A soldier is not just a "profession". A soldier is a member of his nation's military. Their status changes, not because they are on contract, but because they left the military, which makes them not soldiers. I don't know why this is so hard to grasp. Regardless of whether you carry a rifle, grenades, or operate predator drones, you are not a soldier if you are not in the military.
The reality is you're trying to spin the story and lying. "Dead contractors" isn't as sexy to you as "Dead soldiers".