Lynndie England

Last updated
Lynndie England
PFCEngland.jpg
Official portrait, c. 2000
Born
Lynndie Rana England

(1982-11-08) November 8, 1982 (age 41)
Ashland, Kentucky, U.S.
Education Frankfort High School
Years active1999–2008
Children1 (with Charles Graner)
Conviction(s) Maltreating detainees
Conspiracy to maltreat detainees
Committing an indecent act
Criminal penaltyThree years imprisonment, dishonorable discharge
Military career
AllegianceFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Service/branchFlag of the United States Army.svg  Army
Years of service1999–2008
Rank Private
Unit 372nd Military Police Company
Battles/wars

Lynndie Rana England (born November 8, 1982) [1] is a former United States Army Reserve soldier who was prosecuted for mistreating detainees during the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse that occurred at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad during the Iraq War. [2] She was one of 11 military personnel from the 372nd Military Police Company who were convicted in 2005 for war crimes. After being sentenced to three years in prison and a dishonorable discharge, England was incarcerated from September 27, 2005, to March 1, 2007, when she was released on parole.

Contents

Early life

Born in Ashland, Kentucky, [3] England moved with her family to Fort Ashby, West Virginia, when she was two years old. She was raised by her mother, Terrie Bowling England, and her father Kenneth R. England Jr., a railroad worker, who worked at a station in Cumberland, Maryland. She aspired to be a storm chaser. [2] As a young child, England was diagnosed with selective mutism, a form of an anxiety disorder. [4]

England joined the United States Army Reserve in Cumberland in 1999 while she was a junior at Frankfort High School near Short Gap. England worked as a cashier in an IGA store during her junior year of high school and married a co-worker in 2002, but they later divorced. [5] England also wished to earn money for college, so that she could become a storm chaser. She was also a member of the Future Farmers of America. After graduating from Frankfort High School in 2001, she worked a night job in a chicken-processing factory in Moorefield. [6] She was deployed to Iraq in June 2003. [7]

England was engaged to fellow reservist and Abu Ghraib prison guard Charles Graner. In 2004, she gave birth to a son fathered by him [2] [8] at Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Bragg, now renamed Fort Liberty. [9]

Involvement in prisoner abuse

England mobilized with her Army Reserve unit and was stationed in Baghdad at the Abu Ghraib prison in March 2003 to perform guard duties. Along with other soldiers, she was investigated in late 2003 for mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners of war involving the infliction of sexual, physical and psychological abuse after photographs came to light showing prisoners being abused.

While formal charges were being prepared for general court-martial, England was transferred to the U.S. military installation at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on March 18, 2004, because of her pregnancy. Her court-martial was scheduled for September 2005 on charges of conspiracy to maltreat prisoners and assault consummated by battery. [2]

On April 30, 2005, England agreed to plead guilty to four counts of maltreating prisoners, two counts of conspiracy, and one count of dereliction of duty. In exchange, prosecutors would have dropped two other charges, committing indecent acts and failure to obey a lawful order. This plea deal would have reduced her maximum sentence from 16 years to 11 years had it been accepted by the military judge. In May 2005, however, Military Judge Colonel James Pohl declared a mistrial on the grounds that he could not accept England's plea of guilty to a charge of conspiring with Graner to maltreat detainees because Graner had testified that he believed that, in placing a tether around a naked detainee's neck and asking England to pose for a photograph with him, he was documenting a legitimate use of force. Graner was convicted on all charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. [2] At her retrial, England was convicted on September 26, 2005, of one count of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of committing an indecent act. [2] She was acquitted on a second conspiracy count. The next day, England was sentenced to a three-year prison term and a dishonorable discharge. [2]

Members of the United States Senate have reportedly reviewed additional photographs supplied by the Department of Defense that have not been publicly released. There has been considerable speculation as to the contents of these photos. In a March 2008 interview, England stated in response to a question about these unreleased pictures, "You see the dogs biting the prisoners. Or you see bite marks from the dogs. You can see MPs holding down a prisoner so a medic can give him a shot." [9]

England was incarcerated at Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar. [10] She was paroled on March 1, 2007, after serving 521 days, less than 17 months. [10] She remained on parole through September 2008 until her three-year sentence was complete, whereupon she was discharged. [2]

