Even Before the Rape in Iraq: KBR Abuse of Jamie Leigh Jones Began Stateside
Jones was Sexually Abused by Halliburton Supervisor in Houston
The brutal gang rape of Jamie Leigh Jones by her Halliburton/KBR co-workers is only half the story. Additional background on Jones and what she previously endured during her employment at Halliburton/KBR has become available; the details are appalling and the behavior of Halliburton/KBR employees despicable.
At the time of her assault in Iraq, Jones was married and a military wife; her husband, Joseph Daigle, was serving in the US Armed Forces.
Justia.com has made available online the lawsuit Jamie Leigh Jones and Joseph Daigle filed against Halliburton/KBR in May 2007, and the document reveals that Jones was sexually abused by a Halliburton employee in the US long before the incident in Iraq.
Jones first went to work for KBR as an administrative assistant in Houston, Texas in 2004. She was 19 years old at the time. During her time of employment, from 2004 until July 21, 2005, she worked under a man named Eric Iler.
The following text is taken directly from Jones' lawsuit:
…at that time, her immediate supervisor, Eric Iler, was aware of Jamie's sick mother at home following a complicated surgical procedure with a difficult post-surgical course, and utilized his influence over her employment to extract sexual favor from Jamie.The lawsuit goes on to describe her living arrangements at Camp Hope - a second-floor room on a coed floor in barracks that were mostly male. Since the only women's bathroom was on the first floor, she had to walk past several rooms occupied by men partially undressed who subjected her to catcalls. Often, the men were drinking.Eventually, Jamie obtained evidence of the sexual harassment of her supervisor and demanded that he remove her to another department.
Once removed from the oversight of Eric Iler, Jamie was transferred to work for Overseas Administrative Services, Ltd. In Houston, Texas, beginning July 21, 2005, she was then transferred to an assignment at Camp Hope, Iraq.
Upon learning that Jamie was moving to Iraq, Eric Iler attempted to gain a position in Iraq as a supervisor over Jamie. Jamie reported this concern to Frederick Heard, an operations manager, who assured Jamie that Eric Iler would be assigned another section. Eric Iler then informed Jamie that he would be putting a "bad recommendation" in her file, which he did, by writing such a letter to William Tompkins, her subsequent supervisor, in an apparent attempt to thwart her transfer.
Six days after she arrived, on July 27, 2005, she complained about the "sexually hostile living conditions" and requested relocation to safer housing. Her complaint was passed to supervisors in Houston who told her to "go to the spa."
The simple request of a frightened, barely-out-of-her-teens young woman was ignored and nothing was done to help her. How she must have felt when she knew she had no recourse but to return to a threatening environment where she was vulnerable and at risk.
Her instincts were right. The very next day, on the evening of July 28, she was drugged and brutally raped.
Photo of Jamie Leigh Jones (c) Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
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Comments
I’m writing this lines and I’m crying..
rape and sodomy on a young woman that all she is doing is trying to carve a career in the military forces..the ”men” who did it are they the same ”men” that go to church every sunday ? are they the same ”men” that go home and cuddle and protect their daughters? because if they are we are in a society that is in a serious trouble..
IT is so sad that this young woman had to have reconstructive surgery and also her breast implants leaking and still no one seems to seek justice. Dick Cheney has alot of power one evil man. I had to ask how many Iraqi women did US contractors rape and then hire someone to kill her thus call it a honor killing! Thank God a guard handed her his cell phone so she can call her father. Good thing her father had some pull to get her out of that storage tank. America doesnt realize that these men will come home and do the same crimes here. They got by with it there they will do it again.
Why dont you ask This girl why her lawyers wont let me testify? Someone who knows exactly what she was about there? She complained the first day she was there about not getting finer accommodations and threatened people in Billeting to have them fired for not recognizing that she was a corporate employee ‘from Houston’ unlike themselves who were contractors. She complains about guys with their shirts off but neglects to mention that she walked out of her room in a sports bra regularly. She fails to mention that SHE went to hang out with the firefighters all the time for free booze. She fails to mention that she went over to firefighter lane that very night to get a bottle of Jack Daniels from one of them and invited them back to her room……not them just showing up randomly while she was sleeping. She doesnt mention that she was quite the alcoholic from her first night in camp. She fails to mention that she was given a private room in the barracks…immediately upon arrival….bypassing a huge list of other females that were on a waiting list already. I remember her supposed incarceration – she was given a VIP room over on the State Departments side, against regulations…her entire interview with ABC was bull…none of it made it into the complaint. Everyone at Camp Hope knew about her from her first day there as a complaining primadonna who had friends in Management and was untouchable. She was very clear to let everyone know that.
contractor, in pointing out all of this girls flaws and faults along the way you neglect one thing, she was drugged and raped…who the hell cares about her flirting, or supposedly alcoholic behavior or so called leading them on, thats total bull and you know it, those mofos will go free unfortunately but one day they will get whats coming to them
This story makes me sick to my stomach. No woman-especially one serving in the armed forces-should ever be subject to this!! As a daughter of a Lt. Col and former Brown & Root employee, I just want to cry for this poor girl. I spent many summers abroad during Operation Joint Endeavor and could never imagine fellow American soldiers- whom I support with my prayers daily- doing this to there own people!!! They should be hanged and will pay greatly on the judgement day!!! Cant wait!!
