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In opening arguments here at the court-martial for the soldier, Specialist Charles A. Graner Jr., his lawyers insisted that he was simply following orders and using lessons from his civilian life as a prison guard to try to maintain discipline in a war zone. Using naked and hooded detainees to make a human pyramid was much like what cheerleaders "all over America" do at football games, the lawyer, Guy Womack, argued, and putting naked prisoners on leashes was much like what parents in airports do with their toddlers.
TalkLeft has more on lessons from his civilian life as a prison guard.
Fellow Guards testify:
Still, Private Frederick and other soldiers testified, commanders did not know about the kind of treatment shown in the photographs and would not have sanctioned it.Several soldiers described their alarm as they watched the abuse unfold, particularly on one evening that began with several soldiers running and jumping into a pile of detainees.
"It made me kind of sick, almost; I didn't know what to do," said one, Specialist Matthew Wisdom, who has not been charged. "It just didn't seem right."
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Asked to explain photos of detainees masturbating, Private Frederick said Specialist Graner "said it was a present for our birthday." Soldiers also said commanders explicitly told them not to take photographs.
More from the defense:
Mr. Womack, Specialist Graner's lawyer, said that the photos were part of a plan to force information from detainees and that government officials blamed his client only after the pictures set off outrage around the world.Over and over, he said, military intelligence complimented Specialist Graner. "The M.I.'s and other folks came to him and said, 'You're doing a great job, keep it up,' " Mr. Womack said. The jury, all men, listened intently to the testimony. Specialist Graner betrayed little emotion inside the courtroom but smiled and joked outside. Walking in Monday morning, he told reporters: "We're going to find out what kind of a monster I am today."
