Peruvians in Iraq

Yesterday I heard a remarkable story on the PRI program The World. They reported on Peruvians who have served in Iraq as security forces for the US. They are employed by private contractors. Peru has a relatively large military and wages are low so it is a good labor source.

Of course, these Peruvians have no idea what they are getting into. They didn't expect to be shot up. The story focused on their experiences in Iraq and the terrible difficulty they have being taken care of after they are wounded. They are returned to Peru and are supposedly covered by a US insurance company. How well does that work? As you can imagine, not so great. These men are simply not receiving the medical care they need, despite their service to the United States. You can listen to the story here.

What got my ear though was the wages they make. For their service in Iraq, these men are paid $33 a day.

Yes, that's right. They are putting their bodies on the line and getting shot in order to protect US soldiers and personnel for the grand total of $33 a day.

I know that's a pretty good wage for Peru. But given that we are spending billions of dollars in Iraq, would it be that hard to pay these men the US minimum wage. If that's an 8 hour shift they work, they would make over $50 a day. That's still a terrible wage, but a significant improvement.

It's really disgusting how the US has treated its allies in Iraq, be they Iraqi translators or Peruvian security forces. It cuts straight to the heart of the immorality of this war.