Michael Clemens Reveals ‘Secrets of Abu Ghraib’

Undoubtedly, the 2004 communiqués of torture and detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prisonare still among the most infamous of the war in Iraq. Shocking photographsinvolving American GIs and Iraqi prisoners wiped away the last vestiges of hopethat the United States wouldregain a position of honor in the hearts of Iraq’s masses. One of the darkestchapters in this country’s military annals and a burdensome reminder of theatrocities of war, this incident questioned everything that was right and wrongabout the Iraqwar. In a new publication, The Secrets ofAbu Ghraib Revealed: American Soldiers on Trial, authors Michael Clemensand Christopher Graveline recount these human tragedies and provide an analysisof the Abu Ghraib inquisition that led to the convictions of more than 10service members.

Clemens was on active duty in Iraq when the charges werebroadcast worldwide. He served as amilitary policeman and investigator for the Army for more than 22 years beforebecoming the prosecution team’s special investigator at Abu Ghraib. For hissuccessful fact-finding mission, Clemens received the Meritorious Service Medaland the Legion of Merit, the armed forces’ sixth-highest award, which is givenfor outstanding service and accomplishment. No longer with the Army, Clemens, anative of New Berlin, Wis., now works as a federal agent in Milwaukee.

The Secrets of Abu Ghraib Revealed:American Soldiers on Trial is afrank look at a disturbing part of our history that probes the minds of theabusers and the scholarship of warfare, and scrutinizes how these unforgettableimages have impacted the conflicts of today. Clemens will discuss his book at Boswell Book Co. on Aug. 5 at 7 p.m.