[Vision2020] 05-08-05 Breaking AP: At Abu Ghraib, U.S. Army Discipline Disintegrated Among Bitter MPs
Dick Schmidt
dickschmidt@moscow.com
Sat, 8 May 2004 20:15:58 -0700
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Wayne,
We appreciate these updated stories of the mess we are in. It just seems =
to keep getting worse daily. What happened to our "professional Army" of =
volunteers? Must be we have a pretty weak bunch of officers to let this =
happen. The commander in chief is a little flop eared twit from Texas =
that better be headed back there in January.
Dick Schmidt
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Art Deco aka W. Fox=20
To: Vision 2020=20
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 7:55 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] 05-08-05 Breaking AP: At Abu Ghraib, U.S. Army =
Discipline Disintegrated Among Bitter MPs
May 8, 2004
At Abu Ghraib, U.S. Army Discipline Disintegrated Among Bitter MPs
By Jim Krane
Associated Press Writer=20
ABU GHRAIB, Iraq (AP) - A U.S. Army investigation into abuses at Abu =
Ghraib prison depicts the military police running the penitentiary as a =
motley lot, overwhelmed by one of the worst assignments in Iraq and =
bitter about the military's broken promises of going home.=20
When Pentagon investigators arrived at the prison west of Baghdad, =
they found fatalistic Army Reservists toting weapons while wearing =
civilian clothes. Also, command authority had been replaced by old =
friendships, said a report written by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba.=20
"We were stretched thin and (headquarters) continued to assign us more =
missions far outside of our capabilities," the unit's commander, Brig. =
Gen. Janis Karpinski, told The Associated Press in an e-mail.=20
Taguba's report, which relates the abuses of Iraqi inmates at the =
sprawling prison, also describes numerous breakdowns within the 800th =
Military Police Brigade, especially its 320th Battalion, the unit =
running the prison.=20
The report blasts Karpinski for giving the 320th, the brigade's most =
troubled unit, the formidable task of running the huge penitentiary. =
Battalion members already were stigmatized by their beatings of Iraqi =
inmates last May at Camp Bucca, a southern Iraq prison.=20
The report details myriad shortcomings of a unit given enormous =
responsibility.=20
The 320th, an Army Reserve unit based near Scranton, Pa., was woefully =
unprepared to operate the 280-acre prison holding some 7,000 detainees, =
Taguba's report said. That is almost twice as many detainees than are =
supposed to be handled by a battalion, which usually contains no more =
than 500 soldiers.=20
It said the soldiers of the 320th appeared to have little training or =
knowledge about running prisons or respecting detainees' rights. Escapes =
were rampant.=20
Prison life was punctuated by riots and guards' shootings of inmates. =
The few soldiers who had worked in civilian prisons in the United States =
taught the others what they knew, the report says.=20
Karpinski, a Gulf War veteran and a business consultant in civilian =
life, is faulted for much that went wrong. But her job was never going =
to be easy.=20
Last June, Karpinski took command of the 800th MP Brigade, a unit led =
to believe it was going home shortly after major combat ended May 1, =
2003.=20
Instead, it got a new mission: running the entire U.S. prison system =
across Iraq - 12 camps and jails.=20
"Morale suffered, and over the next few months there did not appear to =
have been any attempt by the command to mitigate this morale problem," =
the Taguba report says.=20
Those sent to Abu Ghraib found themselves living in one of Iraq's =
toughest regions - the Sunni Muslim rebel stronghold west of Baghdad. =
The prison, which also houses the base, became a target for guerrilla =
mortar barrages that killed dozens, mainly prisoners.=20
The Abu Ghraib base also lacked the morale-raising amenities of other =
bases. It had no cafeteria, convenience store or barbershop, and offered =
little recreation.=20
As time wore on, the isolated 320th MP Battalion drifted away from =
Army discipline, adopting characteristics that appear closer to the =
Vietnam-era Army than those of the professional force touted by the =
Pentagon.=20
The Army's report documents that breakdown:=20
- Friendships took precedent to command relations among some =
Reservists, who knew each other outside the Army, giving the deployment =
an informal feel. Saluting on the base was optional for a while.=20
- Prison logbooks were filled with "unprofessional entries and =
flippant comments which highlighted the lack of discipline within the =
unit." Taguba found no indication that commanders ever reviewed the =
books.=20
- The 320th was blamed for security lapses that allowed dozens of =
inmates to escape, or get caught trying. Taguba found 27 documented =
escape incidents and said he was told about others that were never =
reported.=20
- The battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Jerry Phillabaum, was described =
in the report as an "extremely ineffective" leader who left day-to-day =
