Word: prisoners
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...Iraqi prison couldn't be further from home for those facing career-ending charges in the scandal. The 372nd Military Police Company, a unit of reservists based in a one-story brick building in Cresaptown, Md., draws most of its members from small, down-at-the-heels towns in the green valleys of Appalachia. Many sign on as teenagers, as England did, to get college benefits. Others, like Staff Sergeant Ivan (Chip) Frederick, are eager to see a bit of the world. Patriotism runs deep in this part of the country, and recruitment ads for the armed services constantly stream...
...Frederick, 37, who has served with the company for 20 years. Frederick was just short of qualifying for a full pension when he was mobilized last year. Married, with two stepdaughters, ages 14 and 18, Frederick has a civilian job as a guard at a medium-security Virginia prison, where his wife Martha also works. His uncle William Lawson describes him as "very laid back" and "a practical joker." Shoemaker-Davis sees him as a "tough guy," used to being in charge: "He has a very strong personality. He's a prankster and likes to do your typical rude...
Specialist Charles Graner, 35, a former Marine, is also a prison guard, having worked since 1996 at a maximum-security prison in southwestern Pennsylvania. Those who subscribe to the bad-apple theory of what went wrong can find a few nasty morsels to chew on in Graner's biography. He has a history of violence against his ex-wife Staci, who has obtained at least three restraining orders against him since they separated in 1997. According to the New York Times, Staci charged in a 1998 court document that "Charles picked me up and threw me against the wall...
Unlike some military-police units, which specialize in handling prisoners of war, the 372nd trained mainly as traffic cops. "We would do traffic stops, pulling people over and questioning them," says Shoemaker-Davis. "We never actually did anything you'd use in a prison." Their first assignment in Iraq last summer was in keeping with their training: acting as traffic cops, leading convoys, keeping roads open...
...Ghraib in October. There, according to Army investigators, the chain of command got badly muddled. Army regulations limit the intelligence-gathering role of MPs to passive collection, but members of the 372nd found themselves fielding requests from military intelligence (MI) officers, who were in charge of part of the prison. In his investigation of the abuses, Major General Antonio Taguba found that MPs were "actively requested" by MI officers and private contractors to "set physical and mental conditions for favorable interrogation of witnesses." Taguba took testimony supporting this from several of those who were eventually charged, including Specialist Sabrina Harman...