On the evening of Wednesday, 18
February 2009 the Chapter was honored to welcome as guest
speaker "Albuquerque's own" 
Brigadier General Gregory Zanetti,
who
recently completed his tour as Deputy Commander of the GITMO
Detention
Center in Cuba. With all that has transpired at the Cuba
Facility
over
the last three-to-six months, his presentation was of particular
interest to the Chapter members and West Point grads who were also
invited to the affair. The dinner was held at the Pappadeaux
Seafood Kitchen, 5011
Pan
American Freeway, NE Albuquerque.Greg Zanetti is a life long New Mexican. Upon graduation from Valley High School in Albuquerque in 1976, Greg was accepted to the United States Military Academy. He graduated from West Point in 1980 and served six years as a Field Artillery officer. The majority of his service time was spent in Germany during the Cold War. He was introduced by Barry Howard, USNA '58, who told us, "First, I want to tell you about Teresa, Greg's lovely wife. Teresa is a graduate of Harvard, an APS School Board Member, and a former member of the New Mexico State Legislature. One of the smartest things that Greg ever did was marry his high school sweetheart Teresa. Greg has been my financial adviser for the past 10 years, so while the rest of you lost about 50% of your investments in the recent downturn, I'm only down 38%. That was until I had breakfast this morning with Greg - I followed his advice again, thus I may be down 60% by now."
General Zanetti's remarks were as follows:
For most of you, the first time you had ever heard of Guantanamo Bay was courtesy of Jack Nicholson in the movie, “A Few Good Men.”
In some ways the movie was remarkably prescient regarding the situation at GTMO today…the plot pivots on charges of abuse. There is detention. There are judges and lawyers and court proceedings. And of course overlaying it all is the geography of having it occur on US base on Communist soil.
Hollywood chose well…there is no place like GTMO…but little did they know that 16 years after that movie was made GTMO would stir such deep seeded emotions today.
I have heard opponents of GTMO say that GTMO is un-American. I disagree. I have come to believe that GTMO is the most American place on earth. Despite what you may have heard… what happens there daily represents the best of who we are.
So, my goal today is that you leave this room proud of our mission…and, more importantly …proud of your sons’ and daughters’ performance of that mission.
But you can handle the truth. And to understand the truth of GTMO you need some knowledge of what I call the 3 c’s.
The Camps, the Commissions, and Cuba.
Let’s start with the camps…and the conditions of detention. I believe the best way to do this is to describe to you something called the BUB…or the Battle Update Brief. The reason we call it that is that we know the detainees see the camps as merely an extension of the battlefield. The detainees have their own commanders, spiritual leaders, forgers, infantrymen, and facilitators in the camps. Our soldiers and sailors deal with working al-Qaeda and Taliban cells on a daily basis, and they do so admirably.
Anyway, the BUB is a daily briefing…it takes place in room that is way too small, with no windows, and the coffee is usually lukewarm. The command and staff elements shuffle in…take seats where they can, and then one by one the cell block NCO’s stand up and give a very clinical re-cap of the previous 24 hours. The detainees are referred to by number and their picture flashes on a screen as they are referenced
I will now do my best impression of a typical morning report at the BUB. Obviously, I will not use real names or real detainee numbers. And by the way, when you hear me use the term rec, it is short for recreation.
“Good morning sir, Chief Simmons Camp 6. We have 112 assigned, 112 present. Last night detainee 765 requested onions and parsley on his salad and requested to see the camp commander regarding his request. 844 wants a better detainee newsletter and 632 has requested a Bowflex machine because he says he is not getting enough of an upper body work out.
"We had 3 significant activities last night, 601 balled up feces and threw it at the guard hitting him in the chest saying next time he would hit him in the mouth. Next, as 155 was being taken to rec, he bit a guard on the arm until it bled. Detainee was not allowed rec and had comfort items removed. When asked why he did it 155 just laughed. The guard was sent to medical where he is being evaluated. Finally, 767 yelled at female guard saying, ‘I am going to rape you. I am going to rape you. And when I get out of here I am going to kill you and your family.’ Sir, barring any questions, that concludes my report.”
Now I know, many of you think I am making this stuff up or giving into hyperbole…I am not…those are typical quotes from a typical BUB. I want you to know that despite what you hear on TV or read in the papers, the only mistreatment and abuse that goes on inside those camps is detainee on guard. And how those young soldiers and sailors put up with this without retaliating is a testament to their professionalism and discipline.
