The small-town girl who ended up on every channel (Lynndie England – Leash Girl)

The Baltimore Sun via SMH ^ | May 7, 2004 | John Woestendiek in Fort Ashby, West Virginia

[dead]

Lynndie England loved a good storm. During tornado warnings her mother would have to drag her back inside the house. Her teachers say she wanted a career as a storm-chaser.

Now, the perfect storm has found her.

From hometown hero to the reviled woman holding the leash . . . US Reserve
soldier Lynndie England with an Iraqi prisoner in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.
Photo: The Washington Post

The petite 21-year-old army reservist from the quiet crossroads town of Fort Ashby in West Virginia is the most visible character in the controversy over the abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison. She is the thumbs-up girl, the pixie-ish, T-shirted soldier, smiling, pointing and posing for the camera with naked and humiliated inmates.

Soon after the release of the photographs, Terrie England was on the telephone with her daughter while watching television.

Full story ...

[Eowyn-of-Rohan]

we don't judge our behavior to those of our enemy, we judge our behavior by OUR standards

That's right. Just as long as the rest of the world stops acting as if we are the only ones who should be held accountable for, and pay dearly for, abuse of prisoners.

[usflagwaver]

Well, I can't agree with you here. I am also a female, the difference being that I am an Air Force Veteran. This one idiotic woman did some very stupid, deplorable things, but her actions by no means represent the actions, morals, or behavior of all the other women who serve honorably in the military.

Women are capable of performing many non administrative positions (and have done so with honor)and I don't want the actions of one person to tarnish their service. I think the person has to fit the job, both physically and mentally, but to automatically say that women shouldn't be in the military except in admin jobs is just plain wrong.

I believe that currently women make up about 18-20% of the military. When I was in, we only accounted for about 2%. There were about 200 men to every woman at the time. Did I sleep around with all the men? No. Did most of the women I served with sleep around with all the men? No. Did one or two of the women sleep around? I think so. But we all knew who they were. They are the same kind of women that you work with in civilian jobs that sleep with all the men. Don't paint us all with the same brush that you paint Lynndie England.

[evets]

Thanks, I didn't know what I was missing...

... the rest of the story...

[AQGeiger]

The soldier is a private. She knows only what she is taught and directed to do. She has zero capacity to tell others what to do.

The Army didn't sign her up to think. They arranged for her to be under the guidance and direction of officers that were commisioned to do that. It is their direction she's under and it's their intent she has to work with.

Exactly. Which is why when she does something dumb, it is ultimately the responsibility of her superiors, who haven't set the proper example.

That being said, though, I feel that people are being too quick to say that these female junior enlistees were simply playing along with what their NCOs told them to do. They seem to be genuinely having fun in some of the photos, and don't look like they were totally being put up to it. Unless this soldier was given a direct order to pose for the camera holding the leash, she is still a willing participant.

[Not A Snowbird]

The Army didn't sign her up to think.

Interesting. In my Marine Corps, you are expected to think. You must at least have the awareness and reasoning capacity to distinguish a lawful order from an unlawful order, and to act accordingly. We are not robots.

[Heyworth]

She may not be strong enough but her 260 pound buddies right behind the digital camera taking her photo certainly are.

Thank you! Everyone is piling on this girl, but they're ignoring the context. Who took the pictures? Who else was in the room? Who said, "Hey, Lynndie, hold this leash while I take a picture"?

[irishlass]

Call me insensitive, but the whole "West Virginia/Mobile Home" thing reminds me of one of my dad's WV jokes-and this girl is fitting the stereotype all too well.

[GrandEagle]

Not a silly approach,
My Apology .. Bad choice of words on my part

[Alia]

Yes, Lynndie England screwed up. It's over. It's far more important, IMHO, to focus attention on the Dems who are selling out our country and our constitution. Dems have years and years of "incidences" of bringing shame upon the US -- and they're still running chains of power here in the US; putting all of us on leashes. And yes, my heart goes out to her family. They love her. She got caught in a stupid act. And so Dems are loving everyone suddenly "hating" the military -- and this is why the focus overmuch by presses sympathetic to Democratic plight.

[Belisaurius]

I'd like to be the first to THANK these bored, stupid REMFs for putting the guys on the FRONTLINE at further risk.

Thanks, assholes. Luckily for you, they don't treat the inmates at Fort Leavenworth the way you treated your charges.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

How much "training" do you need before you don't do crap like this?

You'd have to ask her parents. That's their job.

But I'm fairly certain they won't know the answer.

[Nov3]

Taking private photos of unauthorized conduct for private jollies in a U.S. military installation during a highly politicized war where the American liberal news media will stop at nothing to sabotage the American war effort was not only incredible stupid but was also a massive security breach.

Everybody who saw a camera in these institutions and said nothing ought to be locked up for criminal stupidity. They exposed our people to "justified" torture. These people are morons if for nothing other than letting cameras in there. They need to be jailed

[jrd]

I think she was just showing him how the 79 virgins were going to treat him!

[mywholebodyisaweapon]

No offense taken. Please forgive my blunt militarism. I'll put my helmet and kevlar aside for awhile ;)

[GrandEagle]

the rest of the world stops acting as if ...
I understand and partially share your view. I was watching the demonstrations outside the prison there in Iraq yesterday and couldn't help but wonder if ANYBODY there recognized "the difference" between us and them. I can't think of anywhere in the Arab world where they could have assembled and demonstrated their opposition to the "powers to be".
I suppose though it still all falls back to what stick we use to measure our behavior by.

[rolling_stone]

Yep. Breathtakingly stupid. Unpardonably stupid.

...Felony Stupid....

[Chief_Joe]

I find it's very telling that most of the smiling soldiers in the pictures we have seen so far are women...The presence of a few women in an otherwise all-male unit instantly creates sexual tension, simply by way of their being present. The mindset that is created produces this sort of unprofessional and obscene action.

Your post really needs repeating. It is amazing to me how PC we've become when no one will even address this issue. Even here in Freepland everyone reflexively defends how great it is to place women in these positions and that they're just as good as any old man -baloney. Most of the women who want to join these units are looking for a certain kind of adventure that has nothing to do with fighting the bad guys. Even the beloved Jessica Lynch was photographed striping and performing with multiple guys. The military should put together and field units entirely based on what's best to accomplish the military objective, and it should not let gender quota politics designed by whorists (feminists) to be pushed down its throat.

[GrandEagle]

Please forgive my blunt militarism
No Problem.
(Virtual handshake - with smile)
Different views respected..

[phil1750]

Who the he** released these pictures?

Since when is taking pictures on the same level of abuse as Sodom and his sons inflicted?

Screams for an apology from the arab world, who apologized for 9/11?

Who apologized for dragging bodies of U.S. troops through the street?

This young trooper just decided to do this on her own?

Put in true prospective, we owe nobody an apology for any treatment of these prisoners. Yes, prisoners. All suspected of causing insurgency against the U.S soldiers.

[alpowolf]

I appreciate what you said. But I feel that those who do approve should be answered.

I realise, too, that many of those who only kinda disapprove are saving their outrage for something "really important", like Janet Jackson's boob.

As far as the system working, I agree that it is...so far. I will have to see the outcome to agree 100%. Certainly, some of our "leaders" (I mean the ones in D.C.) need to be held accountable.