the implications of this are very disturbing...

[Briar Rose 7457]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48229-2004May22.html

The lawyer said he was told that Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez and other senior military officers were aware of what was taking place on Tier 1A of Abu Ghraib. The lawyer, Capt. Robert Shuck, also said a sergeant at the prison was prepared to testify that intelligence officers told him the abuse of detainees on the cellblock was "the right thing to do."
Shuck is assigned to defend Staff Sgt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick II of the 372nd Military Police Company. During an April 2 hearing that was open to the public, Shuck said the company commander, Capt. Donald J. Reese, was prepared to testify in exchange for immunity. The military prosecutor questioned Shuck about what Reese would say under oath.

"Are you saying that Captain Reese is going to testify that General Sanchez was there and saw this going on?" asked Capt. John McCabe, the military prosecutor.

"That's what he told me," Shuck said. "I am an officer of the court, sir, and I would not lie. I have got two children at home. I'm not going to risk my career."

So far, clear evidence has yet to emerge that high-level officers condoned or promoted the abusive practices. Officers at the prison have blamed the abuse on a handful of rogue, low-level military police officers from the 372nd, a company of U.S. Army reservists based in Cresaptown, Md. The general in charge of prisons in Iraq at the time has said that military intelligence officers took control of Abu Ghraib and gave the MPs "ideas."

 

[Jeanny]

what is wrong with those "soldiers"... they didn't think what they were doing was wrong??? give me a break... what if they were the ones in prison and were treated like that??? I don't care who the prisoners are, they're PEOPLE too. ugh...the whole thing makes me sick..

 

[DebbieB]

It's hard to believe these soldiers did all this on their own, without the knowledge of upper command. Often the most damage politically comes from the coverup rather than the original crime (i.e. Nixon & Clinton). This thing is going to escalate up the chain command and will get even more uglier than it already is. Why should only the soldiers take the fall for the orders of their commanders? Everyone needs to be held accountable, they all need to come out and tell the truth. It just gets worse if they don't.