In a May 11, 2004, interview with the Denver CBS owned-and-operated television station KCNC-TV, England reportedly said that she had been "instructed by persons in higher ranks" to commit acts of abuse as a form of psychological operations, and that she should keep doing it, because it worked as intended. England noted that she felt "weird" when a commanding officer asked her to do such things as "stand there, give the thumbs up, and smile." However, England felt that she was doing "nothing out of the ordinary." [11] [12] [13] [14]

Later life

After serving her sentence, England returned to Fort Ashby, West Virginia, and stayed with friends and family. [2]

On July 9, 2007, England was appointed to the Keyser, West Virginia volunteer recreation board. [15] In July 2009, England released Tortured: Lynndie England, Abu Ghraib and the Photographs that Shocked the World, a biography that was set with a book tour that she hoped would rehabilitate her public image. [2] As of 2009, England was on antidepressant medication [4] and also had post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. [2] As of 2013, she had found seasonal employment as a secretary. [8]

In March 2008, England told the German magazine Stern that the media was to blame for the consequences of the Abu Ghraib scandal:

If the media hadn't exposed the pictures to that extent, then thousands of lives would have been saved ... Yeah, I took the photos but I didn't make it worldwide. [9] [16]

Asked about the picture of her posing with Graner in front of a pyramid of naked men, she said:

At the time I thought, I love this man [Graner], I trust this man with my life, okay, then he's saying, well, there's seven of them and it's such an enclosed area and it'll keep them together and contained because they have to concentrate on staying up on the pyramid instead of doing something to us. [9]

Asked about the picture showing her pointing at a man forced to masturbate, she again referred to her feelings for Graner at the time:

Graner and Frederick tried to convince me to get into the picture with this guy. I didn't want to, but they were really persistent about it. At the time I didn't think that it was something that needed to be documented but I followed Graner. I did everything he wanted me to do. I didn't want to lose him. [9]

In a 16 January 2009 interview with The Guardian , England reiterated:

... that she was goaded into posing for the photographs by her then lover and more senior fellow soldier, Charles Graner. 'They said in the trial that authority figures really intimidate me. I always aim to please.' [17]

In 2012, following her release, she stated that she did not regret her actions. "Their (Iraqis') lives are better. They got the better end of the deal," she said. "They weren't innocent. They're trying to kill us, and you want me to apologize to them? It's like saying sorry to the enemy." [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Ghraib prison</span> 1950s–2014 prison in central Iraq

Abu Ghraib prison was a prison complex in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, located 32 kilometers (20 mi) west of Baghdad. Abu Ghraib prison was opened in the 1950s and served as a maximum-security prison. From the 1970s, the prison was used by Saddam Hussein to hold political prisoners and later the United States to hold Iraqi prisoners. It developed a reputation for torture and extrajudicial killing, and was closed in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janis Karpinski</span> Retired United States Army officer (born 1953)

Janis Leigh Karpinski is a retired career officer in the United States Army Reserve. She is notable for having commanded the forces that operated Abu Ghraib and other prisons in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, at the time of the scandal related to torture and prisoner abuse. She commanded three prisons in Iraq and the forces that ran them. Her education includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and secondary education from Kean College, a Master of Arts degree in aviation management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and a Master of Arts in strategic studies from the United States Army War College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Graner</span> Soldier convicted of prisoner abuse (born 1968)

Charles A. Graner Jr. is an American former soldier who was court-martialed for prisoner abuse after the 2003–2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. Along with other soldiers of his Army Reserve unit, the 372nd Military Police Company, Graner was accused of allowing and inflicting sexual, physical, and psychological abuse on Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison, a notorious prison in Baghdad during the United States' occupation of Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sabrina Harman</span> Soldier convicted of prisoner abuse (born 1978)

Sabrina D. Harman is a former American soldier who was court-martialed by the United States Army for prisoner abuse after the 2003–2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. Along with other soldiers of her Army Reserve unit, the 372nd Military Police Company, she was accused of allowing and inflicting physical and psychological abuse on Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison, a notorious prison in Baghdad during the United States' occupation of Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Sivits</span> American soldier (1979–2022)

Jeremy Charles Sivits was a United States Army reservist. He was one of several soldiers charged and convicted by the U.S. Army in connection with the 2003–2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Baghdad, Iraq, during and after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Sivits was a member of the 372nd Military Police Company during this time.

