Carl Higbie - Led the raid capturing the Butcher of Fallujah. Their bodies were burned and mutilated, and two were strung from a bridge over the Euphrates River. Owner of Fitness Company Amphibian Athletics. He just loved his family, Brown said. And I pray that the Lord will be your comfort in the days ahead. His wife, Tricia, appeared in some of the company's workout videos. Chad: Nothing I could do to keep the distance. She couldn't help but think briefly of the son she called Scotty. Days before Chad Williams was to report to military duty in Great Lakes, Illinois, he turned on a television and was greeted with the horrifying images of his mentor, US Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston, being brutally murdered in a premeditated ambush on the roads of Fallujah, Iraq. The families of the four dead contractors, led by Helvenstons mother Katy Helvenston-Wettengel and Jerry Zovkos mother Donna Zovko, filed suit against Blackwater with lawyer Daniel Callahan on January 5, 2005 (Helvenston et al. Of course he did. This is for real. The military can't control them because they're not part of the military. I could do it again the next day. this evening I receive a call asking me if I can leave tomorrow 0500 with a new team leader. After dropping out of college, Chad Williams had one chance to become a member of an elite military team, and youll hear his story today on this special Memorial Day edition of Focus on the Family with your host, Focus president and author Jim Daly. When she talked to investigators, Helvenston denied for hours that she knew anything about Sanderlin's death, according to a transcript of the session. Yesterday that was changed. We were outfinanced, outgunned, outmanned in a sad similarity to what happened to Jerry, Wes and Mike," said Zovko's brother, Tom Zovko of Timberlake, Ohio. But what we didnt know about that night was that we were actually being set up the entire time, uh, to get thrown into a real nasty ambush. The Navy SEALs are not hurting for candidates and the sele. Mobile security teams stand ready to be deployed around the world with little notice in support of U.S. national security objectives, private or foreign interests, reads the companys website. He was working as a security contractor for Blackwater Security when he was killed in the 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush within days of arriving in Iraq. "It's been an uphill battle the whole time. As 1 of 13 out of a class of 173 trainees, Chad climbed the mountain and earned his Trident which signifies he had become a Navy . He will be buried with full military honors at the national cemetery in Bushnell, Fla., he said. At previous hearings, prosecutor Paula Bruns said Helvenston shot Sanderlin about 17 times at his home. By far, one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. It was, I want identity. Michael E. Thornton - BUD/S Class 49. Theres this scene in the movie where the bad guy called the T-1000 can morph into these knife hands and chase down a moving vehicle. Scott Helvenston's ex-wife, Patricia Irby of Virgina Beach, Va., confirmed those details but added how much their son and daughter will get hasn't yet been determined. Searching on the Internet, she found Donna Zovko, the mother of another victim, 32-year-old former Army Ranger Jerry Zovko. He said the deal includes the company paying the families' attorney fees and a small death benefit to the heirs. Helvenston began training at Blackwater USA's facilities in March 2004, and developed a personal conflict with head trainer Justin "Shrek" McQuown. And so needless to say, it changed me big time as a human being. Im looking at him laying in the street in Fallujah, Iraq, lifeless. Their burned and mutilated corpses were then dragged through the streets, and two of them hung from a bridge crossing the Euphrates. You Chad? Uh, yes, sir. All right, Bubba. I was Bubba from that point forward. "Because it's such a new industry, there's no laws there," he said. The four Blackwater executives packed their bags and headed out to inform the families. He continues to turn around, smash me down, getting back up, going after him. "I knew he would have called me if he was OK," she said. He and his wife, Tricia, divorced due to financial reasons, although both remained in Oceanside, California and he had daily contact with their children Kyle, 14, and Kelsey, 12. Its not in any SEAL book. So, I figure if I cant work out with my mentor in person, you know, next best thing is hes recorded some workouts for me to do and, you know, on video or whatever. Also find out how he got rich at the age of 39. He was working as a security contractor for Blackwater Security when he was killed in the 31 March 2004 Fallujah ambush within days of arriving in Iraq. Brown recalled Helvenstons love for his children as well. Their differences set aside for the time being, the men hopped into their Pajeros and pulled out, heading to the heart of Falluja. Navy servicemen perform a 21-gun salute during funeral services for Scott Helvenston at the National Cemetery April 13, 2004 in Bushnell, Florida.. O January 5, 2005, the estates of Wes Batalona, Jerry Zovko, Scott Helvenston, and Mike Teague sued Blackwater Security Consulting in Wake County, North Carolina, for wrongful death and fraud. And so, I just reaffirm in my mind. Visit our online store and purchase a CD of today's program for yourself or to share with a friend. Its called surf tortures, and you do this many times. Scott Helvenston joined Blackwater because its founder was, like Scott, a Navy SEAL, his mother said. Scott was the youngest person to ever complete SEAL training . "The first thing I thought of when I saw that was Jerry [Zovko] would be the guy to go and sort this out and find the guys who did this," said Prince. Blackwater signed a revised contract with Regency on March 12, 2004 that removed the word "armored". "You've got to understand at that particular point in time, no matter how bad it was, it was going, and we had stuff to do.". (Part 1 of 2). Jim: John, this has been such a great reminder of the extreme physical and mental training that our troops endure, and we really do appreciate the service of our military members and their families. I feel so