Military contractors live, sleep, fight, and die next to uniformed military personnel. The DoD likes to use contractors because they don’t have to provide any services when they come home. They still live with physical and mental injuries and there’s no healthcare provided by the government.
Contractors who fight for the U.S. should have similar treatment as veterans. They make going to war easier because it’s like a 401k vs a pension. They give the military industrial complex billions and never have to worry about people’s care.
Another issue is many contractors are veterans. They leave the military and get jobs to go overseas because they love the work and camaraderie of the military. They should get certain military awards like campaign ribbons added to their DD-214. If they live and fight in a warzone why not give them a ribbon.
Finally, because the contractors suffer injuries in war zones allow them to claim it for their VA disability rating. This will make healthcare after war so expensive Congress would be concerned about sending Americans into harms way.