U.S. "contractors"

An article about Blackwater Securtiy Consulting who recently lost some employees in a helicoptor crash in Iraq. The news has been calling these civilians "contractors" for years.

Blackwater makes no bones that they are founded by a Navy SEAL and provide armed security. Not your average security detail.

Aren't they called mercenaries when hired by a civilian? Another example of how the government applies different rules to it's own actions.