operations to his second-in-command.=20
At one point, Karpinski sent the overwrought Phillabaum to Kuwait for =
two weeks to "give him some relief from the pressure he was =
experiencing."=20
Phillabaum was replaced by Lt. Col. Ronald Chew, another battalion =
commander within the 800th MPs. Neither Karpinski, Phillabaum nor Chew =
told headquarters about the temporary switch.=20
"Temporarily removing one commander and replacing him with another =
serving battalion commander without an order and without notifying =
superior or subordinate commands is without precedent in my military =
career," Taguba wrote.=20
Phillabaum was suspended from his duties in January.=20
Meanwhile, the MPs struck up relations with Army interrogators at the =
prison. Low-level MPs were soon heeding interrogators' requests to "set =
the conditions" for interrogations by mistreating inmates, the Taguba =
report says.=20
The MPs developed that relationship with interrogators outside the =
chain of command, the Taguba report says.=20
For her part, Karpinski, now back in the United States - as is most of =
the 800th MP Brigade - said in her e-mail to the AP that she got "little =
or no support" from the U.S. military brass or the U.S.-led occupation =
authority.=20
This, she said, "resulted in my units having to do far more than =
detention operations in an effort to maintain the most minimum =
standards."=20
Karpinski said the Army's reporting, and the way it is being presented =
by Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the new head of prison operations, and =
military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, appears intended to brand =
her - a Reservist and an outsider - a scapegoat.=20
"The Taguba Report is flawed in many ways and Kimmitt and Miller know =
it," Karpinski said.=20
"The portion of the Taguba Report released to the press is only a =
small portion of the complete report and once again there may have been =
ulterior motivation, i.e., find a scapegoat (and) then create the basis =
for blame."=20
AP-ES-05-08-04 2202EDT=20
This story can be found at: =
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAZ7Z4I0UD.html
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<DIV>Wayne,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We appreciate these updated stories of the mess we are in. It just =
seems to=20
keep getting worse daily. What happened to our "professional Army" of=20
volunteers? Must be we have a pretty weak bunch of officers to let this =
happen.=20
The commander in chief is a little flop eared twit from Texas that =
better=20
be headed back there in January.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Dick Schmidt</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Ddeco@moscow.com href=3D"mailto:deco@moscow.com">Art Deco =
aka W. Fox</A>=20
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dvision2020@moscow.com=20
href=3D"mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">Vision 2020</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, May 08, 2004 =
7:55=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] 05-08-05 =
Breaking=20
AP: At Abu Ghraib, U.S. Army Discipline Disintegrated Among Bitter =
MPs</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D4>
<P>May 8, 2004</P>
<H2>At Abu Ghraib, U.S. Army Discipline Disintegrated Among Bitter =
MPs</H2>By=20
Jim Krane<BR>Associated Press Writer <BR><BR>ABU GHRAIB, Iraq (AP) - A =
U.S.=20
Army investigation into abuses at Abu Ghraib prison depicts the =
military=20
police running the penitentiary as a motley lot, overwhelmed by one of =
the=20
worst assignments in Iraq and bitter about the military's broken =
promises of=20
going home.=20
<P>When Pentagon investigators arrived at the prison west of Baghdad, =
they=20
found fatalistic Army Reservists toting weapons while wearing civilian =
clothes. Also, command authority had been replaced by old friendships, =
said a=20
report written by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba.=20
<P>"We were stretched thin and (headquarters) continued to assign us =
more=20
missions far outside of our capabilities," the unit's commander, Brig. =
Gen.=20
Janis Karpinski, told The Associated Press in an e-mail.=20
<P>Taguba's report, which relates the abuses of Iraqi inmates at the =
sprawling=20
prison, also describes numerous breakdowns within the 800th Military =
Police=20
Brigade, especially its 320th Battalion, the unit running the prison.=20
<P>The report blasts Karpinski for giving the 320th, the brigade's =
most=20
troubled unit, the formidable task of running the huge penitentiary. =
Battalion=20
members already were stigmatized by their beatings of Iraqi inmates =
last May=20
at Camp Bucca, a southern Iraq prison.=20
<P>The report details myriad shortcomings of a unit given enormous=20
responsibility.=20
<P>The 320th, an Army Reserve unit based near Scranton, Pa., was =
woefully=20
unprepared to operate the 280-acre prison holding some 7,000 =
detainees,=20
Taguba's report said. That is almost twice as many detainees than are =
supposed=20
