Taguba Report Annex 85: Testimony of Sergeant First Class Keith A. Comer, 372nd Military Police Company

On 9 February 2004, a team of officers, directed by Major General Antonio Taguba, conducted the following interview. Major General Taguba was appointed as an Investigating Officer under the provisions of Army Regulation 15-6, by Lieutenant General David D. McKiernan, Commanding General of the Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC), to look into allegations of maltreatment of detainees, detainee escapes and accountability lapses, at Abu Gharib, also known as the Baghdad Central Confinement Facility (BCCF). The panel also inquired into training, standards, employment, command policies, and internal policies, concerning the detainees held at Abu Gharib prison. Finally, the panel looked into the command climate and the
command and supervisory presence
The following persons were present:
COL_ MP, CFCC — PMO, Interviewer
LTC CFLCC — SJA, Interviewer
LTC 705th MP Battalion, Interviewer
SF 2 Company, Respondent
SS 27D30, CFLCC — SJA, Recorder

The interview is summarized as follows:
My name i_ Sergeant First Class, acting First Sergeant, 372 nd Military Police Company, United States Army Reserve, 23 years, social security number,
I've been with the 372nd for 20 years, acting First Sergeant for 2 weeks. I've been placed in this position, due to the fact that the First Sergeant has been suspended from duties, pending the outcome of the investigation into allegations of prisoner abuse at Baghdad Correctional Facility.
My assessment is that morale is stable. We have 54 days left, before we re-deploy to
Kuwait, so people are upbeat. There's a lot of negativity in the Command Climate, because people feel that the Commander, and SFC _are being made sacrificial
lambs for something they had no control over. Other an that we're proceeding on with the mission, doing the job and getting it done.
We've had a sensing session with the Chaplain, and the Sergeant Major's come out, sat down and talked to people. The problem is with the shifts — you can't get everybody out with the odd hours. We've tried. Combat Stress Team has been out, to talk to the unit. I give everybody the opportunity to talk to me, at anytime, and they know that.
We're writing the SOP's, which in my personal opinion, is totally wrong. SOP's should be handed down to us. We are a Combat Support MP Company. We're not UR. We're not EPW. As far as our training, we pick them up off the battlefield. We take them to a holding area. We drop them off. An Escort Guard Company comes, and they take them back to the holding area. I don't feel, that we are qualified, to write SOP's on how to handle civilian detainees.
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At the MOB Station, we basically did our Combat Support Training — running MSR
patrols, route re-cons, and area security. I had no idea that we would be doing the
mission we're doing now. The EPW training, you deal with handcuffing, transporting
detainees, and dropping them off. But, other than that, it's very limited.
A new soldier in Tier lA would receive about 2 days worth of training from the NCOIC
of the Tier, before he would be allowed to be there by himself. Even at that time,
because Tier 1 A is an MI Hold section. There are always 3 people on duty. The training
is OJT. They go up there, they work, they observe, they see how things operate.
We're meeting the minimum manpower requirements right now. At the hard site, it's all MP's. At Camp Vigilant, I have one cook out there. She mans the tower. She has no direct contact with the detainees. She received training from the NCOIC of Vigilant, SFC_Before he lets anybody go to work, he makes sure they receive training on how to ea with the detainees that are in his site, and that includes other MP's. I know there are other units that are very short, because of REFRAD's.
I check my soldiers everyday and every night.
understand that there was a CD Rom dropped off at CID, with photographs on it, and that's how this whole thing started. I know the boy who did it. I don't blame him for doing it. I just wish he went to his chain of command. Apparently, the individuals who are under investigation for this matter decided to pass CD's around.
If it were brought to my attention, and I have some knowledge of what's on the pictures, because I saw them, during the first investigation, there's no doubt in my mind that those people would be relieved and facing charges, just like they are now.
Most of the escapes or attempted escapes, about 99%, have been at the hard site. At the hard site, you're dealing with the ICO's. We've had an incident where an ICO actually smuggled a weapon in. He shot an MP. Just the other day, we had an ICO smuggling in clothes to a prisoner, to try and help him escape. We had, just this week, 3 attempted escapes.
When an inmate is caught, trying to escape, he is put in isolation, the Tier is locked down, and he gets no cigarettes, no privileges for a week. There have been no coordinated escape attempts.
I feel that these were individual actions. If individuals choose not to do the right thing, I can stand there and harp all day, if they don't want to do that, it's not going to change their attitude. From what I've seen, and what I've heard, this was a failure of human decency.
The Geneva Hague Convention is part of your yearly mandatory training. You have to have 100% signed in. I don't know why it's not posted at the facility. It should be.
We had, what I thought, was a very good relationship with the MI people that were running 1A, 1B. There were a lot of things that were done by word of mouth. That has changed. My MPs have been instructed, they will not do anything, unless it's in writing. From what I was told it would have to be approved by the 06 from the MI. They had us doing their sleep deprivation, and I have no problem doing that, but you will put it in writing. My soldiers have been instructed, as far as that's concerned, that would be as much as walking by their cells, telling them to wake up. They're not touching anybody. After everything that has come down, my soldiers will question.
I believe people just took it to a level they wanted to. There's no doubt in my mind, that
if somebody told me to do the things purported to have been done, it's definitely an
illegal order. It's definitely an immoral order.
To get right? First of all, the hard site is a CPA function. The CPA needs to be doing their job. We are beating our heads against the wall, with ICO's, who have gone through a 2-week course. That disturbance, yesterday, Tier 5, we have 7 CPA guys out there, telling us what we should do, and it's not us who should be doing it. It's the CPA's facility, the ICO's facility. The Iraqis should be the one who are doing it, but when push comes to shove, it's thrust upon us to do. One day we're not going to be there. These people need to start picking up the ball, and doing their jobs.
Number 2, this REFRAD crap, I understand it's the law, but it's tearing units apart.
You're winding up with units that are short of personnel. We're lucky right now. We
have enough people to get the job done. I have 5 REFRADs scheduled this month. There's another 5 MP's, that I'm gonna to lose, and eventually it's going to get to the point where I'm not going to have a choice - I'll wind up having to pull a mechanic or a cook. They won't be in direct contact with inmates, but they're going to work somewhere else.
These REFRAD's are for the 22 — 24 month rule. They've been on active duty 2 years, because of Homeland Defense Measures. I realized Congress passed the law, but we need to look at getting that straightened out. It's hurting, not just my unit, but a whole lot of other units. There needs to be systems like the active army — you lose somebody, you can get somebody. I have prior service people sitting back in the states, that could have possibly been pulled over to fill slots that are vacant, but there's no mechanism to do that. In the Reserves you deploy with what you have, and when they're gone, there's no

