Ariz. specialist killed herself in Iraq weeks after objection

[bucknekkid 0]

So what? Do you have any idea how many suicides the services experience in a single year?

The U.S. Navy has at least one to two per deployment of each aircraft carrier, for various reasons and sometimes no reason is given.

Oh well. There's no "cure" for life, is there? Not even suicide.

What an a$$....

Just stating the facts, mam....Take a midol and come back later

Your response is a knee slapper ...But it still makes you no less an a$$...

[DeadPoolX 9]

The article makes no claims as to what forms of interrogation were used, so it's difficult to tell whether or not the methods employed were beyond the scope of reasonability. Furthermore, interrogation is supposed to be an uncomfortable procedure -- it is not meant to be one person asking, "Please, please, please...tell us the info we want to know! We'll give you a doughnut if you do!" Interrogation is designed to be a very difficult, harsh, demanding process. This doesn't mean torture should be utilized; however, this does not mean any of it should be enjoyable or comfortable to the individual being interrogated.

I'd also like to address the issue of "Psychology vs Psychiatry." What does that have to do with an Arizona U.S. Army specialist committing suicide? The main differences between psychology and psychiatry is that in the former, you need a PhD or a PsyD in order to practice or perform research, and in the latter, you need an MD in order to practice. As a psychiatrist, you can also prescribe medication, however, most psychiatrists do not employ psychotherapy and therefore, many patients seek the help of both a psychiatrist (for the medication) and a psychologist (for the psychotherapy). In two states (New Mexico and Louisiana), psychologists now have prescription rights and they are fighting for the ability to prescribe in other states as well.

It sounds to me like Specialist Peterson only had a BA or a BS in psychology, and therefore not very much training in that field. An undergraduate degree doesn't give one much to work with in the field of psychology, or in many other fields either.

Edited November 6, 2006 by DeadPoolX

[Caladan 19]

It's hard to say what happened in her case; a deep reaction to witnessing torture is surely one scenario, but Iraq is a mess without a clear front, and stress levels are ridiculously high. But it is reasonably well known that participating in torture on either end of it can lead to massive psychological problems. It's not a gender-linked thing (men commit suicide, too), but the rates of alcoholism, substance abuse, depression, spousal abuse, &c are very high among regular military vets. Stress breaks your brain, and human beings aren't meant to torture each other with no problems.

War is hell and there's lots of ways not to come back in one piece.

Also, being a psychology or psychiatry major doesn't make you unstable any more than being an archaeology major makes you a canopic jar. It also probably doesn't prove you were high-ranking or the torture programs are high ranking (that's shown by other things.)

[Marc and Olga 0]

The article makes no claims as to what forms of interrogation were used

Nope but it did say that the complaints she made were "destroyed", so we will never know what types of "interrogation" was used that offended a (most likely) conservative Christian.

I am assuming that since she went on a mission to the Netherlands, that she was a fairly devout Mormon.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

The article makes no claims as to what forms of interrogation were used

Nope but it did say that the complaints she made were "destroyed", so we will never know what types of "interrogation" was used that offended a (most likely) conservative Christian.

I am assuming that since she went on a mission to the Netherlands, that she was a fairly devout Mormon.

She was trained as an interrogation officer by the Army and objected to the methods being used when she was stationed in Iraq, so that means that the methods used were outside the scope of what she was trained for. How that escapes some here is beyond me.

What you call "prisoner abuse" I call interrogation. It's funny how a lib with a ax to grind can always find a "victim" to further his cause. You capitalize on some woman that can't take it and at the same time make victims out of our enemies. Really nice.

So her opinion as a trained Army interrogation officer doesn't count?

[Carol&Marc 0]

What you call "prisoner abuse" I call interrogation. It's funny how a lib with a ax to grind can always find a "victim" to further his cause. You capitalize on some woman that can't take it and at the same time make victims out of our enemies. Really nice.

This woman that snuffed herself, I like the way the writer instinctivly knows it was because of her military duties. It could have been many things.

It's just Steve finding another victim, for him to point blame on whoever he chooses. It's a tactic that is well known and should just be at!

Most libs are victims! its a fact, just read the links they put up! essentially every one of them is about some sort of victimization. Saddam is now a victim? Candle light vigil

[Marc and Olga 0]

What you call "prisoner abuse" I call interrogation. It's funny how a lib with a ax to grind can always find a "victim" to further his cause. You capitalize on some woman that can't take it and at the same time make victims out of our enemies. Really nice.

This woman that snuffed herself, I like the way the writer instinctivly knows it was because of her military duties. It could have been many things.

