The US military is the best. You who have served know that. I learned that when I served in the USAF. Our military people are committed, hard working and selfless.

Unfortunately, we as a country have opted to save money by contracting out many of our military responsibilities. But there are no savings. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the cost of hiring private guards versus using US military units is the same.

The problem with hiring private contractors? The damage to our country’s reputation.

Remember the guards in Kabul? The ones who created a den of inequity with photos of their disgusting parties?

Then, there are companies like KBR whose contracts allow its employees to rape and discriminate workers with no recourse.

And, now, The New York Times reports that Blackwater private security guards acted as CIA agents in Iraq, blurring the roles between government and private agencies.

The rules of conduct for these contractors are not well-defined. Accountability is hard to find.

The numbers are large. In Iraq in 2008, there were at least 190,000 contractors working directly for the US Department of Defense. For every US military man or woman, there is one private contractor. In the Vietnam War, that ratio was five to one.

We must stop using contractors who are hurting our reputation and return these jobs to our military. We must ensure that we are using US military personnel where our reputation is at stake.

We take the high road, and we do the right thing.

Now is the time to put our military where they are needed and remove the contractors who are hurting our reputation and ultimately harming the very values of the United States of America.