Megan Ambuhl is a former United States Army Reserve soldier who was convicted of dereliction of duty for her role in the prisoner abuse that occurred at Abu Ghraib prison, a notorious prison in Baghdad during the United States' occupation of Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Frederick</span> American soldier convicted of prisoner abuse

Ivan "Chip" Frederick II is an American former soldier who was court-martialed for prisoner abuse after the 2003–2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. Along with other soldiers of his Army Reserve unit, the 372nd Military Police Company, Frederick was accused of allowing and inflicting sexual, physical, and psychological abuse on Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib prison, a notorious prison in Baghdad during the United States' occupation of Iraq. In May 2004, Frederick pleaded guilty to conspiracy, dereliction of duty, maltreatment of detainees, assault, and indecent acts. He was sentenced to 8 years' confinement and loss of rank and pay, and he received a dishonorable discharge. He was released on parole in October 2007, after spending four years in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse</span> 2004 American military scandal during the Iraq War

During the early stages of the Iraq War, members of the United States Army and the Central Intelligence Agency committed a series of human rights violations and war crimes against detainees in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. These abuses included physical abuse, sexual humiliation, physical and psychological torture, and rape, as well as the killing of Manadel al-Jamadi and the desecration of his body. The abuses came to public attention with the publication of photographs by CBS News in April 2004, causing shock and outrage and receiving widespread condemnation within the United States and internationally. The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that most detainees were civilians with no links to armed groups.

About six months after the United States invasion of Iraq of 2003, rumors of Iraq prison abuse scandals started to emerge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taguba Report</span> 2004 report of the United States government

The Taguba Report, officially titled US Army 15-6 Report of Abuse of Prisoners in Iraq, is a report published in May 2004 containing the findings from an official military inquiry into the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse. It is named after Major General Antonio Taguba, the report's principal author.

Steven Anthony Stefanowicz was involved, as a private contractor for CACI International, in the interrogations at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

Sergeant Joseph M. Darby is a former U.S. Army Reservist known as the whistleblower in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal. Darby is a graduate of North Star High School, near his hometown at the time, Jenners, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Manadel al-Jamadi</span> Iraqi extrajudicial prisoner

Manadel al-Jamadi was an Iraqi national who was killed in United States custody during a CIA interrogation at Abu Ghraib prison on November 4, 2003. His name became known in 2004 when the Abu Ghraib scandal made headlines; his corpse packed in ice was the background for widely reprinted photographs of grinning U.S. Army specialists Sabrina Harman and Charles Graner each offering a "thumbs-up" gesture. Al-Jamadi had been a suspect in a bomb attack that killed 34 people, including one US soldier, and left more than 200 wounded in a Baghdad Red Cross facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagram torture and prisoner abuse</span> Early 2000s torture by American soldiers in Bagram, Afghanistan

In 2005, The New York Times obtained a 2,000-page United States Army investigatory report concerning the homicides of two unarmed civilian Afghan prisoners by U.S. military personnel in December 2002 at the Bagram Theater Internment Facility in Bagram, Afghanistan and general treatment of prisoners. The two prisoners, Habibullah and Dilawar, were repeatedly chained to the ceiling and beaten, resulting in their deaths. Military coroners ruled that both the prisoners' deaths were homicides. Autopsies revealed severe trauma to both prisoners' legs, describing the trauma as comparable to being run over by a bus. Seven soldiers were charged in 2005.

United States Army Captain Carolyn Wood is a military intelligence officer who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. She was implicated by the Fay Report to have "failed" in several aspects of her command regarding her oversight of interrogators at Abu Ghraib. She was alleged by Amnesty International to be centrally involved in the 2003 Abu Ghraib and 2002 Bagram prisoner abuse cases. Wood is featured in the 2008 Academy award-winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">372nd Military Police Company (United States)</span> Military unit

The 372nd Military Police Company is Military Police Corps unit of the United States Army Reserve. It is based out of Cresaptown, Maryland. Eleven former members of the unit were charged and found guilty of war crimes in connection to the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal during the Iraq War. Another member of the unit, Joe Darby, was awarded the Profile in Courage Award by the Kennedy family for exposing the prisoner abuse. The unit is credited with the capture and stabilization of the city of Hillah along with the 1st Marine Regiment. It was also responsible for guarding main supply routes used by American forces in Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay Report</span> Military investigation into the Abu Ghraib torture and abuse scandal

