>>
>>
>> What I Saw at Gitmo
>> By Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu
>> FrontPageMagazine.com | June 27, 2005
>>
>> Last week, I was privileged to be part of a
Department of Defense
>> trip to the Joint Task Force - Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba. I got to see
>> the operations of this "controversial" facility
up-close -
>> something particularly important after Sen.
Richard Durbin's
>> comparison of its guard to Nazi stormtroopers and
calls of
>> leftists to shut the center down. Our group went
to GITMO to
>> check out tales that the military was being too
tough on these
>> terrorist detainees. We left convinced that
America is being
>> extraordinarily lenient - far too lenient.
>>
>> After speaking with soldiers, sailors, and
civilians who
>> collectively staff Gitmo, I left convinced that
abuse definitely
>> exists at the detention facilities, and it
typically fails to
>> receive the press attention it deserves: it's the
relentless,
>> merciless attacks on American servicemen and
women by these
>> terrorist thugs. Many of the orange jumpsuit-clad
detainees fight
>> their captors at every opportunity, openly
bragging of their
>> desire to kill Americans. One has promised that,
if released, he
>> would find MPs in their homes through the
internet, break into
>> their houses at night, and "cut the throats of
them and their
>> families like sheep." Others claim authority and
vindication to
>> kill women, children, and other innocents who
oppose their
>> jihadist mission authorized by the Koran (the
same one that hangs
>> in every cell from a specially-designed holder
intended to
>> protect it from a touching the cell floor - all
provided at U.S.
>> taxpayer expense). One detainee was heard to tell
another: "One
>> day I will enjoy sucking American blood, although
their blood is
>> bitter, undrinkable...." These recalcitrant
detainees are known
>> euphemistically as being "non-compliant." They
attack guards
>> whenever the soldiers enter their cells, trying
to reach up under
>> protective facemasks to gouge eyes and tear
mouths. They make
>> weapons and try to stab the guards or grab and
break limbs as the
>> guards pass them food.
>>
>>
>> We dined with the soldiers, toured several of the
individual
>> holding camps, observed interrogations, and
inspected cells. We
>> were impressed by the universally high quality of
the cadre and
>> the facilities. While it may not be exactly "Club
GITMO," as Rush
>> Limbaugh uses to tweak the hard-Left critics who
haven't a clue
>> about reality here, GITMO is a far cry from the
harshness
>> experienced even by maximum security prisoners in
the U.S.
>>
>>
>> Meals for detainees are ample: we lunched on what
several thought
>> was an accumulated single day's ration for
detainees. "No," the
>> contract food service manager said with a laugh,
"what you're
>> looking at there is today's lunch. A single meal.
They get three
>> a day like that." The vegetables, pita bread, and
other well-
>> prepared food filled two of the large Styrofoam
take-home
>> containers we see in restaurants. Several
prisoners have special
>> meal orders like "no tomatoes" or "no peanut
products" depending
>> on taste or allergies. "One prisoner," General
Hood said, "throws
>> back his food tray if it contains things he has
specifically said
>> he doesn't want." How is he punished for this
outrageous
>> behavior? His tray is numbered, the food he
requested is put on
>> it, and the corrected "order" is delivered to his
cell.
>>
>>
>> The detainees are similarly catered to medically.
Almost every
>> one arrived at GITMO with some sort of
battlefield trauma. After
>> all, the majority were captured in combat. Today
they are
>> healthy, immunized, and well cared for. At a
visit to the modern
>> hospital facility - dedicated solely to the
detainees and
>> comparable to a well-equipped and staffed
small-town hospital
>> with operating, dental, routine facilities - the
doctor in charge
>> confirmed that the caloric count for the
detainees was so high
>> that while "most detainees arrived
undernourished," medics now
>> watch for issues stemming from high cholesterol
and being
>> overweight. Each of approximately 520 terrorists
currently held
>> in confinement averages about four medical visits
monthly,
>> something one would expect from only a dedicated
American
>> hypochondriac. Welcome to the rigors of detention
under American
>> supervision.
>>
>>
>> Of the estimated 70,000 battlefield captures that
were made in
>> Afghanistan, only a tiny percentage, something on
the order of
>> 800-plus, were eventually evacuated to GITMO.
These were the
>> worst of the worst. More than 200 have been
released back to
>> their home country - if the U.S. is assured that
the detainees
>> would not be tortured by local authorities upon
return. These men
>> were freed because they were deemed by ongoing
official military
>> review processes to no longer pose a threat, or
to possess no
>> useful intelligence. And this process has proven
too generous at
>> times: more than 10 released GITMO detainees have
been killed or
>> recaptured fighting Americans or have been
identified as resuming
>> terrorist activities. Still, the process is up
and running for
>> review of cases, and if a Washington DC circuit
court approves a
>> government appeal, the system for military
tribunals will get
>> started. All mechanisms are in place and ready to
go as soon as
>> DoD gets a green light.
>>
>>
>> There is a good reason these unlawful combatants
are being
>> confined. They are evil and dangerous
individuals.
