Standard Procedure?

What Rummy, This Doesn’t Represent Our Military?

By: Jeff Schmidtke

"And from that point, the individual that was behind me slammed my head against the steel floor a few times, several times. And split my head over the top of my right eye."

Army Spc. Sean Baker

"I could not breathe. I began to panic because I could not breathe. I was trying to get up and they just escalated the force. They just torqued it up. And from that point, the individual that was behind me slammed my head against the steel floor a few times, several times. And split my head over the top of my right eye." This, a testimony from Army Spc. Sean Baker of Kentucky, describing his treatment during a Guantanamo Bay training drill.

More than a year prior to the evidence describing the torture situations in the Iraqi Abu Graib prison, soldiers were becoming familiar to the ‘former’ CIA manual of torture procedures. In June of 2003, Spc. Baker took part in what was called a simple training drill to teach soldiers how to deal with uncooperative detainees at Guantanamo (ABCNEWS.com, 2004).

"I was supposed to get in the cell, say nothing, just get underneath the bunk and say nothing. And, uh, to be uncooperative," says Baker. Today, he is faced with traumatic brain injury, leading to a complex seizure disorder (ABCNEWS.com, 2004).

ABC news (2004) also reported that an official Army investigation confirmed the details of Baker's beating, however a spokesperson for the Army was quoted saying, “We treat all detainees humanely.”

The military investigation concluded that there had been no misconduct involved in Mr. Baker's injury. To disprove this claim, investigators asked to view the video which records all training processes. The military cannot find the videotape, which recorded the abuse.

Baker was a member of the Kentucky National Guard from 1989 to 1997. During that time, he served in the Gulf War. In the late 90's, he got out of the Guard, but re-enlisted after September 11th.