It's just Steve finding another victim, for him to point blame on whoever he chooses. It's a tactic that is well known and should just be at!

Most libs are victims! its a fact, just read the links they put up! essentially every one of them is about some sort of victimization. Saddam is now a victim? Candle light vigil

Funny, you seem to assume it was not. Again I must point out she appears to have some strong Mormon roots. Having been a church going Mormon for the first 18 years of my life, I can tell you it took more then a failed relationship to bring her to the depths of suicide...something probably that she witnessed or was part of during her military service. If fact I would lay odds that IF ever there was some form of "confession" brought about it would contain some pretty damning evidence against your buddies Bush and more likely Rumsfeld or at least their underlings that she served...

This is of course speaking from a former Mormon's perspective.

[Ban Hammer 14,648]

So her opinion as a trained Army interrogation officer doesn't count?

steven, your lack of knowledge about the military is showing again. let's use the proper terms here - she was not a "trained Army interrogation officer" which implies she was a commissioned officer. let's just call her a trained army interrogator, shall we?

[GaryC 7]

What you call "prisoner abuse" I call interrogation. It's funny how a lib with a ax to grind can always find a "victim" to further his cause. You capitalize on some woman that can't take it and at the same time make victims out of our enemies. Really nice.

This woman that snuffed herself, I like the way the writer instinctivly knows it was because of her military duties. It could have been many things.

It's just Steve finding another victim, for him to point blame on whoever he chooses. It's a tactic that is well known and should just be at!

Most libs are victims! its a fact, just read the links they put up! essentially every one of them is about some sort of victimization. Saddam is now a victim? Candle light vigil

Funny, you seem to assume it was not. Again I must point out she appears to have some strong Mormon roots. Having been a church going Mormon for the first 18 years of my life, I can tell you it took more then a failed relationship to bring her to the depths of suicide...something probably that she witnessed or was part of during her military service. If fact I would lay odds that IF ever there was some form of "confession" brought about it would contain some pretty damning evidence against your buddies Bush and more likely Rumsfeld or at least their underlings that she served...

This is of course speaking from a former Mormon's perspective.

People of all faiths kill themselves for a multitude of reasons. Even when it is expressly forbidden. All you have to do is look at all the suicide bombers to see that. From what I understand it's forbidden for a muslim to commit suicide but it happens all the time. Just because this one happend to be an interrogator means nothing.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So her opinion as a trained Army interrogation officer doesn't count?

steven, your lack of knowledge about the military is showing again. let's use the proper terms here - she was not a "trained Army interrogation officer" which implies she was a commissioned officer. let's just call her a trained army interrogator, shall we?

Does that make her opinion any less valid? Or how about the opinion of this guy?

Huachuca on abuse: 'It's not how we train'

Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison is half a world away from southern Arizona. But the ties are frighteningly close.

Too close for the soldiers and officers of the U.S. Army Intelligence School, headquartered at Fort Huachuca.

Every military intelligence officer authorized to conduct prisoner interrogations in Iraq was trained at the school, 75 miles southeast of Tucson.

Some of its commanders and top graduates are being linked to the prisoner-abuse scandal that remains under investigation. Many of the tactics that led to the abuse appear to be out-of-control versions of legitimate interrogation techniques taught at the school.

But officials say any ties to the scandal are unfair. Worse, they say, they are just plain wrong.

"We train our soldiers to do what's right," said Maj. Gen. James "Spider" Marks, commander of the Army Intelligence School.

"I'm disgusted (by the Abu Ghraib allegations). It's simply not how we train."

http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special1...02huachuca.html

[DeadPoolX 9]

No, just because she was an E4 Specialist, and not a commissioned officer doesn't make her opinion any less valid. It does not, however, make her an "Army Interrogation Officer."

You know what still amazes me about Abu Ghraib? The fact that those morons were dumb enough to photograph the proceedings. If you're going to humiliate and abuse prisoners (and I'm not suggesting the U.S. should), don't take pictures! I think just based on that principle alone, the 372nd Military Police Company deserved the court-martials its personnel received.

According to that article, Steven, most of the tactics used at Abu Ghraib were nothing more than "out-of-control" versions of legitimate interrogation techniques taught at the U.S. Army Intelligence School. So what that means is that much of what happened at Abu Ghraib was the result of overzealous (and somewhat unhinged) enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers. This was not (and is not) the norm for the U.S. Army, and they are not trained to perform like that, under any condition -- at least not according to the two-star General in the article.

