May 21, 2004, The Abu Ghraib Plot Sickens...
This week's visit to Pravda gives us another angle of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal-- an angle to be honest I hadn't seen anywhere else (which is the kind of reason I try to link to Pravda every week anyway). Specifically, we get to read questions about the mysterious death in January of Command Sgt. Maj. James Stacy "Rock" Adams, the senior enlisted leader of the scandal-scarred 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion, who was found dead in his apartment in Wiesbaden, Germany. As the article by David Galland (deputy editor of "Defense Watch") tells us, Adams was only 43 years of age, and he had been the battalion CSM since September 2003.
From the Pravda piece:
The 302nd is one of the intelligence battalions under the command of the
205th MI Brigade, commanded by Col. Thomas M. Pappas. Pappas and his brigade now find themselves at ground zero, embroiled in the Abu Ghraib prison investigation.
*****
Last September, Adams assumed the duties and the responsibilities as the Command Sergeant Major of the 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion. This was a couple of months before some of the worst abuses are alleged to have occurred at Abu Ghraib prison.
As the senior enlisted leader in the 302nd MI Battalion, all the enlisted soldiers in the battalion fell under his control and his leadership. This, as we come to know now, included soldiers from the battalion who were performing intelligence duties at Abu Ghraib during the fall of 2003.
Suddenly, just after New Year"s Day, 2004, CSM Adams fell quiet. The official casualty report did not include the cause of his death. I lost a friend and a former colleague. Many questions remain unanswered in my mind, in particular whether knowledge of the ongoing Army investigation into his unit may have contributed in any way to his passing.
But it is not time to forget Adams just yet. This past week, one of his junior NCOs displayed both mettle and courage as "Rock" would have wanted him to. Sgt. Samuel Provance, who was at Abu Ghraib prison, spoke out. Provance has revealed what he saw and heard at Abu Ghraib, first to ABC news (see "Definitely a Cover-Up," ABCNews.com, May 18, 2004), and then to other reporters (see "Sergeant Says Intelligence Directed Abuse," The Washington Post, May 20, 2004).
Provance has alleged that a massive cover-up exists in an effort to conceal the truth in the Abu Ghraib prison investigation. Stating, "There's definitely a cover-up," young Sergeant Provance has likely sealed his fate and certainly ruined his career as a soldier. He has also asserted that all the stops are being pulled out to protect the senior leadership in Iraq (see "U.S. Soldier Alleges Cover-Up in Prison Abuse," Agence-France Presse, May 18, 2004)
In press releases this past week, Provance spilled the beans, even though he had been cautioned by the senior Military Intelligence investigator, Maj. Gen. George Fay, not to do so (see "Army "Covering Up Serial Prisoner Abuse" Says U.S. Soldier," The Scotsman, May 19, 2004). Fay is the senior military intelligence general who has been assigned by the Pentagon to investigate the role of military intelligence in the abuse allegations.
While interviewing Provance, Fay actually threatened the young sergeant if he spoke out. Fay asserted to Provance that he could punish him for not speaking out earlier about the abuses at the prison earlier. It looks like this courageous sergeant has called Fay"s bluff.
Essentially, Fay is investigating his friends and professional colleagues, including senior Iraqi commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Sanchez" top MI subordinate, Maj. Gen. General Barbara Fast, 205th MI Brigade commander Col. Thomas M. Pappas, and certainly others at the top. The results of his high-level investigation, punctuated by his threats to Sgt. Provance and probably others, should make very interesting reading. A major general threatening a sergeant is a censurable offense not far removed from a physical threat. In the real world of major general to sergeant relationships, this was indeed a threat!
This is the kind of rot we have dressed in snappy uniforms and attached stars to. Now the question remains, how many others fall squarely into the mold?
There is much we may never know. At this time, there has not been a connection made between the cause of Adams" death and events surrounding Abu Ghraib prison. But this does not pass many tests in my eye when it comes to trust, integrity, and the blind assumption that all is well inside the U.S. Army.
*************
Serious shit, care of our friends at Pravda. Abu Ghraib is not going away, and its pretty much reducing the President to his corporate-thief/religious extremist/racist-homophobe-general-purpose-bigot base, and little else, and Kerry hasn't even really started spending money yet. And, it looks like the military is now doing double back flips to blame grunts and NCOs for implementing decisions literally made in the White House itself.
The fact is, I was quite certain that it was men like the late Sgt. Major Adams and Sgt. Provance that make the American military what it is-- decent men of integrity who reflect a decent nation. As to the generals and those above them, I daresay their actions speak for themselves.
And they're not saying anything nice.
Comments
You and your Pravda friend are bringing down the government because a soldier was found dead in Germany, and a Maj-General yelled at a Sergeant.
Oh, the humanity.
Does that tin hat pick up Radio Free Europe?
BTW, how's that whole UN Oil For Graft investigation going?
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 22, 2004 04:31 PM
I never imagined that the government could be brought down by a talking dog. I love this country!
Posted by Ronbrynaert at May 22, 2004 07:53 PM
I fear the Talking Dog has contracted distemper. It's only going to get worse after November. Unless the findings of the prisoner abuse investigation lead to the White House, which seems highly unlikely despite TD's confidence in its complicity, Abu Ghraib will not define the Iraq war. Or at least not to those who didn't already view it as a crime against humanity.
