That's the stickler. But it's pretty easy to do.

Besides, it never comes back clean from KBR.

Number one cause of death is birth.

First $93,000 is tax free.

Yeah, we had two people do that on the plane of 300 that I went over on. Was funny as hell since one of them was so gun-ho about going. Soon as that Kuwaiti heat hit him, he turned around and damn near had to be arrested because he refused to get off the plane.

Most of the contractor deaths in Iraq were due to private militaries (think Black Water or Dyncorp) protecting civilian government.

Some companies will get you that clearance, which is nice. I had mine within 3 months of landing in Iraq. I know ITT and Raytheon will both do it, not sure about anyone else.

I just got back from 13 months over there, so I'll give you what I can about it.

The positives, for me, are:
1) Money. Every US contractors over there will tell you the money is pretty damned good (save for the Ugandan security forces, they get screwed). I made a little over $130,000 in 13 months. And because of that money, I work because I want to, not because I have to.
2) Study time. Most IT contractors work 10 hours day, 6 to 7 days a week, so you've got a lot of time to study. Even on the job, you've usually got a decent amount of study time.
3) Travel time. Vacations to Europe are pretty easy to do, since Kuwait International Airport has pretty much ever major EU airline in and out of it. You can explore Europe and the rest of the Middle East pretty easily. I recommend KLM flights to Amsterdam or Gulf Air to Dubai. Once there, the rest of the region is open to you.
4) People. You'll meet a LOT of new people, military and civilian, that you'll form some damn good friendships with.

The suck, for me, was:
1) The heat. Worst day in Iraq was 147F. The upside was my sinuses were seared open so I got maybe half the sinus issues I did. Afghanistan is better as far as the weather goes, since they have more then two seasons.
2) Explosions. No matter where you are, you'll hear suicide bombers every now and then. Afghanistan is probably worse, depending on where you go. Get used to the idea that your life is in danger, but don't let the knowledge screw with your mind too much.
3) Away from family. Most IT contractors have to be in country for 5 to 6 months before they can take a vacation, so you might not see your family for 6 to 7 months.
4) Normal corporation BS. IT companies in war zones still BS you and will mess with your pay and other such. Read your offer letter over a couple dozen times before you agree to it, and know everything they can screw you over for. Talk to the other guys on site once you get there or at CRC and see if any of them know any of the normal dirty tricks they company will pull.

Now, all that being said, I can't say if you should go. It was the right thing for me to do. Gave me the ability to be relaxed in ways I've not been able to in years because now I don't worry about money. Check out all the IT companies over there, some pay better then others, some have better benefits then others. Once you decide to do it, go hit the gym. You'll need to be in pretty decent shape to deal with 75lbs worth of gear.

Yeah, it's not uncommon to double or triple your US salary over there.

It's not that bad, honestly. I worked in Iraq for a year and it's a normal Secret clearance check. Half the time you can go over and work with a temp Secret clearance and not get a clearance in a year or two.

One of the things I would recommend, which I'm doing myself, is find a company that has international operations now and see if you can get transferred to one of their other countries of operation after a certain amount of time working here in the US. Currently waiting out my time to go to Ireland for a couple years.