Testimony of First Sergeant Dawn J. Rippelmeyer, 977th Military Police Company. 1st Sgt. Rippelmyer went over how she and her unit received their assignment and generally described the military discipline at Camp Bucca as lax and lacking military standards of the most basic form, i.e. no saluting, no headgear, "do-rags" being worn and soldiers uniforms were incomplete with missing patches. On the reporting of Detainee Abuse, she said "[This] would be handled in our unit by reporting it from the lowest level through the chain of command to operations cell. From our operations cell, we would report the situation to 310th BN operations, our higher headquarters and Camp Commandant. Our Soldiers also knew the IG could be used to report abuses or problems. Our contact with detainees was limited to their transport and security between Camp Bucca and BCCF or to exchange and release sites". Her statement is written and ended at this point.
SWORN STATEMENT
For on of His torn, soe AR 19645; de popinant gem is ODCSOPS
PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT
'THORITY: TO 10 USC Section 301; Tat 5 USC Section 2951; 10. 9397 dated Nomerber 2Z 1943 TSSNI.
ANCIPAL PURPOSE: To provide carman*: and law enforcement officials with treats by Much intommtioo may be want* Idealfwel-
ROUTINE USES: tow social saw* embers used as an adational/rhemete means of identifcatioo to }agitate Ring and retrieval.
DISCLOSURE: Disclosure of your social :amity minter is voluritory.
1. LOCATION 2. DATE TYM7114001 3. TIME 4. FRI NUMBER
Camp Bucca. Iraq APO AE 09375 •eq."Lic72 2-4r I CI 4c;
AST NAME. FIRST NAME NAME 6. SSN 7. GRADE/STATUS E-8/ACTIVE
8. OR R ADDRESS
977th Military Police Company, APO AE 09375
9
I. WANT TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT UNDER OATH:
General command climate with regards to support, mission, training, Hague and Geneva Convention and Military Customs and Courtesies. The main body of the 977th Military Police Company arrived on 9 January 2004. Since our arrival the support from the 310th Military Police Battalion has been good with relation to QOL. Camp Bucca has had the best life support of any location we have occupied the last six months. Since our arrival the camp has continued to improve adding another MWR interact cafe, equipment in the gym. a barber shop. and has held numerous bazaars As far as mission support, we have been able to make any changes and or improvements we deemed necessary to improve our ability to accomplish the mission. We started out on twelve hour shifts but were able to transition to eight by realinging our troop to task. We have designed and started upgrades to the security of the ECPs. We have made improvements to the towers and suggested more improvements and our awaiting approval for plexiglass. The S2 given here has been very limited. We were used to get all INSUMs posted by the 18th MP BDE and the MNDCS. Normally the briefs are limited to the local area, because we travel to both Baghdad and Basra we need or in-depth knowledge. We would have to ask for that specifically to prep for our missions. Our missions daily involve convoy escorts to NAVSTAR, force protection of Camp Bucca itself including eight static posts, area security patrols,and a QRF. We also conduct the detainee escorts to BCCF, the Schieba Military Hospital, or to Basra Airport. We also operated the two ECPs on camp. On visitation days, we provide additional security at the ECP for visitor entrance and at the visitation site itself. We also assist with 'he searching of the visitors prior to entrance into camp. We also augment the Fog Plan by providing dismounted support to the
ith side of the IF and mounted support by pulling the ASO patrols and QRF to positions outside the IF when previous escapes
ve occurred. The patrols also search the area exterior to the IF. As far as training, we have been conduction most these
-mission through out the deployment. The detainee escort has been the only unique mission. Prior to every mission, the platoon Involved conducts in-depth reassures on the required actions dealing with the detainees from search technique and the use andhand and leg irons to actions on contact. We have conducted searches all through our deployment during our law and order role in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq. Prior to jumping to Camp Bucca, we had eight NCOs assist on a detainee escort mission to BCCF. They provided significant train the trainer instruction to our Soldiers on the nuance of the mission. During the RIP, we were assisted
on our first mission by members of the unit we replaced. We conducted refresher training on the ROE particularly how it
