posted on May 21, 2004 01:28:00 PM new
For the past 34 years I have been an interrogator in the Utah Army National Guard, serving my country proudly in this capacity. I have performed my duties as an interrogation team chief in many capacities in a variety of situations. I have been to two wars in the Middle East as a chief warrant officer, conducting numerous interrogations, screenings, debriefings, etc. I have been to South Korea some 40 plus times, been through countless interrogation exercises, and have personally conducted numerous debriefings of North Korean defectors.
I have worked with soldiers from all branches of the military, regular army soldiers and reservists, interacting with them in a variety of real combat situations and training exercises. I have read books on the skills of interrogation and have taught others the finer points of effective interrogation.
While at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, I spent 4 months, on a daily basis, interrogating 17 Iraqi generals, both Brigadier and Major generals, successfully extracting valuable information which was later disseminated up through the chain. I lived as they lived, endured most of what they endured, feeling their pain, while trying to deal with their diverse personalities, with their idiosyncrasies, intertwined with their culture, tradition, religion, and language.
With all of this being said, I offer you my professional opinion, based on my years of hands on real world experience. Yes, this is just the voice of one man, limited to my own experiences as I have watched and interacted with countless others, both civilians and military personnel. Perhaps it is myopic at best, limited by my own exposure to a restricted number of situations, but yet in my mind it represents quite a vast array of circumstances, people, and situations.
I realize at the same time that there are exceptions, incidences that would contradict my own point of view, but I consider these to be the exception far from the rule. You can say what you will. You can say I don’t know what I am talking about or that I am naïve in my out look on life and the realities of the world in Iraq. But, I do believe I speak with some degree of authority regarding this matter.
You might consider this to be the other side of the story that is being forced fed to us from all different angles as the new media have a hay day with the incidences and the pictures from the Abu Ghurayb prison. There is another side that represents more the majority of how prisoners are treated and interrogated. Hopefully this will help you understand that the prison incidences are far from the norm and do not represent the large majority of soldiers who do respect others rights and are sincerely concerned about their well-being.
I can honestly say that we, a large group of interrogators, treated the prisoners we came in contact with, as humanely as possible, following the Geneva Convention as we have been trained to do. We made every effort to take care of their needs and insure their health and safety. We did instruct the guards in the proper care of the prisoners and responded in every instance to convey the prisoner’s feelings, concerns, and desires.
Yes there were exceptions but none I personally witnessed that were outside the scope of the Geneva Convention. If anything it was the Red Cross that didn’t comply with the wishes of the prisoners, compelling the prisoners to decline to speak with any one from the Red Cross.
I discovered early on in my career as an interrogator that the easiest way to get accurate factual information out of a prisoner was to establish a relationship built on trust, through a more kind and friendly approach. The true sign of an effective interrogator is when they can actually make the prisoner believe that they sincerely care and are concerned for the prisoner’s future. If an interrogator can convince the prisoner to change their belief system regarding who the enemy is and why they are fighting, then an effectual change can be realized.
Trust is the opening door to a person’s heart and mind, brought about by believable and apparently sincere acts of concern. On the contrary, torture results in the out pouring of fictional, miss-information, in an effort just to stop the painful process.
Our efforts in dealing with the prisoners to insure their proper care and handling resulted in the effectual winning of their hearts and minds, changing their perspective of what Americans are all about. These efforts set an example for all others to follow, establishing a proper care and handling methodology, which was contagious. We not only got information but built life long friendships with the people we had come to rescue.
I welcome any news media that would like to delve into the details of the other side of the story, the one that represents the way most American soldiers act. I would love to have the opportunity to explain my world, from my perspective, the one shared by the majority of soldiers and especially interrogators. I will gladly give them the finer details of each phase or approach that was used.
Why can’t we show the world that what they are seeing is an isolated incident not representative of the thousands of soldiers who do sincerely care and who have accepted the humanity of our fellow brothers, the Iraqis.
This is your chance News Media. This is a way for you to redeem yourselves from the barrage of accusations that you are biased and one sided, that you are just looking for any opportunity to crucify us and our leaders, and that you fail to provide us the American people with balanced factual reporting. We need to offset the continual flow of negative degrading reporting with factual positive stories of all the good that is being done.
Can you not hear the scream of the American people, demanding a relief from the depressing images plastered across every magazine, tabloid, and screen? Are you listening to your audience who wants balanced, truthful and unbiased reporting?
I am at your service to provide you with what Paul Harvey called, “the rest of the story”. Why won’t you help us tell the world what we are really all about? Why do you insist on fueling the fires of hatred so that more Americans can be killed out of ignorance and misunderstanding? Where is your allegiance? Will you perpetuate the limited and biased understanding of our enemies, in order to achieve some bi-partisan political goal, under the pretext of doing your job?
Email me today to get the rest of the real story.
Chief Wiggles
Doing it the only right way, the wiggles way.
