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  Get Rich or Die Trying: German Mercenaries Seek their Fortunes in Iraq

Get Rich or Die Trying German Mercenaries Seek their Fortunes in Iraq

By John Goetz and Conny Neumann

Part 3: 'Being in Iraq is Damned Hard Work'

Saville, who worked for an American company that uses dogs to search for explosives, was relatively experienced. But he apparently became increasingly afraid as the months dragged on. Shortly before his death, he wrote: "It's horrible out there sometimes. But that's the reason we get paid so well. Motorcycle and car bombs are our biggest threat."

Saville's widow and their young son Christopher now receive an annual pension of $110,000, courtesy of the US Department of Labor, which compensates the survivors of the Americans' helpers -- no matter where they live.

Officials at Danubia Global have refused to talk about Saville's death. They are also keeping quiet about an extensive investigation of the US firm Custer Battles, a partner in Danubia Global, by prosecutors in the western German city of Darmstadt. According to prosecutors, Jacqueline Battles, the wife of one of the company's former owners, laundered €1.5 million in earnings from dubious security deals through various German bank accounts. She denies the accusations, however. Due to lack of solid evidence in the US, the case was withdrawn in return for a payment of €5,000.

The fact that the work of the security services is not only dangerous but can also sometimes be messy doesn't bother the bodyguards too much, however. The German Iraq mercenary Volker Schmidt (not his real name) considers most German firms to be respectable. It depends mainly on who they employ, he says: "Those who hire people from, say, Uganda run a higher risk that something negative will happen."

He has been working in Iraq since the summer of 2004, making him something a veteran of the profession. Prior to that, he was in Colombia and Bosnia. He has learned that in Baghdad you have to move around the streets in a very specific way. "Of course, we often have to fire warning shots," he says. You have to maintain space around yourself, creating a security zone which is as empty as possible, he says. After all, space is life -- if a large car bomb explodes, you need to be far away to make sure you survive. Generally the bomb planters don't work alone, but bring along snipers who can pick off their victims in the chaos after an explosion.

"Being in Iraq is damned hard work," says the bodyguard. "You're expecting to die at any second -- you're constantly under pressure."

It's a warning also for the ever-increasing numbers of young German adventurers who dream of going to war zones as security guards or mercenaries. Enticing Internet forums with names such as "Arbeiten in Krisengebieten" ("Work in Crisis Zones") or "Civilian Contractor Jobs" promise them quick money -- and an endless supply of adrenaline.

Many wannabe fighters use the forums to find out about training institutes such as Lübeck's Bodyguard Academy. Gun-for-hire Schmidt is one of the founders of the company. Students at the academy take strenuous courses in hand-to-hand fighting and how to survive in a war zone. There are plenty of 20-year-olds who fancy themselves as heroes and want to go abroad, brandish heavy assault rifles and wear cool sunglasses. The academy rejects many applicants however -- because they are either too young, too crazy, or don't speak good enough English.

Sam, who comes from near Cologne, certainly meets the age requirement. He is 35 and spent 11 years as a soldier in the German army before leaving the service of his own accord. Since then he has been dreaming of a mission in Iraq, attracted as much by the risks as the money. "Of course I am afraid," he says. "But I do everything humanly possible to make a deployment in Iraq possible. I don't have any family yet, so I think that I can do it."

But he hasn't received a suitable job offer yet. Maybe his skills are simply not sufficient -- after only, he only served in the communications corps. Instead of living out his dream in the Gulf's desert sand, Sam spends a lot of time surfing Internet forums, where young men indulge in violent fantasies. Most of it is possibly just swagger, but professionals with the right training could certainly translate words into deeds, even if competition is tough.

Sam finds it unfair that the Americans or Brits in the profession have much better chances than the Germans. Nonetheless, he clings to the belief that he will soon have his ticket to Iraq.

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