Mark Bowden: "The Lessons of Abu Ghraib"

"The fact that the pictures were taken at all, and the cheerful expressions on the faces of the American bullies, suggest an atmosphere in which these soldiers had no reason to fear being punished for their behavior. It seems doubtful that the photos were meant to be used later to intimidate other prisoners, as has been suggested. If that had been so, the guards would probably have tried to look threatening. These photos have the appearance of grotesque souvenirs. The smiling faces of the tormentors suggest that apart from lacking moral judgment, these soldiers felt licensed to abuse."
[Atlantic]

Comments

[rats]

nick henning is cool and i think hes cool looking

[Nick Henning]

Dear Mr Bowden,

I saw the film "Blackhawk Down" at the
movies in 2002 and have since read your
book with the same title and the book
"In The Company of Heroes".

So many questions and concerns linger through
my mind, especially regarding crash site 2.

I realise that you probably get so many questions
on this topic but I just want to get a better
mental picture of what happened, based on your
research.

1. I gained the impression that after Mike Durant
was removed from the helicopter, he was on
one side of the helicopter and could not see what
was taking place on the other side.

Based on your research, where did the delta operators
place the injured Bill Cleveland and Tommy Field from
where Durant was placed? Also were they capable of
defending themselves, given their extensive injuries?

2. Did Ray Frank assist in protecting the crash site, if
so where did he take his position? I realise this might
be difficult to answer but I would like to try to
establish exactly what happened to Ray Frank after he
alighted from the helicopter?

3. It is asserted that after Shughart was killed, Cleveland,
Field and Frank were still alive and were shot by the mob
of people and then mutilated, is this correct?

4. Mike Durant reports in his book receiving a blow to the
head from a severed arm not a rifle butt, I realise that
you reported the information available to you at the time,
which is fair enough. However from the description of
the dead that were dragged through the street based
on your book, would it be correct to assume that
Cleveland, Field and Shughart were not disemboweled
and tragically Frank or Gordon may have been?

5. I have heard brutal stories that some of the
American's were skinned, is there any truth to this based on
your research?

6. How were the dead bodies (Frank, Shughart, Gordon,
Cleveland and Field) recovered?

I own "Blackhawk Down" on dvd and the book. Since
reading your book and Durant's book, I can not watch
the movie. I feel like I have crossed the line as Frank,
Shughart, Gordon and Field are no longer strangers to me.
Somewhere along the line their story became very personal
to me.

7. Why did they change the crash scene in the movie for
crash site 2?

I remember going to school as a 14 year old and
hearing about the images on the news of the
dead soldiers and how the Somali people mistreated
them. At the time I was glad I did not see the images
but I feel a need to see them now. I'm not sure why
this has become a desire for me, I will certainly take
no pleasure in it. However could you assist me in seeing
the relevant film and or still pictures?

Mr Bowden your book was outstanding, I feel
comfort knowing that I was able to read about
events from not just an American perspective but
also various Somali accounts were documented.

I realise I have asked you a lot of questions but if
you find time to answer my questions, I would really
appreciate it.

It may seem strange that I request to see those
images of the dead soldiers but imagine with all that
you have leant about the event, not having seen
those terrible images. I would assume that they will
affect me profoundly but it is something I feel I should do.

Thank you for your assistance Mr Bowden.

Sincerely,

Nick Henning