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(The following is KBR’s editorial submission to the New York Times in response to the May 23, 2009, ‘KBR Does It Again’ Editorial.)
The May 23 'KBR Does it Again' editorialcontains several plainly false statements.The piece demonstrates a lack of under-standing of the electrical issues in Iraq andKBR's level of involvement and responsibil-ity.Most notably, the editorial states that"Pentagon investigators linked faulty KBRwiring to the electrocution of four soldiersintent on relaxation." That assertion is abso-lutely false. There is no "link" between "faultyKBR wiring" and electrocutions, nor is KBRaware of any Pentagon investigation thathas made such a link.Contrary to many false reports and innuendoin the media, KBR did not wire every buildingin the whole of Iraq. KBR has not been per-forming electrical work at every militarycamp at all times since the Iraq invasion.While The Times did not name the soldierswhose deaths were purportedly "linked" to"faulty KBR wiring," the allegation appears tobe that KBR's work was connected to thedeaths of Army Specialist Chase Whitham,Army SpecialistMarcos Nolasco,Navy Petty Offi-cer 3rd ClassDavid Ceder-gren, and ArmyStaff SergeantRyan Maseth.None of theseincidents werecaused by "faultyKBR wiring."The incident involving Specialist Whithamoccurred in 2004, in a swimming pool in Mo-sul. KBR did not wire the pool, and KBR hadno maintenance or other responsibility forthe pool at the time of the incident. As such,any report that KBR wiring caused or evencontributed to this electrocution is baselessand false.The incident involving Specialist Nolascooccurred in 2004, in a shower in Bayji. KBRhas been told that the shower was wired byIraqi contractors unrelated to KBR. After theincident, the military contracted with KBR tofix the electrical problems caused by theother contractor's installation.The incident involving Petty Officer Ceder-gren occurred in 2004, in a shower at Iskan-dariyah. KBR did not wire the shower, and infact KBR did no work whatsoever at this siteuntil 2006, almost a year-and-a-half later.The incident involving Staff Sergeant Masethoccurred in 2008, in a shower at the Rad-waniyah Palace Complex. The military had
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this publication are those of the contributing writer(s) and do not necessarilyrepresent the views of KBR including officers or managers, or its parent companies or affiliates. © KBR 2009
 
Edition 11
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June 20, 2009
 Value Moment:
“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right.” ~ W. Clements Stone 
 
KBR President challenges NY Times Editorial
LOGCAP III LEADERSHIP LETTER 
B
 Y
W
ILLIAM
C. B
ODIE
 
President, KBR Government and Infrastructure 
S
EE
‘LETTER’
ON PAGE 2
“None of these incidents were caused by ’faulty KBR wiring.’” ~ William Bodie 
 
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Page 2 June 20, 2009
directed KBR to perform only limited mainte-nance on Staff Sergeant Maseth's building,which was a pre-existing, Iraqi-constructedbuilding. KBR did not wire the building. Fur-ther, KBR notified the military on multipleoccasions that the building--and many otherIraqi-built structures at the camp--lackedproper grounding. A representative of ArmyContracting Command testified before Con-gress that the military's decision to foregosuch repairs was based on risk assessmentand resource trade-offs, which are inherentin any military operation.It is truly tragic that these young men diedwhile serving their country in Iraq. However,it is offensive that the Times and other mediaoutlets are now using their deaths as statis-tics in a politically-driven campaign againstKBR. KBR, and these soldiers, deserve bet-ter.The Times also relies on incorrect informa-tion regarding KBR's wiring work in Iraq. Thefacts are that, working at the direction of themilitary, KBR is conducting electrical inspec-tions and grounding and bonding of electricalsystems for facilities throughout Iraq. KBRhas completed work on approximately25,000 facilities to date and turned themover to military inspection teams. The mili-tary has passed all but 4 of those facilities.KBR continues to work diligently to completeits efforts as quickly as possible.In addition to these false allegations, the re-cord needs to be set straight on the issue of"bonuses." The term bonus is factually inac-curate. Award fees (not bonuses) areawarded under LOGCAP III. The US govern-ment's award fee structure is based on agrading system that scores a number of cri-teria, including performance, quality, sched-ule, cost control and management support ofall KBR's work in theater. This work includesoperation of dining facilities and morale, wel-fare and recreations centers, mail delivery tothe troops, as well as KBR's electrical activi-ties. Our customer, the US Army, remainssatisfied with our work, as evidenced by ouraward fee board scores that have consis-tently ranged from good to excellent. KBRdisputes the amount of $83mm awarded forwork performed in Iraq after January 2008.KBR was awarded $2.8mm in award fees inJune 2008 for the award fee period endingFebruary 2008 for services performed in Af-ghanistan.KBR has worked and continues to work withthe government on this issue. We havepledged full cooperation and provided infor-mation requested of us. The repeated asser-tion that KBR has conducted its business inany way to the contrary is not true and fur-ther is of great disrespect to the dedicatedmen and women who work in Iraq for KBR.They work in austere, unpredictable condi-tions, at great sacrifice to themselves andtheir families. To date, over 800 KBR per-sonnel and subcontractor workers havebeen injured or killed from hostile actionwhile working in theater.Finally, I would like to respond to the asser-tion that a "flat denial" from KBR was insuffi-cient in this instance. KBR was not invited toattend the hearing at which these allegationswere made, nor was KBR offered an oppor-tunity to respond to the allegations in a simi-larly wide-reaching forum. Hundreds of me-dia stories have attacked KBR based onpure innuendo and no facts.KBR remains committed to engaging in a
fact-based
dialogue on this issue and re-mains committed to providing our customer,the U.S. Army, with safe, high-quality andcost-effective service.
‘LETTER’
from page 1
 
