Seeker Blog

Thanks to Powerline: Lt. Peter Hegseth sent this letter to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which editorially endorsed Dick Durbin’s comparison of US troops to Nazis, Communisists and Khmer Rouge killers:

As a recent veteran of Guantanamo Bay, I’ve been troubled by the willingness of some (namely this editorial page) to make uninformed inflammatory statements about the detention operations at GTMO. I believe that if any one of them had the opportunity to visit GTMO and witness the operation first hand, they would change their tone, if not their minds altogether.

Not only are the detainees treated humanely (top-notch medical care, hearty meals, recreational facilities, full access to religious observance, etc..) but I personally witnessed instances when detainees did not want to leave. It was not uncommon for my platoon to guard an airfield for hours in preparation for sending a detainee home, only to turn around and bring him back to the detention facility – because he refused to leave! These detainees are not stupid—they know that real torture and inhumane treatment await them at home. And while I know they’re not happy to be in GTMO, they rest assured that they will be treated well because Americans play by the rules.

I feel sheepish even having to defend this issue. While our servicemen (and innocent Iraqi citizens) are being blown-up and tortured overseas, the media obsesses over a handful of “mishandled” Korans and excessive air conditioning. (It’s also worth noting that these so-called instances of “abuse” at GTMO were all uncovered by internal Army investigations! It’s not as if the Army is torturing people and covering it up. On the contrary, the minute the Army gets wind of minor misconduct it swiftly removes and prosecutes those involved. This is an institution upholding the highest moral traditions of our country.) Would the terrorists do the same? No, I think they’d just wink at us…and then cut our heads off.

LT Peter Hegseth
Forest Lake, MN
U.S. Army National Guard, Infantry

The probability that the MST will publish this letter to the editor? For an Israeli perspective see Hugh Hewitt:

I received this e-mail from Yoni, a veteran of the Israeli defense services, now living in the U.S. but intending to return to Israel and pursue a political career in the future:
"Hugh,

Regarding Andrew Sullivan, torture is not what is happening at Gitmo and
that is not only his mistake but that of the left as a whole.

What is happening at Gitmo is a variation of modern techniques of
interrogation. I can’t go into a lot of detail but people are restrained
in certain ways for extended time periods and also not allowed to sleep
and sensory deprivation is standard.

Do Israelis learn the Koran, yes some do, as well as learn Arabic, but we
also read Mien Komf and Protocols of the Elders of Zion and all three
books are equal in spreading hatred of Jews.

It was Sun Tzu who said it so clearly when it come to the issue of
victory or defeat. "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not
fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the
enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know
neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

Israel and the USA have fallen into the last category due to the efforts
of the left in both countries, the good guys no longer know themselves. We
were not divided in WW2 and we won. If Andrew and Irwin were around 60
years ago America would have lost…

For details on actual US military policy (in contrast to media-imagined policy), this DOD bulletin has links to the particulars:

After this deliberate and determinative legal and policy review, the Secretary of Defense approved the use of 24 techniques for use at Guantanamo on April 16, 2003. Seventeen of the techniques approved for use at Guantanamo come from FM 34-52. Four of the techniques require notification to the Secretary before use.

It is the policy and practice of the Department of Defense to treat detainees in the War on Terrorism humanely and, to the extent appropriate and consistent with military necessity, in a manner consistent with the principles of the Geneva Convention.

No procedures approved for use ordered, authorized, permitted, or tolerated torture. Individuals who have abused the trust and confidence placed in them will be held accountable. There are a number of inquiries that are ongoing to look at specific allegations of abuse, and those investigations will run their course…