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Well maybe not a guns blazing rescue under fire, valiant none the less.


Posted on 01/07/2008 7:41:43 AM PST by IDoesntEatChiken


As Masai warriors guarded the Kenyan orphanage where sisters Brittanie and Aubrie Vander Mey and friend Jamie Cook worked, the three wondered how they would make it back to West Michigan.

They had planned to spend two months caring for orphans affected by HIV or AIDS at the Omwabini Centre in Kimilili, but post-election violence cut short their stay.

Newscasts told them the violence was coming closer each day to the orphanage, about 180 miles from Nairobi and 45 miles from Eldoret, where 35 people died when a church filled with women and children was burned last week.

Today, the women - Aubrie, 19, Jamie, 20, and Brittanie, 21 - were to return to Grand Rapids after a weekend rescue, reportedly with the help of Blackwater Worldwide personnel.

Dean Vander Mey, of Byron Township, Brittanie and Aubrie's father, said he credits their return to God's intervention and the private security firm.

"My daughter (Brittanie) told me today, 'Every town around us has been ripped apart,'" he said. "Their little town was the only safe town. ... I have to attribute (their safety) to the Lord."

Vander Mey said he learned of the conflict Dec. 28. He was enjoying a quiet weekend in his cottage up north when Brittanie called.

"She said, 'I'm OK,' and I asked, 'What are you talking about?'" he recalled. "'Haven't you heard the news?' she told me."

He learned of buses being stopped by militias, of corpses appearing on roadsides, of hundreds of Kenyans fleeing west, of stopped aid caravans, of the burned church, of the ethnic slayings.

The violence followed Dec. 27 elections. Kenya's electoral commission said President Mwai Kibaki had won the vote, but opposition leader Raila Odinga claims the election was rigged. International observers have said it was flawed.

The turmoil has left 486 dead and more than 75,000 people homeless, according to government figures.

"We didn't really realize the severity," Vander Mey said. "Then, I started to see how much mayhem was beginning to happen, and then it got very scary.

"They were right there, in the middle of that."

He also learned escape by car wasn't an option for the women, as militias made sure no one took the two-hour ride to Nairobi.

He pleaded for more safety personnel to be sent to guard the orphanage, but the young women were becoming increasingly nervous.

"They were scared, and I said, 'Honey, I don't know what to do.'" he said.

Vander Mey said he started calling government officials, congressmen -- whomever he could think of to get his daughters and their friend home.

"I was not getting whole lot of answers," he said. "They said, 'Stay safe; don't move.' I wasn't satisfied with the 'stay put.' That's what they were telling us: 'You're in harm's way, but don't move.'"

Hiring a helicopter wasn't an option. Vander Mey said he was told it would $20,000 to rent one for 30 minutes, and news stations and the Red Cross had already rented most of those available.

Vander Mey said he recalled relatives were friends with the family of Blackwater founder and Holland native Erik Prince and decided to give the company a call.

"They had internal contacts and everything," Vander Mey said. "They had people who could help."

He said Blackwater lined up a 10-person plane, rescued the women and other international workers and flew them to Nairobi. The three women then began the trip to Grand Rapids on Sunday afternoon.

Uganda -- not Kenya -- had been his daughters' first destination choice, Vander Mey said.

"I said, 'No, Uganda is not safe enough,'" he said. "I thought Kenya was much more stable. Nothing like this has happened there; it was a very safe place."

But he's not complaining.

"It's been a nightmare and a miracle," Vander Mey said.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report

They only saved them so they can be thrown into a wood chipper paid for by Bu$Halliburton.

Come on, these guys are mercenaries!

Quoted: They only saved them so they can be thrown into a wood chipper paid for by Bu$Halliburton. Come on, these guys are mercenaries!

Exactly!



(on a serious note, good for them!)

Pics here

How could such a thing have happened in Africa, of all places?

I would consider committing my daughters if they thought about going there. There's enough good that can be undertaken here, IMO.

Holy smokes, they were from MI...

Sounds like they were doing missionary work...

They are saying they did it for no charge? Good for them and hey every little bit of good PR helps.

probably safer in Kenya than in Detroit.

Quoted: They only saved them so they can be thrown into a wood chipper paid for by Bu$Halliburton. Come on, these guys are mercenaries!

:Snort

Quoted: Pics here

Those girls would have definitley been in some deep shit if not for BW. 3 good looking white girls would not have had the odds in their favor once the bad guys got there.

Africa is one of those places I wouldn't visit unarmed. period

Quoted: Quoted: They only saved them so they can be thrown into a wood chipper paid for by Bu$Halliburton. Come on, these guys are mercenaries! Exactly! (on a serious note, good for them!)

No kidding! Those Blackwater guys had ulterior motives.




Really, I"m sure the girls are damned glad Blackwater showed up. Good on those guys!

Postive press is always a good thing for the PMC/PSD industry.

Who would let their daughters go to that shit hole? I'm glad they are safe now.  Had they been caught by the bad guys they would have had their own AIDS problem to work on.

the lord looks after fools and drunks....

Those are some good looken girls

I would hit it or them

Good job.

Quoted: How could such a thing have happened in Africa, of all places?

Where it takes a village to rape a child...

Quoted: They are saying they did it for no charge? Good for them and hey every little bit of good PR helps.

Yep, free.

Remember that most of Blackwater is ex-military, and thus probably not the type to just leave Americans in harms way.

Africa can be a fun place ..  when you're well armed and well paid.  