So I wouldn't really go and blame the entire United States Army, President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. None of the three had any idea the acts were taking place at Abu Ghraib, and if they did, I'm sure it would've been stopped; if for no other reason, the fear of negative press. As we did see, the media jumped all over it, and the situation at Abu Ghraib gave the U.S. Army something of a black eye (although to be perfectly fair, no country's military is devoid of less-than-savory acts), which is exactly the opposite of what anyone would've wanted to happen at the time.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

No, just because she was an E4 Specialist, and not a commissioned officer doesn't make her opinion any less valid. It does not, however, make her an "Army Interrogation Officer."

You know what still amazes me about Abu Ghraib? The fact that those morons were dumb enough to photograph the proceedings. If you're going to humiliate and abuse prisoners (and I'm not suggesting the U.S. should), don't take pictures! I think just based on that principle alone, the 372nd Military Police Company deserved the court-martials its personnel received.

According to that article, Steven, most of the tactics used at Abu Ghraib were nothing more than "out-of-control" versions of legitimate interrogation techniques taught at the U.S. Army Intelligence School. So what that means is that much of what happened at Abu Ghraib was the result of overzealous (and somewhat unhinged) enlisted personnel and non-commissioned officers. This was not (and is not) the norm for the U.S. Army, and they are not trained to perform like that, under any condition -- at least not according to the two-star General in the article.

So I wouldn't really go and blame the entire United States Army, President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. None of the three had any idea the acts were taking place at Abu Ghraib, and if they did, I'm sure it would've been stopped; if for no other reason, the fear of negative press. As we did see, the media jumped all over it, and the situation at Abu Ghraib gave the U.S. Army something of a black eye (although to be perfectly fair, no country's military is devoid of less-than-savory acts), which is exactly the opposite of what anyone would've wanted to happen at the time.

That article was written BEFORE all the facts were out. The facts state otherwise...

Sergeant Smith, who was convicted Tuesday for abusing detainees in Iraq with his black Belgian shepherd, had said he was merely following interrogation procedures approved by the chief intelligence officer at Abu Ghraib, Col. Thomas M. Pappas. In turn, Colonel Pappas had said he had been following guidance from Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, commander of the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, who in September 2003 visited Iraq to discuss ways to "set the conditions" for enhancing prison interrogations, as well as from superiors in Baghdad.

General Miller had been dispatched to Guantánamo Bay by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to improve the interrogation procedures and the quality of intelligence at the compound in Cuba.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/23/politics...jVesOQwbJBfepzg

[kaydee457 13]

So what? Do you have any idea how many suicides the services experience in a single year?

The U.S. Navy has at least one to two per deployment of each aircraft carrier, for various reasons and sometimes no reason is given.

Oh well. There's no "cure" for life, is there? Not even suicide.

What an a$$....

Just stating the facts, mam....Take a midol and come back later

Your response is a knee slapper ...But it still makes you no less an a$$...

The point my dense friend is that there are many suicides committed each year by military personnel. Sad but true.

It's clear that one is mentally unstable to do such a thing and it's absurd to think that a single political issue would bring a person to do such a thing.

[bucknekkid 0]

So what? Do you have any idea how many suicides the services experience in a single year?

The U.S. Navy has at least one to two per deployment of each aircraft carrier, for various reasons and sometimes no reason is given.

Oh well. There's no "cure" for life, is there? Not even suicide.

What an a$$....

Just stating the facts, mam....Take a midol and come back later

Your response is a knee slapper ...But it still makes you no less an a$$...

The point my dense friend is that there are many suicides committed each year by military personnel. Sad but true.

It's clear that one is mentally unstable to do such a thing and it's absurd to think that a single political issue would bring a person to do such a thing.

I am neither dense, your friend, or deaf..You may want to take a dose of your own Midol medicine and come back later mam...

[kaydee457 13]

So what? Do you have any idea how many suicides the services experience in a single year?

The U.S. Navy has at least one to two per deployment of each aircraft carrier, for various reasons and sometimes no reason is given.

Oh well. There's no "cure" for life, is there? Not even suicide.

What an a$$....

Just stating the facts, mam....Take a midol and come back later

Your response is a knee slapper ...But it still makes you no less an a$$...

The point my dense friend is that there are many suicides committed each year by military personnel. Sad but true.

It's clear that one is mentally unstable to do such a thing and it's absurd to think that a single political issue would bring a person to do such a thing.

I am neither dense, your friend, or deaf..You may want to take a dose of your own Midol medicine and come back later mam...

Oh, I'm sorry...Then you must be a Canadian