replacement.
I have seen General Karpinski 2 or 3 times. She was hanging her hat, here at Victory. I'm an old school guy. I believe ou lead from the front, not from the back. I have seen the new commander, CO_about four times already, and the Sergeant Major Butler is out, constantly. e's only been here a few weeks. There's a major difference in the support we're getting. They volunteer to find a way to fix things.
The biggest issue, logistics — getting the basic things for our soldiers, boots and uniforms. has turned into such an ordeal. If you can't get soldiers what they need to survive, you're failing them.
Unfortunately Sir, most our logistical support I did. The only place you can get anything, it seems, is Arifjan. If you move S4 forward, then you run into the problem of them having to go down and get things for you, and it turns into a nightmare. Right now, because of doing a little horse-trading, and the companies pooling assets, our vehicle readiness is about 90 — 92%, which is outstanding in the conditions we're in. But, it took a lot of pooling to get it that way. Everybody's been out working their own side deals, so the soldiers are getting what they need, but working it through the normal channels doesn't work. It was the same in Desert Storm. You have to "wheel and deal." This time... it's been deplorable this time.
saw quite a bit. He was always there, and very much a troops-oriented person.
The panel stopped, to discuss SFC11111 statements.
Finished with their discussion, the panel gave SFC _i list of items, to be addressed, and brought back on a Sworn Statement.
SWORN STATEMENT
For use of ttes fun see AR 190-45: the proponer spar! is ODCSOPS
PRIVACY ACT STATEMENT AUTHORITY: PIN 10 USC SALMIS 301: Title 5 USC Section 2951: E.O. 9397 dated Nevem* 22.1043 ISSN') . PRINCIPAL PURPOSE: To provide commanders and law enforcement officials with mum by such rionnaten mal' be ac.airately identified ROUTINE USES: Your social security lumber is used u an additioullaftemate means of identification to Imitate fin; and retrieve
DISCLOSURE: Ossciosurs of your social security amber a voluntary .
1. LOCATION 2. DATE IrTYYMMODI 3. TIME 4. FILE NUMBER
Camp Victory Iraq 2004/02/09
MIDDLE NAME 6. SSN 7 GRADEISTATUS
E7 , Active

8. ORGANIZATION OR ADDRESS 372nd Military Police Company Abu Gurab Iraq
, WANT TO MAKE THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT UNDER OATH
Q. What kind of training did unit receive at home station?
A. Unit training is based on MTP 19-313-30 and MTP 19-313-10 for Combat support MP companies
Q. What kind of training did unit receive at Mob Station?
A. Units training was based on combat support Military Police taskings MSR security. Area Security, Dealing with displacedpersons civilian refugee
Q. What kind of training has unit received in theater?
A. Unit received left seat right ride training from 72nd MP CO when we relived them. ROE training less lethal training. Riot control, cell extraction
Q. How is unit making minium manpower requirements?
A. Soldiers are working 12hr shifts with limited time off. HQ personnel are being tasked with escort missions when MP assets arenot available. Have non MP soldiers in Towers that do not have direct detainee contact. There are no NON 3I B soldiers at the hardsite.
Q. If supervisors preformed random checks at irregular hours how did Acts occur?
A. People picked their times apparently stopped when people came around and continued actions once they left.
Q. How did MI Break New detainees?
A. Detainees were brought in subject to sleep depravation, cold showers every 30 mins. cuffed and forced to stand tor longperiods of time and PT i.e.: push-ups side straddle hops etc.
Q. What was the relationship between MI and MPs?
A. We had a very good working relationship MI brought detainees in and handled interrogations and punishments. MP'smaintained custody and control and tried to assists when needed.
Q. Was direction on how to deal with detainees given either verbally or in writing?
A. Very little was ever put in writing until recently when it was requested mostly verbally.
Q.What types of disciplinary actions have been conducted by the unit?
A. As of this date 14 Article 15's 4 of which are suspended 3 pending. Cousuling statements are numerous. Corrective training fo. not being in proper uniform i.e. helmet etc. Has been done
Q. Is there a conception in the Unit that misconduct will be tolerated?
A. With the article 15's and the other actions that have taken place. I think the majority of the unit knows action will be taken.
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