution providing
temporary surges in capabilities in challenging
environments.
Obama has proposed increasing funding to the
diplomatic security division to assist in
a protective force composed entirely of U.S.
government personnel but the State Department
says the reality of the process to identify, train
and deploy new agents could take years. As
Ambassador Ryan Crocker stated in late 2007,
“There is simply no way at all that the State
Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security could ever have enough full-time personnel
to staff the security function in Iraq. There is no alternative except through contracts.”
Making diplomatic security a military operation would also pose serious challenges,
as the New York Times reported late last year, “the military does not have the trained
personnel to take over the job.”
One adviser indicated that contractors would continue to operate at significant levels
overseas. “These contractors are not only providing private security functions; they are
rebuilding schools, serving food and providing logistics to the Iraq communities.” Contractors continue to offer a cost effective solution providing temporary surges in capabilities in challenging environments.
BLACKWATER ALUMNI ASSOCIATION