A Counter Article to Karl Withakay Article in May 22 2006 - "Prisoner Abuse at the Hands of American Soldiers"

I am writing this article in response to a soft research article by another Content provider. In May of 2006 Mr. Karl Withakay poured that sand in my shoes and the shoes of thousands of conscientious soldiers. Walking with sand in your shoes slows the whole unit and will cripple the best soldier eventually. His article “Prisoner Abuse at the Hands of American Soldiers” while meeting the needs of the liberal reading public was fraught with research errors, passed down war-stories and down right lies.

Artistic license is great to make a tune fit in a song or a sunset in a painting, However in this case it causes pain and high levels of irritation in professional soldiers around the globe. I was among the ranks of the Military from 1964 through Desert Storm in 1990. I have served on both ends of the chain-of-command. During this time I heard the war stories of abuse and even the killing of prisoners. In most cases I heard it from a “REMF” (Rear Echelon M* F*) who heard it in a bar from a “Real Combat Soldier”. In some cases to make themselves look dangerous. In other cases it was done to make someone look despicable.

First, it is always the responsibility of any soldier to refuse any unlawful order. It is now, always has been, and always will be unlawful to abuse any prisoner, civilian, or detainee. That means that any soldier who performs any of the acts shown in the Abu Ghraib prison photos is just a phone call away from Jail. Incidentally Mr. Karl Withakay said prison is located in Afghanistan, a small harsh Arab country just north of Iran, not Guantanamo which is located in Cuba, a small Island just 90 miles south of Miami Florida.