Eddy Twyford, one of Helvenston's friends, said their efforts were rebuffed by Troutman's staff because Helvenston was a private contractor. "They'd be naming streets after him if he was still enlisted," Twyford said.
"It's hard enough for me dealing with the fact that he's not here," Twyford said. "What [upsets me] is when people don't give him respect."
Vincent Foster, a former Marine employed by Cochise Consultancy, was in Iraq to guard Iraqi weapons that were being destroyed. He was killed by a roadside bomb in northern Iraq and died on the way to the hospital.
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Troutman said the event, which was attended by 8,000 people, including Laura Bush and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, was not meant to discount the service of contractors. "This was for the servicemen and women who are not there by choice; to me, that makes a difference," he said. "If I am an employee of a company and don't like what I am being subjected to, then I can come back home" -- an option not open to soldiers.
Families of some civilian contractors say a bigger problem is the disparities in death benefits. Most soldiers carry $250,000 in life insurance, and their spouses are eligible for nearly $1,000 a month in benefits. Those benefits can be denied only if there is misconduct on the part of the soldier, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs.
In contrast, contractors' insurance coverage, which is mandated by the Defense Base Act, does not require a life insurance policy. It does guarantee families $250 to $1,000 week in benefits, depending on a contractor's salary, but those benefits can be withheld if the contractor does not die during a work-related activity, industry experts said.
In Iraq, civilian contractors risk their families' benefits if they wander into unsecured areas. "If you make some kind of mistake -- going into a sector that wasn't cleared -- does that reflect what kind of benefits your family will receive?" said Peter W. Singer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "It wouldn't in the military, but it does for some civilians."
Emad Mikha, 44, died in his sleep while serving as a Titan translator in Muqdadiyah, about 70 miles northeast of Baghdad. His family is eligible for a Titan life insurance policy equal to a year of Mikha's annual pay, $70,000, but not the monthly workers' compensation payments his wife, Rita, was depending on to pay her a portion of his salary for life.
The cause of Mikha's death would not have mattered if he were a soldier. But under the insurance policy secured by his employer, dying of natural causes is not covered. "It's not fair. He was with the Army. He was doing his duty like them," said Rita Mikha, who says she will appeal the insurance company's decision. "He was in a war zone like them, so why they treat him different? I don't understand."
Staff researchers Madonna Lebling and Julie Tate and staff writer Ellen McCarthy contributed to this report.
