Female GI In Abuse Photos Talks

CBSNEWS ^ | 5/12/04 | CBSNEWS.com

[NYC Republican]

Army Pfc. Lynndie England, seen worldwide in photographs that show her smiling and pointing at naked Iraqi prisoners, said she was ordered to pose for the photos, and felt "kind of weird" in doing so.

In an exclusive interview with Brian Maass of Denver CBS station KCNC-TV, England also confirmed that abuses worse than those depicted in the photos were carried out at the U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, but she declined to discuss them.

England, 21, repeatedly insisted that her actions were dictated by "persons in my higher chain of command."

In the photos, England is seen smiling, cigarette in her mouth, as she leans forward and points at the genitals of a naked, hooded Iraqis. Another photo taken at Abu Ghraib shows her holding a leash that encircles the neck of a naked Iraqi man lying on his side.

"I was instructed by persons in higher rank to stand there and hold this leash and look at the camera," she said.

England said the actions depicted in the photos were intended to put psychological pressure on the Iraqi prisoners.

"Well, I mean, they [the photos] were for psy-op reasons," she said "And the reasons worked. I mean, so to us, we were doing our job, which meant we were doing what we were told, and the outcome was what they wanted. They'd come back and they'd look at the pictures, and they'd state, 'Oh, that's a good tactic, keep it up. That's working. This is working. Keep doing it. It's getting what we need.'"

England, an Army reservist from West Virginia who is four months pregnant, is now stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The interview was taped Tuesday at Fort Bragg.

England is among seven soldiers from the 372nd Military Police Company who face charges for allegedly degrading and humiliating Iraqi prisoners. One soldier, Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits of Hyndman, Pa., will face a court-martial in Baghdad next week.

"To all of us who have been charged, we all agree that we don't feel like we were doing things that we weren't supposed to, because we were told to do them. We think everything was justified, because we were instructed to do this and to do that," England said.

She told KCNC she was looking forward to having her baby and hopefully one day putting the abuse scandal behind her.

[Not A Snowbird]

Note to Lynndie: You have the right to remain silent. I would strongly suggest you do so!

[CatoRenasci]

Ah, but you were merely obeying the 11th General Order (back from the days in the '60s there were 10 General Orders -- I guess it would be #4 now):

11. To Walk My Post from Flank to Flank
And take No Shit from Any Rank!

[cyncooper]

From yesterday's transcript:

BYRD: Thank you, General Taguba, for your report and for your service to your country.

In Friday's hearing before the Armed Services Committee, General Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, said of the prison abuse, "This is not a training issue, but one of character and values."

It's becoming clear to me that this abuse wasn't just about values, it was about policies and planning.

General Taguba, based on your investigation, who gave the order to soften up these prisoners, to give them the treatment? Was this a policy? Who approved it?

TAGUBA: Sir, we did not find any evidence of a policy or a direct order given to these soldiers to conduct what they did. I believe that they did it on their own volition. I believe that we did collaborate it with several M.I. interrogators at the lower level, based on the conveyance of that information through interviews and written statements.

TAGUBA: We didn't find any order whatsoever, sir, written or otherwise, that directed them to do what they did.

~snip~

[HenryLeeII]

"I was instructed by persons in higher rank to stand there and hold this leash and look at the camera," she said.

"To all of us who have been charged, we all agree that we don't feel like we were doing things that we weren't supposed to, because we were told to do them. We think everything was justified, because we were instructed to do this and to do that," England said.

Not only is she lying, she's also stupid and can't speak English in a sensible manner. What service member refers to "people in higher rank?" And the second quote is truly unintelligible.

But what can you expect from someone who wants us to believe that she was obligated to follow illegal orders? And there's no way she can claim that she didn't receive enough training to know that most of what was going on is not condoned by the Geneva Convention. Its a wonder that she made it all the way to assistant manager of a Papa John's pizza place in her pre-military life!

[MineralMan]

I know what Taguba said: I listened to the hearing.

My point is that field investigations like this one do not always yield all the information available. He reported what his investigation found. That may well not be the last word on this.

