This piece by Greg Mitchell on the “Huffington Post” tells a tragic story of a young and principled US Army interrogator whose objections to interrogation techniques of Iraqi detainees may have contributed to her suicide in 2003. While the exact reasons for this soldier’s suicide may never be known, the story reminds us that ethical issues matter, not just for reasons of optics, as military training sometimes overemphasizes, but also for the spiritual and mental health of soldiers who are put in terrible situations. MP+
Greg Mitchell.Blogger, The Nation, “Media Fix”
Posted: September 15, 2010 09:39
The U.S. Soldier Who Killed Herself After Refusing to Take Part in Torture
With each revelation, or court decision, on U.S. torture in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gitmo — or the airing this month of The Tillman Story and Lawrence Wright’s My Trip to Al-Qaeda — I am reminded of the chilling story of Alyssa Peterson, who died seven years ago today. Appalled when ordered to take part in interrogations that, no doubt, involved what most would call torture, she refused, then killed herself a few days later, on September 15, 2003.
Read the whole piece here.
When I was a member and received Naval Institute Proceedings (until about 2000)there was usually at least one article or letter regarding ethics and morals each month, some from senior non-commissioned officers. Which makes me ask what has been going out in US Army journals these past 15 or 20 years?