LOGCAP III
 © KBR 2009
 
“… it is offensive that the Times and other media outlets are now using their deaths as statistics in a politically-driven campaign against KBR. KBR, and these soldiers, deserve better.” ~ William Bodie 
 
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Page 3 June 20, 2009
FOB Kalsu, Iraq
PEB results tell Terry Barfield’s story 
BY SARAH METZLER
Deputy Communications Manager 
The 80’s are making a comeback. If you’re notconvinced, just check the fashion magazines. ButKBR LOGCAP III’s Electrical Foreman TerryBarfield doesn’t follow fashion trends, for him the80’s never went out of style.It’s possible Terry doesn’t even know he is at theheight of fashion, considering he’s been on theKBR LOGCAP III project for almost six years; notmany fashionistas over here. A JourneymanElectrician with 25 years experience, Terry ar-rived on project in September, 2003 to Tallilwhere, because of his knowledge and experi-ence, he quickly moved up to General Forman – Electrical. After four years on project, Terry de-cided to take a break and demobilize in August2007. But he was back, like most are, in less-than five months, saying “this is a way of life andmore rewarding than any job back in the states.”This time Terry was assigned to D&F at D-16,FOB Kalsu.Every morning at D-16 just like he did at Tallil,Terry sets out to tackle the day’s electrical tasksarmed with a small-toothed pocket comb in hisback pocket, dressed in jeans just a little on thetight-side with his hair perfectly feathered – Soperfectly feathered that he has modified his hat tofasten with an elastic band so it doesn’t mess uphis style. His co-workers at Kalsu occasionallyrib him for his style, but it really doesn’t matterwhat decade he is stuck in or what 80’s rock he jams to, Terry gets the job done and gets it doneright.When he arrived back on project in 2008 hisreputation for excellent work at Tallil precededhim and he was immediately sent where he wasneeded most – D16. As electrical foreman, he hitthe ground running assessing greatest needs,building a cohesive team, developed a new filingsystem for documentation and building a trainingprogram for his electricians. He quickly realizedthe expertise of his second, Ukshina Njadhenjim – they just call him “Jimmy”, who has a degree inelectrical engineering. Thanks to Terry and thisteam, the Defense Contracting ManagementAgency (DCMA) remarked on the subsequentPerformance Evaluation Board (PEB), that theelectrical work was more than a “10” but an “11”.In addition Terry and Jimmy were awarded certifi-cates of appreciation from the DCMA for theircommitment to quality.The DCMA are not the only professionals inTheater who recognize Terry for his quality work.Site Manager Andre Wilson – who himself hasbeen with the project for almost seven years andknows what it takes – said, “Through hard work,perseverance and dedication Terry has beeninstrumental in turning the Electrical Departmentat D16 into one of the leading in Theater. Whenfaced with adversity, Terry’s leadership abilities,vast electrical knowledge, and his ability to createand implement a plan of action are unsurpassed.”
The D16 Kalsu management team (left to right): SCW Foreman Suresh Babu Polupalli, Site Man- ager Andre Wilson, Electrical Foreman Terry Barfield, Site Supervisor Tony Dear, and SCW Lead Laborer Nilesh Kumar Patel 
LOGCAP III
 © KBR 2009
 
Terry Barfield reads a Fluke meter 
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