betrayed." Uh, it was a premeditated ambush. [2] He graduated with BUD/S class 122 in 1983 and then attended Basic Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Stephen "Scott" Helvenston (June 21, 1965 March 31, 2004) was a United States Navy SEAL. | Scroll Down and find everything about him. He is an in-demand keynote speaker and frequent guest on major news programs. "I knew, I knew he was gone.". So, I let him know whats going on. He came from a proud family of Republicans; his great-great-uncle, Elihu Root, was once US Secretary of War and the 1912 Nobel Peace Prize-winner. Excerpts from the e-mail, provided by Helvenston's family: To the Owner, President and Upper Management of Blackwater Security, It is with deep regret and remorse that I send you this e-mail. Scott was the man who got Demi Moore into that incredible physical shape for the film.In 1997, Scott founded Amphibian Athletics, a Navy SEAL Training and fitness company with the goal of teaching people the skills to excel in outdoor activities, and life, in general. "I will tell you some aspects of the investigation would be problematic to me as a parent," Lindsey said, referring to investigators' use of "misdirection" or the "good cop, bad cop" routine. My bags were not packed and I just didn't feel up to it. They say they were dumbfounded by the response. Along with squad members Jerry "Jerko" Zovko, Wesley Batalona and Michael Teague, Helvenston was transporting food and other equipment in unarmored vehicles to the center of the city of Fallujah when the team was ambushed by insurgents. We all have lunch together one day. Served 12 years in the U.S. Navy; also, a Fitness Instructor, Navy SEAL Consultant, and Stuntman. And so my first order of business is this: I dont got to class anymore because Im going to be a Frogman. Im clotheslined, going for a ride as my feet come off the ground. Now, before I hit on what happened, uh, that night, I want to kind of back step a little bit and share with you guys a little bit of my road to becoming, uh, a SEAL. All About Blackwater USA Iraq War Erik Prince, "Master of War: Blackwater's Erik Prince and the Global Business of War. And if that doesnt do it for you, heres one more kind of funny one. And he says, I just want you to know something Ive never told anybody that Ive ever trained before. Just as home brings a sense of belonging, rest, and security, so does a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Helvenston encountered financial problems, and, for a time, the family lived in a trailer near Big Bear, where he worked as a camp host, Brown said. Images from the scene flashed around the world and triggered a massive U.S. military attack on Fallujah that featured street-by-street fighting. Scott Helvenston was born in 1965 in Ocala, Florida and raised in Leesburg, Florida. "Total neglect," Callahan said. He was working for a private security firm, Blackwater Security Consulting, when he and three colleagues were ambushed in their cars and killed by rocket-propelled grenades. I mean, you went psycho man.. His vehicle is burning in the background. by Chad Williams, Greg Laurie, David Thomas. Hes kind of watched the track record of my life, and hes like, Chad, uh, (laughs) joining the military is not like anything youve ever done in the past. The original contract called for at least three men per vehicle on security missions "with a minimum of two armored vehicles to support ESS movements". Im failing all my classes really just because Im not attending. Scott Helvenston, 38, seemed to enjoy attention. . I mean, uh, that was as good as I, I knew I was going to make it then. Fitness instructor, motion picture trainer-stuntman and former Navy SEAL. The SEAL who competed was an American named Scott Helvenston.. "That struck home. The paper disclosed her name and details of the case on its Web site Tuesday after the ruling that she can be tried as an adult. And then finally you have issues of basic managerial oversight, and that's been absent here. The contract billed Regency $815 a day; Helvenston and the other contractors were paid $600 a day. In a class before us, a guy broke his neck under one of these boats. Famously known by the Family name Stephen Scott Helvenston, is a great Navy Seal, personal trainer, American television actor. But transition to a civilian life didn't come easy for Helvenston. Scott Helvenston and Mike Teague were in one SUV, Wesley Batalona and Jerry Zovko in another, as the convoy drove a little over a mile into town. He and his wife, Tricia, divorced due to financial reasons, although both remained in Oceanside, California and he had daily contact . Theres nobody around. Helvenston believed McQuown resented him and deliberately reassigned Helvenston at the last minute. First, I would like to begin this e-mail with a few positive notes. Scott Helvenston was born in 1965 in Ocala, Florida and raised in Leesburg, Florida. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. I mean, those arms, Ive got a mental picture of just this day in my mind, as silly as it is. Helvenston would go on to become a friend and mentor to Williams as he embarked on his Navy career. Scott Helvenston. v. Blackwater Security), alleging wrongful death. Start my truck up, and I left the school. He spots me right away. He finished qualified SEAL training by the time he was 17 years old. And I didnt understand why. Uh, I didnt write about it in my book. Marcus Luttrell. And, uh, SEAL training, it is by far I think the most difficult military training there is in the world, hands down. And if you enjoyed todays broadcast, please tell a friend to tune in next time as Chad Williams continues this incredible story. And so, Im like, All right. And so Im going back home, and at first feeling humiliated, dragging my feet. Scott Helvenston's ex-wife, Patricia Irby of Virgina Beach, Va., confirmed those details but added how much their son and daughter will get hasn't yet been determined. And Scott, he took an opportunity as he put it to go overseas again. There were just two men per vehicle. Compounding the problem, Blackwater did not give the men maps of the area, according to what some employees have told the mothers, possibly contributing to the critical turn missed by the convoy that morning.