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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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May 18th,
2008 - Dickens Residents Back Accused Blackwater Shooter |
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Dickens Residents Back
Accused Blackwater Shooter By Henri Brickey The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal May 18, 2008 No one in Dickens calls Paul
Slough a murderer. That's because most of Dickens
considers Slough a patriot and a hero - despite that he was named the primary
shooter in one of the largest killings of unarmed civilians in Iraq by U.S.
forces. "We are all very proud
of him," said Dickens County Sheriff Ken Brendle, who watched Slough
grow up while living in Dickens. "That boy was always a leader. He's not
a murderer." Upon graduating from Patton
Springs High School in 1999, Slough joined the Army. After several
deployments and an honorable discharge, he was hired by private security
contractor Blackwater. His career was stellar. Until Sept. 15, 2007. On that day, Slough and his
Blackwater security convoy entered a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad.
Slough's convoy was escorting U.S. State Department officials through the intersection
when a white car traveling the wrong way failed to yield for the convoy. The convoy fired at the car. Details of what happened
after that vary depending on the source. One State Department report
says up to 10 attackers opened fire on the convoy from multiple locations.
Others say Iraqi police and army troops near the scene mistakenly opened fire
on the Blackwater team, prompting return fire from Blackwater. Others report the convoy
fired on unarmed civilians with no provocation. The shootout left 17 Iraqi
civilians dead, investigators concluded. The shooting made
international headlines and resulted in Blackwater's license to operate in
Iraq being temporarily suspended. An FBI report states 14 of the 17 Iraqis
killed at Nisour Square died without cause. At the center of the
investigation is a Blackwater employee referred to as turret gunner number 3,
who allegedly fired the most during the engagement and was responsible for a
large number of the deaths. The New York Times later
identified Slough as turret gunner number 3. None of the other members of
the Blackwater team involved in the Nisour Square shooting have had their
names made public, making Slough the only individual to be publicly blamed
for the shootings. Blackwater officials did not
return messages left by The Avalanche-Journal. Attempts to contact Slough
were unsuccessful. Slough's father, Paul Sr., died a few years ago. Slough's
mother is reportedly living in Post. Attempts to contact her also were
unsuccessful. Town stands behind Slough "It's a shame. Our boys
are putting their lives on the line and this is what they get in
return," said Tookie Cash, who recently retired as Dickens County clerk
and knew Slough when he was growing up. Cash, like many in Dickens, feels
Slough is being made a scapegoat in a political battle over the war in Iraq. "It's a war zone. They
should not be policed. There's no time to think when you find yourself in a
situation like that. You just react. PJ did his job." And for doing his job, the
people of Dickens are grateful. "We're proud of
PJ," said Andy Zarate, whose son Michael was good friends with Slough
during high school. "We stand behind him 100 percent." Rick West knew Slough better
than probably anybody prior to Slough's enlistment into the Army. West, a rancher and Dickens
County commissioner, invited Slough to come live and work on his ranch when
Slough's ailing father could no longer look after the teenager. For almost four years,
Slough toiled on the ranch and learned what it meant to work and live like a
man. West remembers Slough as a
hard-working and determined teen. "If he shook your hand,
it was a deal," West said. West calls the investigation
of Slough a "political head hunt." "If it wasn't an
election year, this wouldn't even be happening," West said. The last West heard from
him, Slough was married and working as a roustabout on an oil rig crew near
Fort Worth. A popular student Photos of Slough in his Patton
Springs High School senior yearbook show the tall, blond-haired student as a
fun-loving teen who appears popular among classmates. Slough played football, was
active in FFA and served on the student council while at Patton Springs High. Larry McClenny, Patton
Springs Independent School District superintendent who was the principal at
the high school when Slough was a student there, recently described Slough as
"courteous" and "a gentleman." "I don't think PJ had a
violent bone in his body," McClenny said. "I don't ever remember
him being in trouble." Others at Patton Springs
High said Slough isn't the type of person who would take a life in cold
blood. "We never saw a violent
side of PJ," said Brenda Karr, who taught Slough's science classes while
he was in high school. "It doesn't add up to something PJ would
do." Karr described Slough as
"intellectual" and mature for his age. "A natural born
leader," was another way she described her former student. So it was no surprise when
school officials learned Slough was joining the military. He entered the Army as an
infantryman in August 1999. He was deployed to Bosnia, where he completed
more than 100 patrols. He was honorably discharged in August 2002. In January 2005, Slough was
deployed to Iraq with the Texas National Guard. After his enlistment with the
National Guard ended, he accepted a job with Blackwater in June 2006. As of April, the FBI was
still investigating the shooting, according to the State Department. External link: http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/051808/loc_280231460.shtml |