"The Secret Service has announced it is doubling its protection for John Kerry. You can understand why — with two positions on every issue, he has twice as many people mad at him." —Jay Leno
Unfortunately, your experience was under a different administration. I won't believe for one moment that the entire Bush administration by blind-sided by the events. This seems to be a "do anything you want and worry about the repercussions later" kind of administration. While I have no doubt that you and your fellow interrogators treated prisoners with the utmost regard for humanity, the same cannot be said for today's interrogators. I don't believe for one moment that these soldiers made up all that they did on their own. If they did, it's a sad statement about the way we've raised our children to behave and what regard for human decency we've instilled in them.
I have said this before and I will continue to say it: When the rank and file do something wrong, it's the leadership who is ultimately to blame. As a leader, you are responsible for what those beneath you do. It is your responsibility to know what is going on at all times. To feign ignorance is well, ignorant IMO. To have to be poked and prodded to apologize is unforgivable. One who does not immediately apologize for acts he deems appalling, tells me and the rest of the world that the deeds really weren't as appalling to him as he'd like us to believe.
I do commend you for your human behavior toward the POWs entrusted to you. No matter what your personal feelings are toward your enemy, it is God in the end who truly deserves the right to delve out the proper punishment.
posted on May 21, 2004 02:02:46 PM new
Cheryl. the post I entered was not of my experience but one of a current military interrogator that has been in Iraq. It is his opinion & voice of experience, but a opinion I agree with.
It is a post expressing from a professional soldier of todays military. Reread how he obtained info from 17 Iraqi generals. Not using torture but by listening and commeseration with them.
He also points out the fact (that the media has forgotten), that the guards that abused the prisoners were not professionals. They were the exception
Interrogation techniques in Vietnam were primative, brutal & quick. No excuses, those techniques were done on both sides.
"The Secret Service has announced it is doubling its protection for John Kerry. You can understand why — with two positions on every issue, he has twice as many people mad at him." —Jay Leno
posted on May 21, 2004 02:14:16 PM new
My mistake, bear. Here I thought you were some big shot interrogator. That would have explained a few things. LOL!
posted on May 21, 2004 02:52:07 PM newand that you fail to provide us the American people with balanced factual reporting. We need to offset the continual flow of negative degrading reporting with factual positive stories of all the good that is being done.
That pretty much raps it all up. Balanced, factual reporting. Not too much to ask for.
While they're working to sway the election results, they're ignoring the fact they're putting our soldiers lives in more jeopardy. Then they have the gull to complain about how many lives are being lost in this war. They don't seem to 'get' how their actions are giving our enemies more conviction to fight them harder.
I do my own 'call to the media'. Each time there's an article that is so one-sided it stinks....or one I feel will encourage our enemies...I email CBS ...NBC...ABC...and let them know how I don't appreciate their one sided reporting and how damaging I believe it is to our country. If more of us took the time to email and express our objections on their one-sided reporting...it might just make a difference. Or email their sponsors and let our voices be heard.
posted on May 21, 2004 04:33:18 PM new
I couldn't agree more Linda. I emailed Tim Russert's show the other day, demanding to know why they didn't spend any more time reporting who tried to shut Colin Powell up during his interview, and why.
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When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers, we call it patriotism. - Edward Abbey
posted on May 21, 2004 05:24:39 PM new
I used to email, I think ABC, all the time about the Bill Maher show Politically incorrect. He would always cut people off and not let them tell their story. He was always right his guests were always wrong. Well, that is according to him,. Fouled mouth just something that shouldn't be on Television. I just never understood why people went on his show. It was finally cancelled and I hope I did my part in cancelling it.
I think media bias has played a roll in every election. I also think this year is more than ever before.
I remember my mother complaining about the media so I guess things haven't changed much only that we are subject to it more because of the internet.
She had it down pat what publications were Democrate and which were Republican but I can't remember what they were.
[ edited by Libra63 on May 21, 2004 05:25 PM ]
posted on May 21, 2004 06:14:16 PM newI used to email, I think ABC, all the time about the Bill Maher show Politically incorrect. He would always cut people off and not let them tell their story. He was always right his guests were always wrong.
Sounds like Bill O'Reilly...
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We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. -- John F. Kennedy
posted on May 21, 2004 06:58:20 PM new
Maher's on HBO now, and his show is even better than it was before. He can take liberties he never would have been able to take on network TeeVee. As far as him always being right, it is like Bill O'Reilly...except Maher doesn't make any pretensions of being a news program...
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When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers, we call it patriotism. - Edward Abbey
posted on May 21, 2004 07:00:00 PM newlol profe - Powell handled his own aid quite well I thought.
I did too, I just would like to have seen some information on why and how the whole thing happened...the fact that somebody tried to shush the standing Secretary of State in an interview is news in itself, in my opinion.
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When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers, we call it patriotism. - Edward Abbey
[ edited by profe51 on May 21, 2004 07:01 PM ]
I give Tim Russert high marks. Keeps his personal opinions to himself better than any interviewer I've ever seen. And doesn't ask soft questions of only one side but rather of both sides.
posted on May 21, 2004 09:12:51 PM new
I agree about Russert, very unbiased interview, as is normal for him. What I don't buy is that a press aide, pressed for time, pushed the camera out of the way in an attempt to hurry along an interview...what a load of bull...
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When a dog howls at the moon, we call it religion. When he barks at strangers, we call it patriotism. - Edward Abbey