Now let me give you the aftermath of the BUB…the detainee did not get his Bowflex machine. The guard who was bitten is fine. Meanwhile, I happen to know the female guard who was verbally abused…coincidentally we both went to Valley High here in Albuquerque NM…albeit about 30 years apart. Now, after the briefing, I happen to see this young soldier and said, “Hey Viking, I heard you had quite a night last night…are you OK?” She said, “Yes sir, I’m fine.” Now, I looked at her with some skepticism to see if what she were saying was true and do you know what I saw?…she really was fine.
That’s when I knew we were going to win this war…that young soldier was more than any terrorist will ever be.
So, with all that said, there are a few things I would like for you to consider. First, we all know what happened at Abu Graib and we know what happened there was assumed to have happened at GTMO as well. We fight that perception daily.
We also know that it is common for people to take the past extrapolate into the future and say, “What was, will always be.” But you know that is not true. Things change. I can assure you that GTMO 2008 is not remotely like Abu Graib 2003.
Next, I will ask you to consider one more thing, and that is for you to reflect on what it is like for our troopers when the roles are reversed. What happens to our young men and women when they are captured in the Middle East? Are they afforded any humane treatment or rights?
So when you hear about charges of mistreatment and abuse at GTMO, it’s kind of like what our friends in Eastern NM say, “It just ain’t right.”
Next, let’s address the Commissions process. Let me first disqualify myself – I am not a lawyer and do not represent the Office of Military Commissions, which is responsible for charging and trying some of our detainees with war crimes. We at the JTF provide OMC security and logistics support.
With that said, many are comparing the trials of the detainees to the Nuremberg trials that followed World War II. And while Nuremburg will be the standard by which we are judged…the fact is, there are glaring dissimilarities.
At Nuremberg the hostilities were over. The media coverage was more supportive. International opinion and critique were of one accord. And the legal environment was certainly less complex.
This is not meant to minimize the work that occurred at Nuremberg… it’s just that our challenges are different.
For example the interface between the command’s priorities and the legal community’s priorities is something we work through almost daily.
If a detainee is shackled in the courtroom, we in the command see security. The legal community meanwhile, sees a presumption of guilt and understandably objects.
When the legal community asks for GTMO’s intelligence records, we see the possibility of compromised classified material and the exposure of sources of the intelligence. The lawyers see a chance to strengthen their case either for prosecution or defense. They are just doing their job.
When the attorneys ask for the medical records and the names of the doctors and nurses who treated the detainees, they are trying to determine the validity of the torture charges you hear about incessantly. We at the command see the names of doctors becoming public record and families back home being threatened or hurt by detainee sympathizers.
And recently it has gone beyond even that. When the Supreme Court recently granted rights to the detainees, it triggered incredulity among our guard force and celebration among the detainees.
The day after the decision, one of the guards said to me, “Sir, you mean a detainee who just splashed me with a bodily fluid “cocktail” has rights? How can that be? The fact that they abuse us …and we can’t retaliate is bad enough; but sir, they’re not even Americans.”
Meanwhile, the detainees were elated…and it may not be for the reason you think.
You see, the detainees are mimicking the tactics used so effectively by the Irish Republican Army against the British in the 1970’s and 80’s. Hunger strikes, feces smearing, and mass suicides were all techniques used to pressure the British government and to draw international attention to the IRA’s cause. Key to this strategic communications campaign was the use of attorneys and media to trumpet the story.
Today at GTMO we are seeing the same script. For example, a few days after the Court decision was announced, a detainee told me he was eager to read the 134-page decision. He wanted to know the full extent of his rights under American law. But, more importantly he wanted to see how he could use the decision to leverage his story to his lawyers and the media.
The detainees believe that via the law and the media they can bring enough pressure to bear to close GTMO. To them, that would be a great victory for their jihad. In short, we are witnessing warfare morph into law-fare.
Don’t despair though; we have some talent on our side as well. The command is very aware of this new dynamic. We know our enemy. Beyond this, our troopers are more than up to the task of safely, humanely detaining some of the most dangerous men on earth. GTMO will adapt.
Moving on…let’s talk about Cuba. Again we can go back to Col Nathan Jessup for historical background.
[Film Clip: I eat breakfast every morning 300 yards from 4000 Cubans who are trained to kill me]
The reality is… the days of Col Nathan Jessup’s Cuba are long gone.
Every month representatives from the Naval Station meet with Cuban military officials at the Northeast gate (one month on their side, the next month on our side) and talk about the upcoming month’s activities. We tell them of our exercises, building projects, and special events. They do the same. We do this so there is no miscalculation by either side about the others’ intentions. We occasionally exchange gifts and the meetings are cordial.
