Army tightly guarded pictures of prison abuse

Baltimare Sun ^ | May 6, 2004 | Tom Bowman

[68skylark]

Bush unaware of photos until broadcast on TV Talk about it

WASHINGTON - From the beginning, the concern was about the photographs.

Spc. Joseph M. Darby, a 24-year-old Army Reserve soldier with the 372nd Military Police Company of Cresaptown, Md., heard about the computerized photos and video of the detainees, naked and in humiliating poses, with his fellow soldiers smiling nearby.

He got a set of the photos on a computer disk, said an Army official familiar with the investigation. Troubled by the images that flashed on the screen Jan. 13, Darby turned them over to a sergeant in his unit, who immediately notified Army criminal investigators.

Within hours, the investigators seized computers and disks from members of the unit. The next day, Gen. John Abizaid, commander of all U.S. forces in the region, was on the phone to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

"General Abizaid informed the leadership within hours of the incident," said a senior Pentagon official.

Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the military's spokesman in Iraq, also called the Pentagon, though with more alarming words. "He said, 'We've got a really bad situation,' " recalled one official, who like others requested anonymity. "The evidence is damaging and horrific," Kimmitt said. The photos and video were locked in the safe of the Army Criminal Investigation Division in Baghdad.

Six soldiers from the 372nd were quickly taken off duty and there was a public announcement about the criminal probe, but few details.

[68skylark]

Officials now think that before the scandal erupted, the Maryland soldiers might have e-mailed those pictures back to the United States, where they fell into the hands of CBS's 60 Minutes II, which first ran them last Wednesday.

I'm reluctant to call anyone "unpatriotic." But would it be fair to say that Sixty Minutes II fits that description? Or is that too harsh? Those photos are putting American lives at risk in Iraq.

[Unicorn]

Sounds about right to me.

[John H K]

A bit mystified why people are more POed at the media than the morons who 1) Committed the acts and 2) took the pics and e-mailed them around.

[Jalapeno]

Those photos are putting American lives at risk in Iraq.

...Within hours, the investigators seized computers and disks from members of the unit. The next day, Gen. John Abizaid, commander of all U.S. forces in the region, was on the phone to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.... "General Abizaid informed the leadership within hours of the incident," said a senior Pentagon official.

It truly sounds like Rumsfeld dropped the ball on this one by not informing the President, giving CBS something to crow about.

[RGSpincich]

I'm reluctant to call anyone "unpatriotic."

Start with the tart who posed with the Iraqi wangers and then spread it around to the other deserving twits. They are probably Dems, anyway. They put American lives at risk, the media is a willing co-conspirator.

[dmz]

What about the men in the pictures?

[ravingnutter]

A bit mystified why people are more POed at the media than the morons who 1) Committed the acts and 2) took the pics and e-mailed them around.

While we should be outraged at those few soldiers who committed the acts, this article clearly shows that steps were taken immediately to investigate and punish those responsible. Now we must direct our outrage at the media for the "drip...drip...drip" coverage that is undermining the over 100,000 other soldiers' valiant efforts in Iraq, coverage which could possibly get them killed. The "Hate Bush" media is in a frenzy, they smell blood in the water. What is so devastating to me is that the blood they smell will ultimately not be that of the administration, but of our soldiers. They just don't get it.

[mfulstone]

The Sixty Minutes II crew knew exactly what they were doing. The worldwide publishing of the pics was a defense attorney's wet dream. They should never have been published until after every perp had been tried and sentenced.

"Obstruction of Justice" comes to mind...

[PhiKapMom]

Start with the tart who posed with the Iraqi wangers and then spread it around to the other deserving twits. They are probably Dems, anyway. They put American lives at risk, the media is a willing co-conspirator.

You have nailed it -- they are all in this together to undermine support for the war in Iraq and for Pres Bush. This whole deal is disgusting but IMHO getting blown way out of proportion to the number of great troops we have in Iraq and elsewhere. The media makes it sound like this is widespread throughout the military when it was a very small group! Then we have people even on here taking the word of the Washington Post for what is being said.

