American hero

In the national disgrace of Abu Ghraib, you’d be hard pressed to name a list of good guys.

The best I can do is two. Although there is a third who needs to be mentioned.

Sgt. Joseph Darby – the MP who first reported the abuses to his superiors. Without him, there would have been no investigation.

Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba – The investigating general who compiled a scathing and irrefutable report detailing the extent of the abuses at Abu Ghraib. A less aggressive investigator would have swept this under the rug. Taguba’s fearless assessment spoke truth to power.

Of course, as Seymour Hersh’s recent article details – power did not want to hear the truth.

In the meeting, the officials professed ignorance about Abu Ghraib. “Could you tell us what happened?” Wolfowitz asked. Someone else asked, “Is it abuse or torture?” At that point, Taguba recalled, “I described a naked detainee lying on the wet floor, handcuffed, with an interrogator shoving things up his rectum, and said, ‘That’s not abuse. That’s torture.’ There was quiet.”

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Gen. Taguba was denied the free rein that could have turned speculation about the scandal’s scope into certainty. Still, his report is an example of what an honest man should do when confronted with barbarism. Hersh’s article gives us the full picture of what happened to Gen. Taguba after he did the right thing.

In January of 2006, Taguba received a telephone call from General Richard Cody, the Army’s Vice-Chief of Staff. “This is your Vice,” he told Taguba. “I need you to retire by January of 2007.” No pleasantries were exchanged, although the two generals had known each other for years, and, Taguba said, “He offered no reason.”

No good deed goes unpunished.
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The last hero of this mess I cannot name, because they are unknown. Whoever leaked the Taguba report to the press.

No leak means you and I never hear about Sgt. Darby or Gen. Taguba. These men are brave men, and their careers suffered because they did the right thing.

But their injuries are professional, and they are still free men.

Whoever leaked that report did something illegal. They did the right thing, but if they are discovered - they will go to jail.

That takes some guts. It's not quite the same as going into your C.O.'s office and blowing the whistle, or telling a truth that will end your career, but it's worth noting.