A Disaster, Pure and Simple

[thedrifter]

05-05-2004

A Disaster, Pure and Simple







By David DeBatto



Just about everyone on earth who has access to a newspaper, a television, a radio, a computer or even word of mouth has now heard or read about the horrific abuses that took place at the U.S military detention facility at Abu Ghraib, Iraq, also known as BCCF, or Baghdad Central Correctional Facility.



Regardless of whether you think that the prisoner abuses in these documented cases were somehow justified as payback for the four American civilian contractors that were killed and mutilated in Fallujah some weeks back (although I would have to seriously question your judgment if you do), I think everyone will admit that this one incident has set back the entire effort of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) to square one, if not beyond.



I actually fear that this disaster, and there is no other word for it, could begin the unraveling of our efforts in Iraq. It has the potential, in my opinion, to be that serious. I say this not as a chicken little, but as one who served in Iraq and dealt extensively with Iraqis at all levels.



Before I launch into an explanation about the Arab psyche, I have to give my honest, gut reaction to this whole thing. This was one of the worst cases of both failed leadership by the chain of command as well as boneheaded decision-making by soldiers I have seen in some time. And, as I have already said, it may well have long-lasting ramifications. All good soldiers, hell, all good Americans know what these service members did in those photographs and what is described in Maj. Gen. Antonio M.Taguba?s report is flat-out wrong. Period. No amount of ?We didn?t have any training? or ?There was no copy of a Geneva Convention available? mitigates what happened.



I am frankly appalled that soldiers, NCOs as a matter of fact, in the United States Army in the year 2004 can say with a straight face that they were told to obey an unlawful order and that they did not know that they did not have to follow that order; that they had not only the right, but the responsibility not to follow that order. That sodomizing, physically assaulting injured and even uninjured prisoners, pouring hot liquids over naked bodies, photographing forced homosexual sex and other grotesque acts, were not only unlawful, but morally reprehensible as well. What were they thinking?



How can a soldier reach the rank of sergeant or staff sergeant or even private 1st class and not know right from wrong? For that matter, how can any adult that calls himself or herself an American? This was certainly a gender-neutral affair as we have all been graced with the grinning image of the female MP in at least two of the photos shown by the news media.



And what about the chain of command in all of this? Where were they? How could all of this happen without some senior officers knowing what the heck was going on? Well, the answer is that it didn?t, or at least it shouldn?t have.



It appears from Taguba?s report that there was a situation at Abu Ghraib where the facility commander, Brig. Gen. Janis L. Karpinski, did not know who, in fact, was running the prison. She though that perhaps the Military Intelligence commander, Col. Thomas M. Pappas of the 205 MI Brigade, was running her facility, at least the wing housing the High Value Targets (HVT). Col. Pappas, it seems, did not know that he had such authority and gave little to no direction over MI or MP activities there. Basically, it appears that no one was in charge of the sections of Abu Ghraib where the abuse allegations occurred. It is not surprising that things got out of control in such a leadership vacuum.



Yes, I have heard all of the rebuttals from other soldiers trying to defend the accused. ?What about the four contractors?? ?How come only we have to play by the rules?? ?How would you feel if you had to deal with these a*******?? And even ?Who cares what happens to some Iraqis anyway??



This needs to be said:



We, the United States of America, do not hold ourselves to the same standards as the Iraqis, or the Arabs or the Somalis, or Al Qaeda or anyone else. We are supposed to stand for something, something higher and better than the rest. That?s why many of us joined the military in the first place, to defend the greatest country on earth because we are different than the rest of the world.



Why? Because we hold ourselves to a higher standard than everyone else. We do not indiscriminately slaughter everyone in a village just because they killed one or more of our soldiers, even in brutal fashion, like in Somalia or Fallujah. We do not torture and murder defenseless prisoners in our custody just because they are fighting for a particularly despicable cause. We just don?t do it.



To do so would undermine everything every service member has fought and died for in Iraq, Afghanistan, Gulf War I, Vietnam and every other action in this country?s great history.



Let?s not even begin to go down that path.



Contributing Editor David DeBatto is a retired Army staff sergeant and Counterintelligence Special Agent who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom where he was injured in combat. He is currently writing a novel based upon his military service. He can be reached at info@mrdavid.net. Send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

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Ellie