pertains to the IF and detainees. We review the ROE weekly, as we have since our deploytaeot. The 716th MP BN our previous higher required weekly ROE reviews and we have continued that policy here. The CDR and I also conducted an in-depth ROE class in December 03. Although each Soldier does not currently carry a ROE card, we did not have enough, the updated ROE is posted in each tower and ECP. The Hague and Geneva convention standards are posted at the IF. We have not conducted anyspecific train . n the Hague and Geneva conventions since our predeployment training in March 03. We did brief our Soldiers
iiii"
on Genera letter dated October 03 ref to proper treatment of detainees. Contrary to my verbal statement, it was the
ROE training an ow it pertains to the IF that we conducted. Do to our limited contact with the Detainees, we had not
conducted any Hague and Geneva training We have now mandated that published a class on the Hague and Geneva Convention and will brief the unit. Military Customs and Courtesies has been lacking here at Camp Bucca. Particularly evident by the lack of saluting. We have been saluting in base camps since May. I was surprised when we did not salute here. Initially our Soldierscontinued to salute as we had been doing. We. were corrected many times. The 724 MP BN and 310th MP BN ordered that this
would be a no salute area. We continue to salute just our officers, I was again corrected and told to have our Soldiers to stop
saluting. The double standard of who to salute and who not to salute was confusing to the Soldiers so we stopped. I also found
uniform standards to be lacking. Civilian clothes were authorized in the gym and in the MWR room on Friday and Saturday nights both counter to the theater policy. Soldiers uniforms were also incomplete missing patches. Lots of "do rags" were being worn and uniforms were worn incorrectly i.e. no headgear, unauthorized sunglasses, id card holders worn on the arm sunglasses
on the top of the head, sleeves improperly worn rolled up a few turns, and numerous other small violations. Also nobody was
carrying personal weapons. Our unit maintained ours despite what everyone else was doing. We were never corrected on this
point.
10._EXHIBIT 11. INITIALS OF PERSON MAKING STATEMENT
PAGE 1 OF Z. PAGES
11=1
VITIONAt PAGES MuSTCONTAIN THE HEADING 'STATEMENT OF TAKEN AT DATED
I
TNE BOTTOM of fAcH ADDITTONAL PAGE MUST BEAR THE INITIALS Of THE PERSON MAKING THE STATEMENT, AND PAGE NUMBER MUST BEBE INDICATED.
_
DA FORM 2823, DEC 1998 DA FORM 2823, JUL 72.15 OBSOLETE OVA 01.00
tu 4.11-1
DODD0A-002898
Camp Bucca, Iraq
STATEMENT Of TAKEN AT DATED
9. STATEMENT !Continue
The reporting of Detainee Abuse would be handled in our unit by reporting it from the lowest level through the chain of commancto operations cell. From our operations cell, we would report the situation to 310th BN operations, our higher headquarters and Camp Commandant. Our Soldiers also knew the IG could be used to report abuses or problems. Our contact with detainees waslimited to their transport and security between Camp Bucca and BCCF or to exchange and release sites. For these missions, we starch the buses and detainees and also place them in leg irons prior to loading them on Buses. We secure them on the buses anti the are off-loaded at BCCF or the release or exchange site. Each bus is manned with an NCOIC, and two Soldiers. During the Fog Plan our headquarters until is place on the South Side of the IF,outside the individual co und wires but within the IF wire itself. They are unarmed. They roll is to provide additional visibility during the limited visit)* ity period. Our ASO patrols and QRF patrol the exterior of the IF concentrating on areas where escapes have occurred previously. They patrol the areas justoutside the IF wire and berm. They also conduct searches for prisoners in the area surrounding Camp Bucca if an escape occurs
I t..1 "Ij4000111,
AFFIDAVIT
. HAVE READ OR HAVE HAD READ TO ME THIS STATEMENT
WHICH BEGINS ON PAGE I. AND ENDS ON P
I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE CONTENTS OF THE ENTIRE STATEMENT MADE BY ME. THE STATEMENT IS TRUE I HAVE INITIALED ALL CORRECTIONS AND HAVE INITIALED THE BOTTOM Of EACH PAGE CONTAINING THE STATEMENT. I HAVE MADE THIS STATEMENT FREELY WITHOUT HOPE OF BENEFIT OR REWARD, WITHOUT THREAT OF PUNISHMENT, AND WITHOUT tOROOM, UNLAWFUL INFLUENCE. OR UNLAWFUL INDUCEMENT.
na err.at Meting Statement
WITNESSES . Subscribed and sworn to bets ca ..Az. aon authorized by law to
wsoI flan, this day of 1-_ I:
C_-
a .1, of_O y ,3 L.
ORGANIZATION OR ADDRESS
(Tn* Nam of Parson Administwing OatAl
ORGANIZATION OR ADDRESS
!Authority To Administer Oath)
INITIALS OF PERSON MAKING STATEMENT
PAGE -Z OF 2-puts
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