Former Abu Ghraib Guard Calls Top Brass Culpable for Abuse

WaPo ^ | 1/23/06 | Josh White

[LittleSpotBlog]

Wife of Jailed Soldier Says Tactics Were in Place From Start

By Josh White Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, January 23, 2006; Page A03

Stepping into the Abu Ghraib prison for the first time, Megan Ambuhl was stunned. There were naked men in dusty cells, male prisoners wearing women's underwear, others hooded and shackled in contorted positions to metal railings.

An enlisted officer giving her a tour of the U.S. facility in October 2003 pointed to a group of detainees chained to a cell. He said the bars had often "been decorated like a Christmas tree," with prisoners as ornaments.

[LittleSpotBlog]

Note also that there is a live discussion here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/01/23/DI2006012300493.html

[camle]

if you do something dumb - DON'T TAKE PICTURES!!!

[Airborne1986]

"An enlisted officer giving her a tour"

This all I had to read to determine that the author does not know his ass from his elbow when it comes to military matters.

[MPJackal]

I call BS. Soldiers don't give "Tours" of detention facilities.

[Terabitten]

An enlisted officer giving her a tour of the U.S. facility in October 2003

I stopped reading there.

The word "officer" is normally taken to mean a commissioned officer. By definition, there are no enlisted commissioned officers. I'm sure the article meant "non-commissioned officer," but if the reporter can't be bothered to get something that simple correct, the entire rest of the article is suspect.

[Terabitten]

I call BS. Soldiers don't give "Tours" of detention facilities.

If this soldier worked there, would it not be part of her reception and integration into the unit?

[Williams]

"There were naked men in dusty cells"

You mean they hadn't dusted!!!?? My BS meter starts to buzz when I realize they are throwing a lot of verbiage out and teh reader is suppopsed to assume it is terrible. The meter buzzes again when the officer is now telling this person something, but they didn't witness it when they were there.

[Terabitten]

From the article:

Ambuhl has since married one of her fellow MPs -- Charles A. Graner Jr., the man the military has labeled the ringleader of the abusers -- and is on a mission to secure his release from prison.

Isn't Graner the one who knocked up Lynndie Englund?

[Habble Gabble]

Really!!! Why do they take pictures of it when they know its so wrong and illegal that's crazy!!!!! Its like when punks do vandalism and make a video of it like a movie and then the police get the video and every one is busted!!!Some times you have to do stuff but don't film it.

[LittleSpotBlog]

I'm glad that there are military-minded Freepers out there who can spot this BS. As a civilian female, I call BS on everything Ambuhl says as the new wife of Lindie England's baby daddy. Anyone that would sleep with someone who would sleep with her is suspect in my mind!

[TexasCajun]

Wife of jailed soldier?

[The_Republican]

If we can't make the King Pay, at least we need a Tojo!

[TexasCajun]

Megan Ambuhl, shown in an undated high school yearbook photo, is one of seven soldiers charged in connection with the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib

[TexasCajun]

Isn't Graner the one who knocked up Lynndie Englund?

Seems his taste in women hasn't changed.

[The_Victor]

"An enlisted officer giving her a tour"

This all I had to read to determine that the author does not know his ass from his elbow when it comes to military matters.

I thought the same thing, but couldn't an enlisted officer be an NCO?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

I'll say this for Graner...


...he's definitely not hung up on looks.

[Clint N. Suhks]

Ambuhl has since married one of her fellow MPs -- Charles A. Graner Jr., the man the military has labeled the ringleader of the abusers -- and is on a mission to secure his release from prison.

No bias here, eh?

[MPJackal]

OK I went back and read the rest of the article. I still call BS. ALL Soldiers are given Geneva Convention and the Laws of War training, that is why the "I did not know I was doing anything wrong" or the "I was just following orders" defense does not work. These were POS Soldiers with POS leadership. Her claim that they were not trained is also BS. MP's have 5 battlefield functions; Area Security, Law and Order Operations, Police Intel Operations, Movement and Mobility Support Opns, and Detainee Opns. The 372nd was trained on Detainee Opns.

[Terabitten]

OK I went back and read the rest of the article. I still call BS.

I'm with you on all that. I'm a former infantry officer, and we got regular classes on how to deal with EPW's. Soldiers get classes on the Law of Land Warfare even at the initial entry training level. Even at that level, they are taught that in order for an order to be valid, it must be a legal order, and that "I was just following orders" didn't count as an excuse.

She's full of sh*t, although she may well have gotten a "tour" of the facility during her R&I period.

[jeremiah]

Incompetent command, coed military and lack of dignity and self respect by those that participated. Those are the reasons this happened. So sorry, their is a chain of command, if you know this is going on, you MUST know this was wrong. If it is wrong, you report it to a superior, you don't have fun with it.