The Fay Report, officially titled Investigation of Intelligence Activities at Abu Ghraib, was a military investigation into the torture and abuse of prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. It was sparked by leaked images of Iraqi prisoners, hooded and naked, being mistreated obtained by the United States and global media in April 2004. The Fay Report was one of five such investigations ordered by the military and was the third to be submitted, as it was completed and released on August 25, 2004. Prior to the report's release, seven reservist military police had already been charged for their roles in the abuse at the prison, and so the report examined the role of military intelligence, specifically the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade that was responsible for the interrogation of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. General Paul J. Kern was the appointing authority for the report and oversaw the investigation. The chief investigators were Major General George Fay, whom the report is named after, and Lieutenant General Anthony R. Jones.

Steven L. Jordan is a former United States Army Reserve officer. Jordan volunteered to return to active duty to support the war in Iraq, and as a civil affairs officer with a background in military intelligence, was made the director of the Joint Interrogation Debriefing Center at Abu Ghraib prison.

A number of incidents stemming from the September 11 attacks have raised questions about legality.

<i>Standard Operating Procedure</i> (film) 2008 documentary film by Errol Morris

Standard Operating Procedure is a 2008 American documentary film written and directed by Errol Morris that explores the meaning of the photographs taken by U.S. military police at the Abu Ghraib prison in late 2003, the content of which revealed the torture and abuse of its prisoners by U.S. soldiers and subsequently resulted in a public scandal.

References

  1. ↑ The Errol Morris film Standard Operating Procedure includes an interview in which England confirms that several of the infamous pictures were taken "after midnight", meaning on her 21st birthday (01:14:58 to 01:15:20), and images putting the pictures at 23:16 on 7 November (01:16:15 to 01:16:40). Although there is disparity as to date, this appears to indicate 08 November.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Dickerscheid, P.J. (29 June 2009). "Abu Ghraib scandal haunts W.Va. reservist". The Independent .
  3. ↑ "Profile: Lynndie England". BBC News . September 27, 2005. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  4. 1 2 Emma Brockes (3 January 2009). "Interview: She's home from jail, but Lynndie England can't escape Abu Ghraib". The Guardian . Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  5. ↑ "Is Lynndie England a Victim or Victimizer?". ABC News . May 2, 2005. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  6. ↑ McKelvey, Tara (May 18, 2009). "A Soldier's Tale: Lynndie England". Marie Claire . Retrieved July 14, 2007.
  7. ↑ Nestel, M.L. (19 March 2012). "Abu Ghraib's Grasp". The Daily .
  8. 1 2 "Iraq War 10 Years Later: Where Are They Now? Lynndie England (Abu Ghraib)". NBC News. March 19, 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "English-language transcript of March 2008 interview with Lynndie England". Stern magazine . March 17, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
  10. 1 2 Beavers, Liz (March 25, 2007). "England back in Mineral County: Army reservist, notorious face of Abu Ghraib scandal, out of prison". Cumberland Times-News. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Friday, England family attorney Roy T. Hardy of Keyser confirmed England had been paroled March 1 after serving approximately half of her sentence at a military prison located near San Diego.
  11. ↑ "Private In Prison Abuse Photos Shares Her Story". KCNC-TV . May 11, 2004. Archived from the original on January 19, 2008.
  12. ↑ Tompkins, Al (May 15, 2004). "The Story Behind the Lynndie England Interview". Poynter . Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  13. ↑ Woodruff, Bob (May 2, 2005). "Is Lynndie England a Victim or Victimizer?". ABC News . Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  14. ↑ Ronson, Jon (2004). "The Dark Side". The Men Who Stare at Goats. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 151–158. ISBN   0-7432-4192-4.
  15. ↑ "Lynndie England gets spot on town board in W.Va". Army Times . Associated Press. July 14, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
  16. ↑ "Lynndie England Blames Media for Photos". Associated Press. March 19, 2008. Archived from the original on March 21, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
  17. ↑ "none". The Guardian Weekend. January 16, 2009. p. 16.
  18. ↑ "Iraq War 10 Years Later: Where Are They Now? Lynndie England (Abu Ghraib) - World News". NBC News. March 19, 2013. Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.