The ironic thing is, Kenya is one of, if not the, safest, most stable places in Africa. Up until a couple of weeks ago, things like this just didn't happen in Kenya. Ever.

Thank God they're safe.

Quoted: Quoted: How could such a thing have happened in Africa, of all places? Where it takes a village to rape a child...

Good on BlackWater hopefully the girls will get a clue and not venture back to Africa.

Quoted: Who would let their daughters go to that shit hole? I'm glad they are safe now.  Had they been caught by the bad guys they would have had their own AIDS problem to work on.

Quoted: Holy smokes, they were from MI... Sounds like they were doing missionary work...

They could do 'missionary' work right here at home.

It's like "Tears of the Sun" only with their Aimpoints onn the right way!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: How could such a thing have happened in Africa, of all places? Where it takes a village to rape a child... Good on BlackWater hopefully the girls will get a clue and not venture back to Africa.

hopefully they'll get a clue and support our armed forces rather than running around Michigan protesting for peace at any cost...

1) Good job, BW

2) Stupid bitches.  

Prince for President!

I wonder just how much Blackwater's reputation helped with an easy extraction? Like, "Listen, son, you DON'T  want us to come down here, DO you?"

edited ~ 82nd

But...but I heard that Blackwater just goes around killing innocent people for money right?

I mean weren't those poor people in danger of having the acid Blackwater guy's have for blood burning them?

Quoted: Quoted: Pics here Those girls would have definitley been in some deep shit if not for BW. 3 good looking white girls would not have had the odds in their favor once the bad guys got there beause anyone else wouldn't have been rescued.

Fixed


No one has any business doing missionary work down there...

Quoted: Quoted: Pics here Those girls would have definitley been in some deep shit if not for BW. 3 good looking white girls would not have had the odds in their favor once the bad guys got there.

Yup, had it been three dudes from Detroit they would have been screwed.  

Lucky for those girls daddy is rich enough to run in the same circle as the DeVoss or Prince family.  

I knew right away when they said he was Dutch, Lived in West Michigan, and was at his "cabin" most likely on Lake Michigan the dude was probably loaded.

What an idiot though to send two beautiful daughters to Africa like that.  Real dumb.

Quoted: Yup, had it been three dudes from Detroit they would have been screwed.   Lucky for those girls daddy is rich enough to run in the same circle as the DeVoss or Prince family.   I knew right away when they said he was Dutch, Lived in West Michigan, and was at his "cabin" most likely on Lake Michigan the dude was probably loaded. What an idiot though to send two beautiful daughters to Africa like that.  Real dumb.

Those three dudes from Detroit are probably still down there!

Quoted: Quoted: Holy smokes, they were from MI... Sounds like they were doing missionary work... They could do 'missionary' work right here at home.

Amen, brother!

John

Quoted: Quoted: Pics here Those girls would have definitley been in some deep shit if not for BW. 3 good looking white girls would not have had the odds in their favor once the bad guys got there.

Hell yeah.


But hey mamas, come to KS, you can recover here.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Pics here Those girls would have definitley been in some deep shit if not for BW. 3 good looking white girls would not have had the odds in their favor once the bad guys got there beause anyone else wouldn't have been rescued. Fixed No one has any business doing missionary work down there...

They are adults and should be free to make thier own choice however they should also reap the shitstorm if thier choice lands them in it.

Wow that was a close call for the girls (princesses).  Good job blackwater.  Wonder if the girls learned anything from this.

height=8

Quoted: Wow that was a close call for the girls (princesses).  Good job blackwater.  Wonder if the girls learned anything from this.

Doubtful.....

Quoted: Quoted: Wow that was a close call for the girls (princesses).  Good job blackwater.  Wonder if the girls learned anything from this. Doubtful.....

They learned that no matter where they are, someone will always be there to save their ass.

Quoted: They only saved them so they can be thrown into a wood chipper paid for by Bu$Halliburton. Come on, these guys are mercenaries!

You should post that on DU. [Yoda] God-like status amongst the retards you would make. [/Yoda]

Quoted: Africa is one of those places I wouldn't visit unarmed. period

Fixed.

Quoted: I would consider committing my daughters if they thought about going there. There's enough good that can be undertaken here, IMO.

Seriously.

I'm all for improving the world and giving people the benefit of the doubt, but Africa is a fucking shithole. Instability, war, rampant criminal activity and no hope in sight.

Stay the fuck out of Africa, kids. It's not Disney World.

What god abandoned
they defended
and saved the sum of things
for pay

IIRC original to A.E. HOuseman or Alfred Coppel

Sometimes I think the do-gooders like these chicks are the dumbest people on the planet.

Good on Blackwater's part.

Good job, BW!

The folks I know and trained under are top knotch.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Pics here Those girls would have definitley been in some deep shit if not for BW. 3 good looking white girls would not have had the odds in their favor once the bad guys got there. Yup, had it been three dudes from Detroit they would have been screwed.   Lucky for those girls daddy is rich enough to run in the same circle as the DeVoss or Prince family.   I knew right away when they said he was Dutch, Lived in West Michigan, and was at his "cabin" most likely on Lake Michigan the dude was probably loaded. What an idiot though to send two beautiful daughters to Africa like that.  Real dumb.

I wish I knew as much as you do..... Sorry, I just find your post amusing.

Any details on the actual rescue? Could the girls just not get out of the country or did Blackwater need to do a hostile extraction?

Quoted: Holy smokes, they were from MI... Sounds like they were doing missionary work...

Definately missionary work.

Only a church could be stupid enough to send our young women to Africa.