[elfman2]

"There are places you can do this stuff. To say she did not know is CRAP BIG TIME!"

From what I read, the unit was a mess and the prison was a zoo. I can easily see how a private would get sucked into what she did. This of course doesn’t exonerate her, just makes much of her story very credible in my mind.

[CatoRenasci]

persons in higher rank than England would be anyone above E-3! A whole range of folks from the SecDef all the way down to some smart-ass Spc4 or corporal. Such as the guy that knocked her up. This doesn't wash.

[cyncooper]

The comments re Karpinski:

MCCAIN: I think it's pretty obvious, but I thank you for your testimony and your report.

Tell me, again, about your view of General Karpinski's role in this. She says that she was excluded from certain parts of the prison in certain areas where some of these abuses took place. Do you have anything on that?

TAGUBA: I disagree with that.

MCCAIN: Do you agree or disagree?

TAGUBA: I disagree with the fact that she was excluded from certain areas of the prison. I believe, in my interview of her, she was still in charge of detention operations in theater, and it's hard for me to believe that she would be excluded from many of those facilities or even a portion of those facilities.

~snip~

[Sacajaweau]

I like the one where the Iraqi identified himself in the porn photos by the scar on his "cheek".

Bwahahahahah What brains these people have.

[RetiredArmy]

If her unit "was a mess" then heads in the chain of command above her should roll!!!! I am sick and tired of seeing 99% of the military be graded off the stupidity of one or two individuals. Six or eight people do this stuff and 135,000 get tarnished for it. I am sick of the stinking democrats and their ass kissing leftists whining about prisoner abuse when a man has his head cut off and they sit on their collective big asses and say nothing against the scum who did it. I am sick of them. It would not bother me one stinking bit if all the democrats just disappeared off the face of the earth. They are truly the enemy within of this republic. Any and all democrats, leftists, socialist, liberals, should be crated up and shipped to Red China or the Soviet Union where they can live among their own kind. Then they can bow to Uncle Joe Stalin's statues and kiss Mao's big fat ass! I have as much contempt, rage, hate and over all disgust for democrats as I do for the enemy. I consider democrats to be aiders and abettors of the enemy and thus, THE ENEMY of this Republic!

[A. Pole]

sodomizing them is simply not the American way

You would be surprised how many people in America (even on FR) advocate sodomizing American prisoners in American jails.

[ASA Vet]

Back in 66 I saw one of our MPs refuse an order from a General.
The General didn't have access to our operations center.
He ordered the MP (an E-4) to stand aside and let him in.
The General did enter our compound, but found himself looking at our MPs .45
The General and his aid were soon spreadeagled leaning on a wall,
covered by several arriving armed men.
Our Operation Officer (a Major) escorted the General off the compound
and back to his vehicle.
The MP received an "atta boy" from our Commander, and the General received an ass chewing from his.

[jwalsh07]

LOL. That about covered it.

[jwalsh07]

LOL. That about covered it.

[bushfamfan]

I suppose she and her boyfriend were ordered to have sex and have it filmed on a video too? That girl has no credibility whatsoever.

[A. Pole]

Would I get punished? Dunno, but that's not the point. I obey the law. I obey my own moral code as well.

Gee, you are one of the few "godless atheists" who managed to fashion and follow their own moral code. But not many people can do that.

"the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me"

[NYC Republican]

Exactly... If she was, indeed, ordered to do it, she should come out with names, pronto... Oh, it was her boyfriend, the one that got her pregnant???? hmmm.... what a conundrum...

[NYC Republican]

but if you offer no reasons for your opinion, you have to be able to take the heat as most people will assume you are an idiot.

I think you're showing yourself to be the idiot on this thread.

[NYC Republican]

Exactly. Anyone sticking up for her amazes me to no end.

[NYC Republican]

Before we all hanger the girl for the vicious "atrocities" of smiling and pointing and leashing terror scum...let's let her have her day in court

No need to get shrill and use liberal tactics. No one is trying to hang her... She did, however, disgrace the 99.995% of the 140,000 soldiers who are doing a great job over in Iraq. She's a liar and a disgrace.