to be handled by a battalion, which usually contains no more than 500=20
soldiers.=20
<P>It said the soldiers of the 320th appeared to have little training =
or=20
knowledge about running prisons or respecting detainees' rights. =
Escapes were=20
rampant.=20
<P>Prison life was punctuated by riots and guards' shootings of =
inmates. The=20
few soldiers who had worked in civilian prisons in the United States =
taught=20
the others what they knew, the report says.=20
<P>Karpinski, a Gulf War veteran and a business consultant in civilian =
life,=20
is faulted for much that went wrong. But her job was never going to be =
easy.=20
<P>Last June, Karpinski took command of the 800th MP Brigade, a unit =
led to=20
believe it was going home shortly after major combat ended May 1, =
2003.=20
<P>Instead, it got a new mission: running the entire U.S. prison =
system across=20
Iraq - 12 camps and jails.=20
<P>"Morale suffered, and over the next few months there did not appear =
to have=20
been any attempt by the command to mitigate this morale problem," the =
Taguba=20
report says.=20
<P>Those sent to Abu Ghraib found themselves living in one of Iraq's =
toughest=20
regions - the Sunni Muslim rebel stronghold west of Baghdad. The =
prison, which=20
also houses the base, became a target for guerrilla mortar barrages =
that=20
killed dozens, mainly prisoners.=20
<P>The Abu Ghraib base also lacked the morale-raising amenities of =
other=20
bases. It had no cafeteria, convenience store or barbershop, and =
offered=20
little recreation.=20
<P>As time wore on, the isolated 320th MP Battalion drifted away from =
Army=20
discipline, adopting characteristics that appear closer to the =
Vietnam-era=20
Army than those of the professional force touted by the Pentagon.=20
<P>The Army's report documents that breakdown:=20
<P>- Friendships took precedent to command relations among some =
Reservists,=20
who knew each other outside the Army, giving the deployment an =
informal feel.=20
Saluting on the base was optional for a while.=20
<P>- Prison logbooks were filled with "unprofessional entries and =
flippant=20
comments which highlighted the lack of discipline within the unit." =
Taguba=20
found no indication that commanders ever reviewed the books.=20
<P>- The 320th was blamed for security lapses that allowed dozens of =
inmates=20
to escape, or get caught trying. Taguba found 27 documented escape =
incidents=20
and said he was told about others that were never reported.=20
<P>- The battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Jerry Phillabaum, was =
described in=20
the report as an "extremely ineffective" leader who left day-to-day =
operations=20
to his second-in-command.=20
<P>At one point, Karpinski sent the overwrought Phillabaum to Kuwait =
for two=20
weeks to "give him some relief from the pressure he was experiencing." =
<P>Phillabaum was replaced by Lt. Col. Ronald Chew, another battalion=20
commander within the 800th MPs. Neither Karpinski, Phillabaum nor Chew =
told=20
headquarters about the temporary switch.=20
<P>"Temporarily removing one commander and replacing him with another =
serving=20
battalion commander without an order and without notifying superior or =
subordinate commands is without precedent in my military career," =
Taguba=20
wrote.=20
<P>Phillabaum was suspended from his duties in January.=20
<P>Meanwhile, the MPs struck up relations with Army interrogators at =
the=20
prison. Low-level MPs were soon heeding interrogators' requests to =
"set the=20
conditions" for interrogations by mistreating inmates, the Taguba =
report says.=20
<P>The MPs developed that relationship with interrogators outside the =
chain of=20
command, the Taguba report says.=20
<P>For her part, Karpinski, now back in the United States - as is most =
of the=20
800th MP Brigade - said in her e-mail to the AP that she got "little =
or no=20
support" from the U.S. military brass or the U.S.-led occupation =
authority.=20
<P>This, she said, "resulted in my units having to do far more than =
detention=20
operations in an effort to maintain the most minimum standards."=20
<P>Karpinski said the Army's reporting, and the way it is being =
presented by=20
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, the new head of prison operations, and =
military=20
spokesman Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, appears intended to brand her - a =
Reservist=20
and an outsider - a scapegoat.=20
<P>"The Taguba Report is flawed in many ways and Kimmitt and Miller =
know it,"=20
Karpinski said.=20
<P>"The portion of the Taguba Report released to the press is only a =
small=20
portion of the complete report and once again there may have been =
ulterior=20
motivation, i.e., find a scapegoat (and) then create the basis for =
blame."=20
<P>AP-ES-05-08-04 2202EDT <BR><BR><B>This story can be found at:</B> =
<A=20
=
href=3D"http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGAZ7Z4I0UD.html">http://ap.tbo.com=
/ap/breaking/MGAZ7Z4I0UD.html</A><BR></P></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY=
></HTML>
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