All It Takes Is one

“ All It Takes Is One”

“The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal: Sources of Sadism” written by Marianne Szegedy Maszak, is an article surrounding the comments that President Bush made regarding the actions taken by American Military guards towards Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison. In Baghdad, military investigator found a disk in a coat containing various photograph of the incidents. In 2004 criminal charges for not following the Geneva Convention had been presented against several soldiers in the 372nd Military Police Company for the abuse of the Iraqi prisoners. This scandal along with the photos took no time to reach the media creating attention worldwide. “Disgraceful…few…who dishonored our country and disregarded our values” are the selected words used by President Bush to categorize the American soldiers.

The question on millions of American was why would American soldiers commit such crimes. Treating Iraqi prisoners with such disrespect, dehumanizing them and having them perform such acts among themselves and to each other. Many explanations to this dilemma developed. As Stanley Milgram claims in his article of “ The Perils Of Obedience” that “ordinary people, simply doing their job”(321). Which was what many people claimed happened, they did what they had to do. “People were in some sense against what they did” …”many protested even while they obeyed”(Milgram, 321). In some sense is the explanation according to Milgrams experiment on obedience towards why they still preformed their actions. But why didn’t one person stood out of the group and said something. As Phillip G. Zimbardo claims in “The Stanford Prison Experiment“ that while in the presence of our peers “ to what extent do we allow ourselves to be imprisoned by docilely accepting the role others assign us”(355). Explaining the reasoning behind why the solders did not stop it. Was it the fear to be an outcast, different, not in with the others? These are some reasons to the question of why did they do it.

On the other hand, in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal she goes on to explain that the soldiers committed their action for other reasons besides the fact of obedience. She claims that the actions are to be justified for the fact that the solders used it as a form of releasing stress and frustrations. She says that they have no other way to do this in a remote location like Iraq. Taking into consideration the kind of conditions that these soldiers have to live under. Being under constant danger, always on guard. Her most logical justification on the topic is according to her is sex. The American soldiers were not having sex and it was responsible for what they did. That is no justification for what the solders did to the Iraqi prisoners.

Agreeing with President Bush that the soldiers are a “disgraceful…few…who dishonored our country and disregarded our values”, but only the ones who commit such crimes. The arguments presented by Maszak are incorrect, and not the entire story.

Personally, being a military soldier, I have always pried myself in being better than civilians and always being professional. Being the best possible. I disagree that these soldiers are the base of what an American truly is and let alone a soldier. I interviewed some soldiers that have gone out to war in Iraq and were there for a long time. LCpl Cesar Calderon and also LCpl David Gusman answered some questions asked about what they had experienced first hand. Sharing what it really is to be a soldier on the front line.

“Then there is the issue of sex: One of the least discussed aspects of the occupation in Iraq has been the lack of a reliable local brothel where male soldiers are able to unwind. Experts have long appreciated the fact that sexual activity can often be a way of relieving the anxiety of war” (Szegedy-Maszak, 304). The lack of