Fixing Hell (32 page)
M
ARCH
20, 2004: The Department of Defense announces that six soldiers will be court martialed on charges that they abused prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
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ARCH
22, 2004: The Department of Defense announces that Miller, the commander at Guantanamo Bay, whom James worked under while rectifying abusive conditions at that military base, will become deputy commander for detainee operations, Combined Joint Task Force 7/Multi-National Force—Iraq. This position puts Miller in charge of the prison at Abu Ghraib.
A
PRIL
4, 2004: The Army confirms that investigators have recommended administrative discipline against several commanders responsible for managing prisons in Iraq. The Army does not release the names of the commanders to be disciplined.
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PRIL
12, 2004: Producers with the CBS television news program 60 Minutes II contact the Department of Defense and state that the network has some of the photos showing prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib and will broadcast them. Military officials ask the network not to broadcast the photos, saying the images will incite violence in Iraq.
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PRIL
28, 2004: After delaying the broadcast several times while the Department of Defense and the Bush administration made their case for why the images could harm the U.S. military, CBS shows the photos to the public. President Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld say that, though they had been briefed on the allegations of abuse, they had not seen the images before CBS aired them.
M
AY
1, 2004: The Department of Defense updates the progress of the ongoing investigation at Abu Ghraib: two soldiers are relieved of their duties, four more receive an administrative reprimand, and another receives a milder reprimand.
M
AY
6, 2004: In a Rose Garden speech, President Bush says he apologized to the Arab world for the abuse at Abu Ghraib while meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah. “I told him I was sorry for the humiliation suffered by the Iraqi prisoners and the humiliation suffered by their families,” he said.
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AY
7, 2004: Rumsfeld testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee. “I feel terrible about what happened to these Iraqi detainees. They are human beings. They were in U.S. custody. Our country had an obligation to treat them right. We didn’t, and that was wrong. So to those Iraqis who were mistreated by members of the U.S. armed forces, I offer my deepest apology. It was inconsistent with the values of our nation. It was inconsistent with the teachings of the military, to the men and women of the armed forces. And it was certainly fundamentally un-American.” He also says he failed to promptly inform the president and Congress when he first learned of the abuse.
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AY
10, 2004: A report by Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker magazine provides further detail and photos of the prisoner abuse.
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AY
19, 2004: Responding to queries about how prisoner abuse could have happened on his watch, Sanchez tells U.S. senators that he has repeatedly issued orders to treat detainees in Iraq humanely. He tells the senators that in September and October 2003, and again in May 2004, he “issued interrogation policies that reiterated the application of the Geneva Conventions and required that all interrogations be conducted in the lawful and humane manner with command oversight.”
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AY
24, 2004: President Bush delivers a speech in which he outlines five steps for improving security in Iraq and helping the nation move toward democracy. In the course of that speech, Bush proposes demolishing the prison at Abu Ghraib.
J
UNE
2004, the first week: Colonel Larry James arrives in Abu Ghraib to address the problem of prisoner abuse and provide psychiatric services.
O
CTOBER
20, 2004: One of the soldiers accused of some of the worst abuse, Staff Sergeant Ivan Frederick, pleads guilty to charges of conspiracy, dereliction of duty, maltreatment of detainees, assault, and committing an indecent act. In return for his guilty plea, prosecutors agree to drop other charges. Among other abuses, Frederick was accused of making three prisoners masturbate. He also admitted to punching one prisoner in the chest so hard that his heart stopped and he had to be resuscitated. Frederick is sentenced to eight years in prison.
2005
J
ANUARY
14–15, 2005: Army Specialist Charles Graner, considered by most to be the ringleader of those participating in the abuse at Abu Ghraib, is found guilty of conspiracy to maltreat detainees, and failing to protect detainees from abuse, cruelty, and maltreatment. Graner also is found guilty on charges of assault, indecency, adultery, and obstruction of justice. He is sentenced to ten years in prison.
M
AY
5, 2005: The Department of Defense announces that, as a result of the investigation into the abuse at Abu Ghraib and her failure to properly run the prison, Brigadier General Janis Karpinski, commander of the 800th MP Brigade, has been demoted to colonel.
S
EPTEMBER
26–27, 2005: Private First Class Lynndie England, featured prominently in the abuse photos while posing with detainees and perhaps the most widely recognized of the accused soldiers, is convicted of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees, and one count of committing an indecent act. England receives a three-year prison sentence. The lead prosecutor said England had admitted to humiliating and degrading prisoners to entertain other MPs. Referring to the notorious photographs of England, the prosecutor told the court, “The accused knew what she was doing. She was laughing and joking. She is enjoying, she is participating, all for her own sick humor.” During the early portion of the investigations, England was pregnant with a child fathered by co-defendant Graner. She gave birth to his son in October 2004, before her conviction.
A total of twelve soldiers have been convicted of charges related to the abuse at Abu Ghraib, including those who received minor sentences.
2006
S
EPTEMBER
6, 2006: The U.S. government hands over control of Abu Ghraib to the Iraqi government. The prison has not been demolished.
T
here are many I would like to thank for their support, guidance, and assistance in preparing this book. First I need to thank my wife, Janet, for her support, counsel, and advice. It was a three-year journey to prepare this book, and without Janet I would not have had the constant resolve to complete it. She helped me bring out the humane and moral issues I struggled with along the way.
I will always owe a great deal to Colonel Morgan Banks. Morgan is respected by many four-star Army generals around the country, and without his support and advice I never would have been successful at Gitmo and Abu Ghraib.
Dr. Phil Zimbardo, the author of the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, has been an immense resource, friend, and supporter. Phil and I have many political differences but what we have in common is a desire to see that all in our custody are treated humanely and with respect.
My agent, Gillian Mackenzie, was a true godsend. Gillian had poise, brilliance, and the respect of many in the book publishing industry, and the calmness to navigate me through this journey. Most of all, she became a trusted confidante and friend.
I would like to thank Mitch Hoffman and his staff at Grand Central Publishing. Mitch had a vision for my book that was ideal, and his intellect and style made it an easier task for me.
I faced many bitter, diabolical, unfounded, and misguided threats upon my person by fellow psychologists. Without the support of Drs. Steve Behnke, Melba Vasquez, Jennifer Kelly, Nadine Kaslow, Gerry Koocher, Rosie Phillips Bingham, John Robinson, and Ray Folen it would have been easier to just resign my membership in the American Psychological Association and move on. Thanks to all who signed the letter supporting my character and work in the global war on terror. Their support made a difference in my life at a very difficult time. Thank you!