All these apologies are only going to lead the RATs to want more apologies for everything else IMO.

[spetznaz]

A bit mystified why people are more POed at the media than the morons who 1) Committed the acts and 2) took the pics and e-mailed them around.

Ditto. I cannot understand why some (especially on other threads) seem to be so against the media on this one, when the media did not force those soldiers to do what they did or take the pics. Infact from what I've heard, CBS sat on the pics for 2 weeks on the Pentagon's request (and 2 weeks is a long time for the media ....especially with something of this magnitude).

Left-leaning as it may be, the media cannot be faulted for this.

If some fool walks into a grizzly's den, and in the process gets mauled, one cannot blame the bear. The bear did what bears do ....act like bears. It is solely the fool's fault.

[PhiKapMom]

What is so devastating to me is that the blood they smell will ultimately not be that of the administration, but of our soldiers.

You have stated what is bothering me about all of this too. The investigation removed these few soldiers but the media makes it sound like it is still going on and now getting Arabs all riled up about the abuses. Didn't see the media outrage when the Halliburton employees were kidnapped and murdered or when Americans were hung, drug through the streets, car bombed, and that doesn't even count what the terrorist have been doing in Israel on a continual basis.

What this has done is make it crystal clear the agenda of the media and that is to destroy Pres Bush and the War on Terror and they don't care who dies in the process as a lot of reporters loathe the military and love the Clintons who loathe the military. Knew someday we were going to pay for the Vietnam era hippies -- they became reporters it looks like.

[ravingnutter]

They are probably Dems, anyway.

As I stated on another thread, some of the parents of these kids were the more than likely LSD addled anti-war hippies of the 60's, now classified as liberals.

[PhiKapMom]

Starting to notice something on these threads. I see screen names with older sign-up dates that I have never seen before and they all are saying the same thing -- why are we mad at the media for what they are doing. No outrage at how this is being handled by the media with the drip, drip, drip and attacks on the President and our soldiers in Iraq. Swear I am reading the RAT Talking Point papers on thread after thread and they always tagteam.

Am I being paranoid or what?

[MoralSense]

Kate O'Beirne today on NRO:

For many politicians, the danger posed to our troops by the photos that fuel a murderous hatred pales in comparison to the offense to their self-importance by the Pentagon's alleged failure to inform them of the allegations and investigation. The January 16 CENTCOM press release announcing the alleged offenses and investigation was apparently insufficient. And Brig. Gen Mark Kimmitt's March 20 announcement that criminal charges were being brought against six soldiers arising from an investigation that found evidence of "dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, assault and indecent acts with another" kept members of Congress in the dark. In the future, military press releases and announcements should probably be accompanied by personal phone calls to Senators John Warner and Joe Biden and to Congressmen Martin Frost and Christopher Shays. Other congressmen likewise concerned about missing a media opportunity could sign up for a special call list. They need not be bothered unless pictures are involved.

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks for posting that! She is so good and has hit a home run with that statement! I cannot wait until Senator Warner is no longer head of Armed Services.

[OXENinFLA]

Within hours,(on jan13th) the investigators seized computers and disks from members of the unit. The next day, Gen. John Abizaid, commander of all U.S. forces in the region, was on the phone to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

"General Abizaid informed the leadership within hours of the incident," said a senior Pentagon official.

---

This can't be repeated enough.

[PhiKapMom]

Please keep repeating this because it is obviously not getting through to some Freepers!

[BillyCrockett]

"Within hours,(on jan13th) the investigators seized computers and disks from members of the unit. The next day, Gen. John Abizaid, commander of all U.S. forces in the region, was on the phone to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld."

Unfortunately, the twits at the prison had already emailed the photos to the world! Gold Stupidity Award.

[ravingnutter]

No...you are not being paranoid. Even Murrymom is still with us from the Clinton impeachment era, she graced me with a response a couple of weeks ago. I suspect some of these have been "sleepers" for awhile. Like I stated, they now smell blood in the water and are starting to surface. Expect more of this before November.