Covid

MASKING SAVES LIVES

Friday, March 10, 2006

Turkey Shoot at Abu Ghraib--Eyewitness Report

KEN DAVIS: I see them all huddled in a second containment where their tents are and they're dragging a dead guy out and throw him by my feet. So I looked at the chaplain's aide who responded, he had ended up right beside me I said, "What are we doing?" I said, "This guy's dead and he's unarmed."

JAVAL DAVIS: When they went to live ammunition, wow, I mean it's one of those things. I mean, unfortunate a lot of lives were lost that day. Oh, yeah.

***

KEN DAVIS: And I remember calling home that night and... saying "I can't take this any more because if this is what we're going to do, if this is what we have come to, I'm done." But being done and being able to leave is two different things. So you just have to suck it up, get over it, as they say, and just do what you're told to do.

These two soldiers paint a picture of how the command structure pushed and even ordered stressed out soldiers to do such things as shoot unarmed Iraqi inmates at Abu Ghraib. As one explains, he really thought he was going to Iraq to free the Iraqi people. Of course, after he got there and started doing this stuff, he should have realized that was not anywhere near what the occupation was about. One describes how Charles Graner the guy who got 10 years for the abuse was actually commended by his general for his abusive behavior. I can't remember if any general testified to that at his court martial.

The link includes video of the interview quoted above. This is from Information Clearing House.

No comments: