Contrary to the belief by few in the establishment, army Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan is not seen in any of the infamous images of detainee abuse that emerged from Abu Ghraib prison three years ago.
And what is even more ludicrous is the fact that he has no interrogation experience which has been corroborated with a half a dozen plus interviews with military interrogators.
Jordan is slated to become the first Army officer to face a court-martial for alleged abuse at Abu Ghraib. The trail commences next month at Fort Meade. It’s ironical that military officials have earmarked Jordan as a liar and an abuser, the only officer who should be held criminally accountable for one of the most annihilating events of the Iraq war.
Jordan said in a lengthy interview that he was being made a scapegoat:
I’m not guilty of anything to do with Abu Ghraib, and I’m tired of it. I’m saddened by the whole event, and I feel like I’ve been singled out for it.
Public memory is very short lived and hence the Abu Ghraib episode may have eroded from the mind of the people , but the accusing finger at Jordan has certainly left the scars on him. He has suffered stress-related brain trauma, is contemplating a divorce and is taking to counseling sessions for post-traumatic stress over a nighttime mortar attack that killed two soldiers and left shrapnel in Jordan’s body just days after he reached Iraq.
Jordan’s innocence was echoed by Retired Staff Sgt. Mark Day, who said that Jordan was not involved in his interrogations and that senior interrogators and officers in Iraq had to approve controversial approaches.
Image: Washingtonpost
Via: Washingtonpost
