handcuffed detainees, on
detainee’s testicles; Video
taken of abuse; False Statements;
Detainee’s were common criminals
Five others pleaded guilty at
courts-martial that are considered
lower-level proceedings;
Reductions in rank and four were
sentenced to periods of up to 45
days hard labor
One soldier received non-judicial
punishment, And two cases are pending
No punishment above 1 year
confinement; BCD; no charges
involving video(Abu Case charges
included maltreatment, dereliction of
duty, conspiracy, indecent acts all
for knowing about; seeing video taken)
Three California Army National Guard sergeants have been imprisoned and four other soldiers
sentenced to hard labor for their role in abusing Iraqi nationals who were taken into custody near
Baghdad and apparently mistaken for insurgents.
The sentences mark the latest development in a tumultuous period for the 1st Battalion of the
National Guard's 184th Infantry Regiment.
The battalion has been the subject of a wide-ranging investigation into allegations of misconduct
over the last year. Lt. Col. Robert L. Whetstone, spokesman for the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq,
said Friday that three sergeants from a Fullerton-based company of the battalion have been
confined to military prisons for their role in the abuse of detainees.
All pleaded guilty at special courts-martial and were sentenced by a military judge to terms of up to
12 months of confinement, as well as reduction in rank and forfeiture of pay.
The military has declined to discuss the allegations against the soldiers in detail. But the
accusations appear to focus largely on abuse that took place in March at a power plant near
Baghdad.
An unknown number of Iraqis were taken into custody there, military officials have said, and were
tortured or otherwise mistreated by soldiers. The Iraqis were believed to be insurgents at the time
they were taken into custody, but one member of the battalion, speaking on condition of
anonymity because he is not authorized to talk about the incident, said none were insurgents,
though several appear to have been common thieves. All but one of the detainees were soon
released.
The abuse involved the use of a stun gun on men who were handcuffed. The stun gun was used
on at least one man's testicles, the member of the battalion said. A portion of the abuse was
captured on video. A soldier who was not involved in the mistreatment later discovered the
footage on a laptop computer and gave it to his commanders.
Other members of the battalion have sought in recent months to downplay the incidents, saying
the abuse was led by Iraqi soldiers and was merely witnessed by U.S. soldiers who were patrolling
with them.
But Whetstone placed the blame on the American soldiers, saying that although some of them
were accused of "failing to stop the abuse of others," none of the abuse "coincided with abuse by
Iraqi soldiers." "Iraqi police were present for one incident of abuse, but there is no evidence that
their actions were inappropriate or abusive," Whetstone wrote in an e-mail from Iraq.
The stun-gun incidents are one focus of a broad investigation into possible wrongdoing in the
battalion. Among the accusations that investigators have examined are complaints that soldiers
from the battalion charged unauthorized "rent" to Iraqi-owned businesses operating on an Army
base.
A first sergeant was also relieved of duty after he was accused of feigning an Iraqi's execution by
firing his pistol next to the detainee's temple.
The battalion's commander, Lt. Col. Patrick Frey of Salinas, was suspended from duty. Military
officials say he has since been replaced by an active-duty Army officer and reassigned. His
current location and assignment are unknown. Last year, soldiers in the battalion caused a stir by
going public with concerns that their training for Iraq was so poor that they would suffer
needlessly heavy casualties.
In all, 12 soldiers from the Fullerton-based A Company were charged with misconduct "relating to
abuse and maltreatment of detainees," Whetstone said. Five others pleaded guilty at courts-martial
that are considered lower-level proceedings; those soldiers received a reduction in rank, and four
were sentenced to periods of hard labor, Whetstone said. He declined to provide further details
about the guilty pleas or identify those soldiers.
Two soldiers were disciplined by their superiors and punished but did not go through courts-
martial. One other soldier is scheduled to plead guilty before a court-martial by the end of the
month, and a final case is pending, Whetstone said.
The battalion is scheduled to return to the United States in February.