Posted by Lawrence at May 23, 2004 12:41 AM
I fear the Talking Dog has contracted distemper. It's only going to get worse after November. Unless the findings of the prisoner abuse investigation lead to the White House, which seems highly unlikely despite TD's confidence in its complicity, Abu Ghraib will not define the Iraq war. Or at least not to those who didn't already view it as a crime against humanity.
Posted by Lawrence at May 23, 2004 12:41 AM
I fear the Talking Dog has contracted distemper. It's only going to get worse after November. Unless the findings of the prisoner abuse investigation lead to the White House, which seems highly unlikely despite TD's confidence in its complicity, Abu Ghraib will not define the Iraq war. Or at least not to those who didn't already view it as a crime against humanity.
Posted by Lawrence at May 23, 2004 12:43 AM
Whoa. I was getting an error message the first two times I tried to post the comment. That's my excuse.
Posted by Lawrence at May 23, 2004 12:45 AM
Apparently a couple of days of weekend sunshine have diverted our fearless pooch from his mission to end the war in Iraq, depose Bush, and stamp out dandruff in our time. Here boy. I've got Scooby snacks.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 24, 2004 01:20 PM
Apparently a couple of days of weekend sunshine have diverted our fearless pooch from his mission to end the war in Iraq, depose Bush, and stamp out dandruff in our time. Here boy. I've got Scooby snacks.
Posted by They Call Me Mr. Crabcake at May 24, 2004 01:20 PM
Lawrence--
I think distemper will be the least of it should our fearless leader manage to cajole the nation into reelecting him-- I might evolve to downright rabid!
Mr. C--
I'm rested and refreshed now-- so the Bush Administration had better watch out!
I have no idea where the Abu Ghraib fiasco (I think that's kind of a non-controversial word for how its playing out) is going. I am not pleased that it does not reflect well on our nation and its men and women in uniform. It remains troubling that those most likely to "pay" for it would appear to be those at the lowest echelons, who had the least ability to do anything about stopping the policy of abuse. Allegations, for example, that Gen. Ricardo Sanchez himself was present during some of the extra-legal interrogations do not give
reassurance to anyone who would like to believe these were "isolated incidents" and that the military is capable of investigating and policing itself.
I'm ALSO not pleased to hear Gen. Zinni confirming ALL our fears about what wrong in Iraq: WE HAD NO PLAN. Painting schools in the middle of battles, because we couldn't decide whether we were running a war or a humanitarian mission, and ended up greatly compromising both. The short answer is, this was a lot more bloody and messy than it should have been all around... because the Bush Administration went into AN ENTIRE WAR on what amounts to a wing and a prayer.
What DOES please me about all this is that for the first time since September 11th-- maybe for the first time since this President Bush took office-- to SOME degree, it looks like SOME elements of the press are FINALLY doing their jobs, and refusing to be cowed into the "dissent=treason" line of crap.
Whatever the facts are-- about Abu Ghraib, about the adequacy or inadequacy of war planning efforts-- get the facts out there. Let 'em fall where they may. Let the voters sort it out at tne end...
Posted by the talking dog at May 24, 2004 04:05 PM
TD...Pray it's the voters this time and not the Supreme Court...sigh. Glad you're rested so you will have the energy to view and comment on W's speech this evening...Installment #1...Can we stand 5 more?
Posted by alicia at May 24, 2004 04:44 PM
SGT Provance is being punished because he is stupid. He was given every opportunity to use several official military channels to report what he heard. He chose not to. He chose to go to the media and say things he has no proof of. Remember, he did not "see" anything - which you incorrectly wrote in your article. CSM Adams would have told SGT Provance to use all the official military channels available to him...just has his current leadership has done. Provance's clearance was not revoked, it was locally suspended. Another lie he has been telling the media. This is another reason his chain of command deems him untrustworthy. This story has already spun out of control. Provance is only inflaming it with his, "I heard" statements. Which has been further exploited by the Arab media. Provance is a fool and no hero.
Posted by Soldier at May 26, 2004 05:02 AM
SGT Provance is being punished because he is stupid. He was given every opportunity to use several official military channels to report what he heard. He chose not to. He chose to go to the media and say things he has no proof of. Remember, he did not "see" anything - which you incorrectly wrote in your article. CSM Adams would have told SGT Provance to use all the official military channels available to him...just has his current leadership has done. Provance's clearance was not revoked, it was locally suspended. Another lie he has been telling the media. This is another reason his chain of command deems him untrustworthy. This story has already spun out of control. Provance is only inflaming it with his, "I heard" statements. Which has been further exploited by the Arab media. Provance is a fool and no hero.
Posted by Soldier at May 26, 2004 05:03 AM
This story has already spun out of control. Provance is only inflaming it with his, "I heard" statements. Which has been further exploited by the Arab media. Provance is a fool and no hero.
Posted by Soldier at May 26, 2004 05:03 AM
Amusing (and very telling) how this man's critics all sound so very ENVIOUS.
If it were your family (or your fellow troops) who had been treated this way, I think you would think it important to know what someone "just heard" about who might be responsible.
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