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| Iraq-Jordan |
| LtCol in Charge of Interrogators Blamed for Loss of Control |
| 2004-08-27 |
| From The Los Angeles Times Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan .... was placed in charge of the interrogation task force at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison .... By some accounts, he worked to exhaustion to keep up with the demands of the job. Inexperienced, untrained and overwhelmed, he eventually became part of the compound's problems, failing to read notices — posted on prison walls — on the legal rights of detainees, allegedly witnessing but not reporting abuses, and giving false statements to superiors. Now facing disciplinary action or possible criminal charges, Jordan has come to exemplify the situation at the prison where he worked — a place that investigative panels have since described as poorly run, understaffed and neglected, giving rise to conditions in which grotesque abuses of detainees took place. Much like Abu Ghraib, Jordan was not prepared for the job U.S. commanders in Iraq gave him, and would later come under fire for doing the wrong thing under difficult conditions. .... He arrived at the overcrowded and understaffed prison outside Baghdad in September with what he later acknowledged was only a "passing familiarity" with his assigned tasks. .... Jordan turned to CIA agents working in the prison and became "fascinated" with them and their activities .... His direct supervisor acknowledged that it was a mistake that Jordan was ever placed in such a demanding position, according to a classified transcript. Army generals who have interviewed Jordan several times have recommended that he be reprimanded for poorly training his soldiers, failing to take full responsibility for his actions and not always telling the truth about what happened at Abu Ghraib. Jordan has never spoken publicly about his work at Abu Ghraib. He has pleaded the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination when called to testify against other soldiers in pretrial hearings. He has not appeared in any of the prison abuse photographs made public. But he was there on the tiers where much of the abuse took place, records state. .... Many times, Jordan allegedly "lost his composure" and had guards strip the inmates, frighten them with dogs and, in the words of one of the investigative reports issued this week, created a more "chaotic situation." .... Jordan's direct boss at Abu Ghraib, Col. Thomas M. Pappas, who also is recommended for administrative discipline, told investigators that Jordan was foisted upon him, at a time when the prison was growing crowded and pressure for more information was intense. "Lt. Col. Jordan was a loner who freelances between MP and MI, and I must admit that I failed in not reining him in," Pappas said in one of the sworn statements, suggesting that Jordan never understood the delineation of duties between military police and military intelligence soldiers. Sometimes, Pappas said, Jordan failed to report back to him when there were major disturbances in the prison. Jordan, in his sworn comments to investigators, countered that Pappas gave him too much authority and let him operate on his own without teaching him intelligence gathering. .... Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, who ran the military police side of the detention operations, said she was surprised that Jordan was spending so much time in the lockup and not enough in the task force office making sure reports were processed, according to documents. .... [Capt. Donald J.] Reese [who ran the military police company] and others said Jordan's constant presence on the prison tiers signaled to them that their treatment of detainees was all right. Once, Reese said, he pointed out to Jordan that some of the detainees were being held naked for long periods. "That's an interrogation method that we use," Reese quoted Jordan as saying. It was not, officials have since declared, except in the most severe circumstances when it was approved by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, then the commander of ground forces in Iraq. And yet, Reese said, guards had the understanding that "everything was approved by Lt. Col. Jordan." When questioned by investigators, Jordan insisted that he never saw any abuse at Abu Ghraib and would never have condoned it. He made those assertions in a number of interviews, sometimes after being told that others recalled things differently and being reminded that he was under oath. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #7 I read your comment, Badanov. Fair enough. . |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-08-28 10:51:36 AM |
| #6 I saw the article and as soon as I did I just knew Sylwester posted the thing. Here's the ultimate big loser in the WOT picture from my point of view. It's not Lt. Col. Steven Jordan who is trying to his best under the circumstances to save his fellow GI's. It's that sanctimonious affirmative action walrus, Janis Karpinski who is looking out for herself and not for you or me or soldiers in Iraq. I knew this article would get a comment like this. Badanov, your turn. This is a lot more than just three or four times, but I will try to explain myself without using baby talk, Mikey. Maybe this time you'll get it. In all the posts I have ever made about Gen. Karkinski, I have never, ever referred to her in any disparaging way. This officer is serving in a warzone and is a helluva lot more than I ever did in military service. I have never used any epithets, insults, or any term that could remotely be construed as disparaging or disrespectful to her either as an officer in the US Army or as a female. Ever. You got that this time, Mikey? The only thing I have ever said was this officer lost control of her prison, lost control of her command in a war zone and for that she should have been relieved of command and there the matter should rest. And I believe that to this point as well. Gen. Karpinski has shown herself in subsequent media references to be a disloyal officer and a loose cannon. Consider those disparaging terms for a female? They're not, but they are career enders for a military officer. Gen. Karpinski, for the good of the service, should resign her commission or shut up until these matters are resolved. |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-08-28 9:35:20 AM |
| #5 We knew the blame would get lost along the looong "chain of command", but to use "loss of composure" as an excuse is too much. |
| Posted by: Gentle 2004-08-28 9:13:37 AM |
| #4 I knew it was your post before I saw the byline, Mikey |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-08-28 9:10:21 AM |
| #3 Here's the ultimate big loser in the WOT picture from my point of view. It's not Lt. Col. Steven Jordan who is trying to his best under the circumstances to save his fellow GI's. It's that sanctimonious affirmative action walrus, Janis Karpinski who is looking out for herself and not for you or me or soldiers in Iraq. I knew this article would get a comment like this. Badanov, your turn. . |
| Posted by: Mike Sylwester 2004-08-28 9:06:10 AM |
| #2 This is a story that would never seen the light of day in WWII but continues to have legs because of our "progressive" navel gazing post modern society. If this is a WOT, wherein our survival hangs in the balance, who gives a flying leap what methods are used re: enemy POW's to save us from disaster? Oh yes...tsk, tsk...I see the shaking of the judgemental heads...we are above this "primitive" sort of thing...or, if we do this to the enemy, then it puts our troops at risk if they are captured...tsk, tsk...cleaning of the monacyle ensues... I wish the whistle blower had never done his good Christian thiny. I did not want to hear about the abuses of the Geneva Convention Act. Quite frankly, I could care less. Here's the ultimate big loser in the WOT picture from my point of view. It's not Lt. Col. Steven Jordan who is trying to his best under the circumstances to save his fellow GI's. It's that sanctimonious affirmative action walrus, Janis Karpinski who is looking out for herself and not for you or me or soldiers in Iraq. Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, who ran the military police side of the detention operations, said she was surprised that Jordan was spending so much time in the lockup and not enough in the task force office making sure reports were processed, according to documents Karpinski is looking out for #1. Jordan has good intentions to fight the WOT. Why engage in asymmetrial warfare if we are not ready for the challenge? If we are worried about what other thug-run UN hellholes think, I think we should stay isolationist. |
| Posted by: rex 2004-08-28 2:23:49 AM |
| #1 Just as long as it wasn't one of our Steves . . . |
| Posted by: tibor 2004-08-28 1:51:06 AM |