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Face of Abu Ghraib Isn't Sorry

Lynndie England struggles to find words

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 3, 2009 1:59 PM CST

(Newser) – Lynndie England was probably not the ringleader at Abu Ghraib—she says prisoners were being degraded before she even arrived—but she will forever be the face most linked with the abuse. England is out of prison now, but she doesn’t feel sorry, she says. She feels persecuted. “What happens in war, happens,” she tells Emma Brockes of the Guardian. “It just happened to be photographed and come out.”

“They were the enemy. I don’t want to say they deserved what they got but…” Her voice trails off. “This is my problem. I can’t think of words.” A man from the bar stumbled over to congratulate England. “When you were in Abu Ghraib, you shoulda cut ‘em all off,” he says, miming a castration. “Thanks,” she replies, grinning awkwardly. “I want that in the interview,” her lawyer tells Brockes. “She gets that all the time.”

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (5)]

Lynndie England drags a leashed prisoner in this file photo.

U.S. Army Pfc. Lynndie R. England arrives for her Article 32 Investigation hearing in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal at Fort Hood, Texas, in this 2005 file photo. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Lynndie England arrives for a pretrial hearing at Fort Hood, Texas, in this July 7, 2005 file photo. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

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In New York — I've never been to New York, but I've heard people say — there's apartments there where people pay $1,500 a month for something smaller than a trailer. We only pay $200. And they look down on us. - Lynddie England

In war, you don't rat on your buddies. There were only seven of us charged, but believe me, there were a lot more behind the pictures. - Lynndie England

When we first got there, we were like, what's going on? Then you see staff sergeants walking around not saying anything. You think, OK, obviously it's normal. - Lynndie England, on seeing the abuse in Abu Ghraib's cellblocks

What happens in war, happens. It just happened to be photographed and come out. Of course, a lot of people said if you guys had just shut up or killed them, there wouldn't have been any trouble.
- Lynndie England

I don't even know how to describe it. They were the enemy. I don't want to say they deserved what they got, but they ... um. They ... This is my problem. I can't think
of words.
- Lynndie England

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

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Face of Abu Ghraib Isn't Sorry