Don’t expect females to react to this rationally. It’s not normal.
It’s obviously impossible that she’s lying or just had sex with a ton of them and regretted it later.
Women and logic/reasoning/rationality do not go hand in hand.
This is a bs story, you know what..stop with this bull sh…poor boys that trusted her and slept with her…i am in iraq..and i know how it is here…noone ever ever ever threatened me with such things….ever…you are not worth this much so they will loose their well paid job just to have sex with you or rape you…when they have someone for free…but you cheated on them…probably you were discovered by someone having sex with more than one guy that night and now you want to clean your self…if you wouldnt want something to happen to you you could have stopped. but obviously this is what you wanted. I feel very safe in that matter in here….thanks God.
As a female constractor, I know how dangerous it was. There were frequent sexual assaults, both to soldiers and contractors. When I reported sexual abuse (injured, requiring medical attention), the only thing that happened was that I was moved to a different camp and the sexual harassment/assaults intensified. It was pure hell. The “arbitration” agreement plus no jurisdiction over the contractors gave only the green light to those few men who were truly dangerous, and seemingly gave the green light to the upper management to cover up crimes and find ways to get rid of “troublesome” women. In my case, the regional manager actually told me to my face that it was easier to move me to a different camp than to deal with the three men sexually harassing me — after the second assault.
Hmmmmmmm, RAPE! hahahaha, Rape is funny.
It is quite clear that this young lady is a pathological liar. Her trouble started out long before IRAQ when she was processing in Houston. She got sited for drunk and disorderly conduct at the Hotel KBR booked for her. Somehow the pretty girl got out of it. When she got to Camp Hope she drank and used drugs. Many have already testified about that. Her drug of choice was Zanex. With little alcohol it will make you forget what had happened.
I have talked to several male and female Camp Hope residents who have stated she had been seen going from room to room on numerous occasions intoxicated. She has a drinking problem! That is a fact. There have been three (3) guys who have confided in me that this girl attempted to sleep with them. All were married and sent her on her way each time. All except for one, who eventually caved in and went through a divorce after telling his wife.
I think everyone here taking her side need to consider the Duke scandal and how a lie turned into the assumed truth. Eventually, the real truth came out and the case was thrown out. Not all women claiming rape are raped. In this case she slept around, used drugs and alcohol, and was not raped. She is looking for a big payday and will try to get it.
contractor(comment 3), KBR, Anon, Sensitive Lad, and Bill, your comments reflect the attitude these “men” who raped her must have had at the time and probably still do. Most rapists have the same attitude as you, usually stating that the victim deserved rape in some way and/or the victim is lying.
This could happened to anyone who signed the employment mandatory arbitration clauses. Once you signed away your rights you become a slave. Sorry but no law is broken here. It is a legal rape and discrimination policy. Good luck Jones and millions of American workers out there.
How typical of the contractors who comment on this site. The women deserved it did they. Well, no one is commenting about LaVerne are they. Why was she raped, tortured and murdered. Come to think of it why were any women, girls, children in Iraq raped, tortured or murdered by any American just for a paypacket. Iraquis had never harmed Americans. Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld, Rice, Bush1, Clinton, Blair, and the Israelis and Jewish lobbies who pushed America into this war need to HANG ALONG WITH EVERY SO CALLED SOLDIER OR CONTRACTOR WHO TOUCHED A WOMAN OR CHILD OVER THERE.
I blame feminism for this one, that and the poor excuse of what we call the media today. These dizzy American women seem to think Equality means they can say, and act however they want regardless of the consequences. They are programmed to be this way.
They have “Actual Rape” where dude really does have forced relations with a woman. This truly is bad form, and shouldn’t be tolerated. It’s not only unconstitutional, It’s morally wrong.
They have “Date Rape” which you really can’t tell whats going on because the two were seen as an item. So it’s her word against his.
Then they have some half consent rape thing that says if she says no halfway through it, you gotta stop. Again its her word against his.
Then my personal favorite “Not Rape” This form is for those dudes that just happen to look at a women, or make a woman think in some twisted way, without anything being said, or done, that he is attracted to her. Seriously look it up, I couldn’t believe it when I saw it myself.
Excuses, on top of excuses, and so on… Its like when they were explaining freedom, and democracy to these women, accountability for ones actions, got turned into, “It’s the man’s fault, do whatever you like”.
I’m not a contractor by the way, I’m just the patriarchy, you goons have been dreaming up for years.