When I walk the fence line with our fine Marines and look across into Cuba it is hard not to notice that the troops of the Cuban Frontier Brigade are facing the same way we are…their job is obviously not to keep us out of Cuba but to keep Cubans out of GTMO.
Now, I wish I could tell you what is going to happen in Cuba once Fidel (and for that matter) Raul dies. I study as much as I can about Cuba and its current situation because what happens there could certainly affect us at GTMO. The fact is though I have very little visibility of what is going on inside Cuba.
From what I can read and hear in open source documents, the infrastructure in Cuba continues to fail and life is tough and getting tougher. But you already knew that.
What I do know is this…regardless of what happens in Cuba our base at GTMO remains of great enduring strategic value. It supports the Coast Guard in our nation’s efforts to interdict illegal trafficking. Its geography is key to defense of the Caribbean. And always in the back of our minds we remember when tens of thousands of Cubans an Haitians hit the high seas in the early 90’s… they were intercepted and sent to GTMO. We wonder when it will happen again and we prepare…just in case.
So now, please allow me to tell a quick story and then I will wrap this up.
[Film Clip: You want me on that wall! You need me on that wall!]
I agree with COL Jessup there. I want those soldiers and marines on that wall… and to expand on the point I will use an analogy that retired Col David Grossman tells whereby he compares part of the American population to sheep…these people are gentle, kind, and nice. They know there is a wolf in the woods, but they really don’t want to think about it. It’s too scary.
Meanwhile, we in the military (or for that matter those in law enforcement) are like the sheepdog. The sheep know the sheepdog is a necessity, but they really don’t like the sheepdog, because like the wolf, the sheepdog is a predator. It has sharp teeth and it, too, will kill. Plus, the sheepdog is a constant reminder that there is a wolf. Thus, they often criticize the sheepdog and wish he would go away. Now when the wolf attacks, all the sheep get behind the sheepdog and say, “Help me. Protect me.” And the sheep- dog will. Now once the danger is over, the passage of time ensures that the sheep will once again diminish the threat of the wolf and begin to feel uncomfortable around the sheepdog and the criticism will begin anew. And so it goes.
But ladies and gentlemen, please know this…the generation that is coming up behind us is remarkable…I assure you they are going to defend this nation and leave it a better place for you and their children. And they will do so honor, courage and integrity.
So, in closing let’s replay the first Jack Nicholson quote and then set the record straight.
[Film clip. Sleeping under the blanket of freedom.]
In this case, Hollywood got it wrong. You see, we in the military have both the time and the inclination to explain ourselves to any American who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom which we help provide. And you have every right to question the manner in which we provide it. Because, we just want to say thank you for your support and for allowing us the honor to serve this great nation. And all of us…Guardsmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Coastguardsmen….we will all willingly pick up our weapons and we will stand our posts, because that is exactly what you are entitled to.
Honor bound and may God bless all of you.
[at left]: Former Chapter
President Casey Jones '60 greets Gen. Greg Zanetti at the Chapter
Dinner at Pappadeux Seafood Kitchen. [below] Mike Blackledge '63 greets Gen. Zanetti while Todd Jones USMA '73 looks on.
Roster of Attendees
2/18/09
USNA AA Dinner
| Barnes, Pauline &
Marvin, parents Bier, James ’50 & Ann Blackledge, Mike ’63 & guest Bonnie Nolan Byrd, Mark ’54 & Mrs. Closser, Mr. & Mrs. – guests of Olsens Dickey, Jim ’56 Fladager, Ken ’78 & Valerie Genoni, Tom USMA '65 & Sheila Hartle, Maury ’44 & Patsye Hartman, Bill ’77 & Elizabeth Hoagland, J. ’94 & Christine '97 Hopkins, Hoppy ’59 & Mrs. Horton, Bill ’44 & Bonnie Howard, Barry ’58 & guest Jan Causey Jones, Casey ’60 & Janice Jones, Todd USMA '73 Kennard, John ’93 Kraus, Scott ’73 Krueger, Dave & Terry, parents |
McGuire, Joseph ’68 & brother-in-law Paul Dressendorfer Miller, Charlie & Laurie, parents Mims, Phillip & Terri, parents Molnar, Lawrence ’53 & Edith Mulder, Kenneth & Mrs.  Olsen, Ole ’64 & Phyllis Richter, Herb ’59 & Barbara Rohr, Don ’55 & Phyllis Schoderbeck, Stephen ’59 Schwartz, Henry ’62 & Salley Teater, Dick ’70 & Dang Trammell, Brink ’57 Wright, Duane ’64 Olson, Danny R, Cpt, NG |