Abu Ghraib Ex-Soldier: Prisoners Got Better End of Deal

Unremorseful Lynndie England 'won't apologize to enemy'
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 20, 2012 3:01 AM CDT
Abu Ghraib Ex-Soldier: Prisoners Got Better End of Deal
Former US Army Pfc. Lynndie R. England arrives at the courthouse in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2005.   (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

Poor Lynndie England. The female soldier linked to shocking abuse at the infamous Abu Ghraib military prison remains steadfastly unremorseful about what happened, and apparently believes the prisoners ended up faring better than she has. Prisoners' "lives are better. They got the better end of the deal,” Lynndie England tells the Daily from her parents' home in West Virginia. “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.” England served more than 500 days in a military prison and was dishonorably discharged for her part in the physical and psychological abuse of prisoners in the facility near Baghdad.

England played a key role in the 2004 abuse because prisoners were stripped in front of her, particularly humiliating for Muslim prisoners. In one of a chilling series of photos at the prison, England—who has claimed in the past she was a "pawn" in the abusive system—is seen holding a leash attached to the neck of a naked man. “All the prisoners that were there were on that tier of high-priority. They were there for a reason. They had killed coalition forces or they were planning to,” says England, 29. The former soldier is still hounded by her past and is often refused jobs because of it. She's raising a 7-year-old son fathered by the ringleader of the abuse at Abu Ghraib, Charles Graner, who refuses to acknowledge his boy, despite DNA tests. “You could say I did love Graner,” England said. “Now, I can’t stand the thought of him.” (More Abu Ghraib stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X