Behind the Abu Ghraib photos

Oct. 2, 2005
This week, a jury in Ft. Hood, Texas found Pfc. Lynndie England guilty of six counts including
maltreating detainees, an indecent act, and conspiracy at the Abu Ghraib prison.
Stone Phillips, anchor: How do you think America sees you !hat kind of "erson do they think you are
Pfc. Lynndie England: # $et mai% from "eo"%e that su""ort me. Then # $et mai% from "eo"%e who wish they cou%d hand
me &ack o'er to #ra( so they cou%d take me on the street and shoot me.
England seems like a gentle, nurturing mother ith the son she adores) an endearin$ ima$e, &ut not the one
&urned into the minds of mi%%ions. To the wor%d, she is another *ynndie +n$%and, -he is %eash $ir%, a "oster $ir% for "risoner
a&use.
*ynndie +n$%and has &e$un a three.year "rison sentence. -he is the %ast of nine reser'ists "unished in the A&u /hrai&
scanda%. -he says they are sca"e$oats for a&use encoura$ed &y hi$her u"s.
England: #t was just humi%iation tactics and thin$s that we were to%d to do.
Phillips: 0ou fe%t you were just doin$ your jo&
England: 1orrect. # think they just want some&ody to take the &%ame and they are "ointed it at us, just &ecause our faces
are in the "ictures.
How her face wound u" in these "ictures is a story that sti%% fi%%s this 22.year.o%d with conf%ictin$ emotions ) defiance and
remorse, an$er and shame.
!t started out as a lo"e story
#t2s a story that &e$ins, odd%y enou$h, with a romance.
+n$%and was a !est 3ir$inia mountain $ir%, raised on soft&a%% and s(uirre% huntin$.
-"c. 1har%es /raner was a former Pennsy%'ania "rison $uard 45 years o%der. +n$%and met /raner in their reser'e unit &ack
home. 6y the time they de"%oyed to #ra( in 7une 2008, they were in %o'e.
England: He con'inced me that we were $oin$ to $et married and ha'e kids and a%% that and # &e%ie'ed it.
Phillips: *o'ed him dee"%y
England: +nou$h to 'isit him e'ery ni$ht at the "rison and # $uess, do whate'er he said. 91ause # trusted him.
+n$%and says after workin$ her day shift as a c%erk, checkin$ "risoners in and out of A&u /hrai&, she wou%d make her way
across the s"raw%in$ "rison com"%ex to the ce%% &%ock, where /raner worked ni$hts. -he s"ent so much time there with
him, the detainees e'en $a'e her a nickname.
England: They2d a%ways ca%% me :;rs.<) :*itt%e ;rs.<
Phillips: The detainees wou%d
England: 0eah. # think they knew that me and /raner were in a re%ationshi". That2s why they ca%%ed me the :*itt%e ;rs.<
Thou$h $uardin$ and disci"%inin$ #ra(i "risoners was not her jo&, +n$%and says she wou%d he%" out, some ni$hts on the
ju'eni%e win$ tryin$ to $et rest%ess teena$ers, not much youn$er than she was, to sto" ta%kin$ and $o to s%ee".
England: # mean it was %ike "u%%in$ teeth. They wou%d throw water at each other or at us.
Phillips: !as it hosti%e Or was it just more or %ess teena$ers &ein$ teena$ers
England: Teena$ers &ein$ teena$ers. 6ut then on the other win$ was the ;# win$.
Phillips: ;i%itary inte%%i$ence.
England: =i$ht. That2s the win$ that /raner watched.
Phillips: ;uch stricter conditions
England: 0es.
That was the ;i%itary #nte%%i$ence win$, where detainees sus"ected of ha'in$ usefu% information a&out insur$ent acti'ities
were ke"t. And it was here that these "hoto$ra"hs were taken.
+n$%and says she tried to &e "atient whi%e enforcin$ ru%es on the ce%% &%ock, %ike the &an on ta%kin$. 6ut what ha""ened
when they didn2t o&ey
England: Then that2s when you make them either stri" and handcuff them to their ce%% door inside their ce%%s. Or you just
handcuff >em to the ce%% doors c%othed.
Phillips: This stri""in$ and the handcuffin$. !ere you "artici"atin$ in that
England: !e%%, # ne'er actua%%y stri""ed them. # wou%d just te%% them. And they wou%d do it and then # wou%d handcuff
them to the ce%% doors.
Phillips: And who was instructin$ you to do this
England: /raner wou%d say, :This is what we do when they ta%k.< #2d ne'er &een a "rison $uard &efore or anythin$. -o, to
me, # didn2t know if what was okay and what was not. -o # %ooked u" to him and # thou$ht, :Okay, he knows what he2s
doin$.<
6ut the stri""in$ and cuffin$ of "risoners is not what $ot +n$%and and her fe%%ow reser'ists in trou&%e. ;i%itary inte%%i$ence
officers ha'e admitted orderin$ the reser'ists to do that, not on%y to enforce disci"%ine, &ut as "art of a strate$y to $et
more information from "risoners. ;# was e'en usin$ do$s to intimidate.
The "ro&%em is what was seen in those "hotos, outra$eous forms of sexua% de$radation. -"eakin$ with us &efore her tria%,
+n$%and said the "ictures of her were taken &y /raner or at his insistence, that he "ressured her to &e a "ro".
England: He2d just $o $et his camera and say, :Okay, stand there in the "icture< and #2m %ike, :?o # don2t want the
"ictures taken.< :Ah come on, just take the "icture for me< and it2s %ike you cou%dn2t ta%k him out of it.
Phillips: 0ou2'e ne'er s"oken a&out these "ictures and rea%%y descri&ed what was $oin$ on and the circumstances
surroundin$ them. 1an we do that England: -ure.