After a long blogging hiatus, I again feel compelled to evaluate and share about my own participation in the prison camps at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Although I regularly think about my experiences there, I was prompted to write this after reading a BBC article about how a former U.S. soldier, Brandon Neely, sought to find and personally try to make amends with one of the prisoners he guarded while deployed to Cuba.
I, too, have thought about attempting to directly apologize to the men I helped confine in Gitmo, but when I was there, those caged individuals were so effectively dehumanized to me that I didn't know them by name, only by number. Additionally, in my fear-induced state of compliance, I never wanted to risk engaging in the highly prohibited practice of idly chatting with the "enemy." Undoubtedly, these military policies exist in hopes of preventing anyone from developing the type of humane feelings and pangs of conscience that clearly affected both myself and Mr. Neely.
Unlike him, I don't know if I'll ever again meet any of those I so unquestioningly and unjustifiably helped to imprison. However, I do want to make it widely known that I offer no defense for my actions. This is not meant to imply that such an acknowledgment in any way mitigates my guilt, but considering the ongoing nature of these abuses, I am convinced that it is both right and important that I speak out against them.
To this end, let me be clear that I am guilty of having helped to confine men to cages without possessing any form of evidence that would justify their incarceration. Worse, I did not object to seeing some of those men strapped into chairs and force-fed through tubes inserted from their noses into their stomachs. Bear in mind that such "feedings" were not administered multiple times a day as a result of ongoing medical problems, but because many men had lost their will to live and had therefore stopped eating.
This form of extreme apathy toward continuing one's life is sadly understandable when a human being is effectively deprived of almost all liberty. In this context, forced feedings cannot be seen as a compassionate lifesaving act, but as a most extreme attempt at total domination of another human being. How can it be anything other than torture to keep someone alive against their will while indefinitely isolating them in a barren cage?
I witnessed these most heinous acts, and at the time, I neither did, nor said, anything. I did not object because I believed these means could be justified by the end result of obtaining information or preventing the prisoners from rallying support through martyrdom. I was wrong in my actions, and I was wrong in my reasoning.
Other than those still held captive, I am clueless as to the whereabouts of any of the men who were imprisoned during my time at Gitmo. As a current resident of Illinois, I've considered trying to visit any captives that are transferred to this area, but I doubt that would be allowed.
In light of the present circumstances, I see no other possibility for me to personally make amends. However, this does not mean that progress in the overall situation cannot be made. By publicly admitting his guilt to those he wronged, Brandon Neely has both raised awareness about this issue and provided an example to millions of what can be done. Among these masses, he has inspired me, and perhaps others, to more articulately and publicly admit our own culpability for the wrongs we committed at Guantanamo.
Some might argue that testimonies like mine or Mr. Neely's have little affect on the politics that supposedly govern our world. However, a year ago many people thought Barack Obama offered hope and change for how Americans would act and be perceived in the larger world. Nevertheless, relatively little is different today despite all the bureaucratic chatter and even a Nobel Peace Prize. In contrast, I think it is abundantly clear that the virtuous actions of Brandon Neely provide a far better way forward than the rhetoric of "policy change" from any politician. After all, only stopping the commission of a particular evil is not sufficient to foster healing; for this to happen, there must also be an unequivocal admission of guilt and acceptance of personal responsibility for one's past actions.
The URL for the BBC story is as follows:
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I have always thought that we wouldn't have the vicious feelings of intense hate between nations that we have today if,"regular citizens" could speak informally to "regular citizens" in other parts of the world. The video that you posted spoke volumns about the commonalities that exist between all of us,and your thoughts in this blog reminded me of how often we do things that we would not normally do because someone in a "work" environment told us that we needed to. Thanks for consistently encouraging me to "think" Dan....
ReplyDeleteHeHe actually I think the same thing too!! There is always a difference between political polacy and what the local people actually want. Thing is, when is a human not human anymore? I think it is a valid question... Dan and I have discussed many a time about when violence is justified, and he agrees that violence is indeed justified. That being said, regardless of ones possision on war I think it is important to recogonize basic human nastiness. I have seen pleanty of evil things in Iraq and will be in Afghanistan soon enough. I do mean evil, not could be "oh their just reacting to your show of force..." sort of things. Do said evil individuals need to be destroied, seeing how I figure they don't add a whole lot to futher advance humanity. Of course I would also say why bother imprissoning such idividuals... lets not make it more painful then it has to be.
ReplyDeleteIn response to N. Morris, I want to be clear that I agree violence can be justified in defense, not that it is inherently justifiable.
ReplyDeleteI also have no doubt that N. Morris has seen plenty of evil things in Iraq, as it is sadly a region occupied by an invading military. I wonder what criteria Mr. Morris uses to assess whether an individual is evil and thus worthy of destruction at his hands. Also, will N. Morris mete out this same destruction against evil individuals of his same skin color, or those wearing his same style of uniform, or only those of a darker hue who are not wearing an American flag? Finally, if N. Morris is so convinced about how he is justified in acting as detective, judge, jury, and executioner in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, why does he not behave in this same manner in his dealings at home?
Dan,
ReplyDeleteThe short version is... of course I view miscreants the same all over including those of the same race as myself. Oddly enough I had a conversation with a fellow soldier about the changing ways of the military and society in general and we came to the chuckling conclusion that the infantry (perhaps military in general but there is a massive difference) is unique in the fact that if there is a death in the family of a soldier who is basically a "failure at life" or somebody who shouldn't be trusted to watch the backs of any of his fellow infantrymen; it isn't entirely appropriate to say "this changes nothing between us... but I am sorry you must mourn your loved one"
I have often heard the oppinion voiced that there is an odd relationship between what is morally correct and what is legally correct, for example, one could take it upon ones self to destroy evil individuals in the US like habitual child sodimizing molesters and perhaps I would cheer loudly in utter agreement with said indivudal's actions... as he was promplty led to the slammer for murder in the 1st degree.
Places like Afghanistan and Iraq and Somalia and Rowanda have a much much more primative understanding of justice if it is fair to call it that. Basically evil people can do whatever they want, unchecked as long as they have the power to do so. In these enviornments the aformentioned child sodomist continues to rape children and everybody is powerless to stop such a moral atrocity.
Such people act this way regardless of what forgin army is "invading" their home. I don't think such people deserved to live. In the US we have a system in place that deals with such morally f---ed up persons making killing them harder to do freely in ths US. Which very well could be a good thing as Dan would no doubt love to point out the dangers in being "Judge, Jurry, and Executioner".
To further expound... I have often times thought about why I have no serious problem offing your basic Arab cultures... here is my understanding. The Arabs continue to show little respect to each other let alone anybody else. Oddly enough the Kurds play nicely with others, but not the Arabs, and as a result the Kurds prosper. The Arabs keep ripping themselves apart. I find it so interesting that the people of the US want to take pitty on the Arabs. I do not see they diserve pitty. I promise you that although Dan's experiance in gitmo my have totally turned him away from the idea that the US respects anything about the Arab world, the US Army shows a hell of a lot more respect to the Arabs then they as a people deserve.
And yes Dan... I have worked with plenty of soldiers I would have loved to shoot as they were really no more than a drain on the Army and humanity as a whole.