Thanks for remembering the American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers. Certainly the Blackwater comparison comes to mind, but the differences are significant. Though supported by a private company, called Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company, the AVGs were actually members of the Chinese Air Force. CAMCO itself did no fighting, and its people didn't go armed.

The Tigers prefer to think of themselves as America's first clandestine military force, the forerunners of Air America, and that's probably closer to the mark. For more about all this, see "Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers" just published by HarperCollins, or look at www.FlyingTigersBook.com

Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Thanks for the comment, Dan. You're definitely right that it's not a perfect comparison.

I'll check out that book.

The comparison is not only imperfect, it's shameful.

There's no comparison between the ill managed and unethical operation of a war profiteer motivated by greed and the honorable actions and duty of those in the AVG.

The government sponsored clandestine action of the AVG is nothing at all like Prince's mercenary group.

It cheapens the honor earned by those in the AVG to attempt to equate the operation of Blackwater to the AVG in any way.

Rob,

Thanks for the comment. It probably is an imperfect comparison, however I don't think it's a shameful one.

Are you suggesting that all the employees of Blackwater are war profiteers, motivated by greed? That none believe in their mission, in the same vein that the volunteers in China believed in their mission?

Likewise, if a member of the AVG was motivated by the salary, does that make his actions less honorable?



I do agree there are serious questions about the oversight and management of PMC's like Blackwater.