Not a good day
May. 26th, 2004 02:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pecuniumIt sucks to have one's father send one a NYT article, on the troubles in Iraq/Afghanistan, regarding prisoners being maltreated, and seeing MI units mentioned.
It sucks more to have nothing but MI units mentioned.
It really sucks that the only units mentioned happened to be units to which one not only belonged, but with which one was actually in theater.
It also sucks to be unable to talk about the only hopeful aspects of these cases, because they are open investigations, and while it might make me feel better to tell people those details (and they are just this side of arcane, and don't make any abuses {which, so far as I know, are not clear cut, but in at least one of the cases punishment has been handed down, and there is [and has been since the beginning] some controversey about the one involving my unit {which, from the NYT is merely one of physical abuse, the sorts of things one would expect, not the detailed systemic isues Abu Ghraib appears to be}).
So, please believe me that there are (so far as I know ANYTHING about) not more than 7-8 people involved, and there are, even if true, some hopeful signs.
But, if they are true, painful as it is, I hope they get suitable punishment.
It sucks more to have nothing but MI units mentioned.
It really sucks that the only units mentioned happened to be units to which one not only belonged, but with which one was actually in theater.
It also sucks to be unable to talk about the only hopeful aspects of these cases, because they are open investigations, and while it might make me feel better to tell people those details (and they are just this side of arcane, and don't make any abuses {which, so far as I know, are not clear cut, but in at least one of the cases punishment has been handed down, and there is [and has been since the beginning] some controversey about the one involving my unit {which, from the NYT is merely one of physical abuse, the sorts of things one would expect, not the detailed systemic isues Abu Ghraib appears to be}).
So, please believe me that there are (so far as I know ANYTHING about) not more than 7-8 people involved, and there are, even if true, some hopeful signs.
But, if they are true, painful as it is, I hope they get suitable punishment.
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Date: 2004-05-26 04:13 pm (UTC)Oh, I found "The Interrogator" fascinating, especially the obvious respect that his interrogatees retained for Scharff. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Date: 2004-05-26 04:46 pm (UTC)I think mostly, for this one, it's the public shame. This one isn't just close to home, it is home.
The 519th, well there are a lot of guys there I like, and feel for, but it's a little more distant. The mitigating factors I can't talk about right now, they help too.
The other, the one about my unit, that stings, not so much that it may have happened... because I've had since last summer to deal with the allegations, and I'm still not sure how I feel about those... I know the people involved, and I don't like to think they would've slipped as far as is alleged.
But I can see how it might... even explain where the instructional, organizational and leadership flaws which might have led to such a failure came into play.
No, what hurts on this one is 1: I am personally tarred. No way around that.
2: I'd hoped it would not come out until it was resolved. If they were charged, and convicted... all right. We found it, we dealt with it, and we can move on.
If they were absolved (in a court, or by the inquiry) the issue would linger... because people would say that, "Of course the Army whitewashed it."
The hard part is that, until one of those outcomes happens (charges filed, or investigation closed) I can't say what I DO know.
And I hate to be muzzled.