Wife of soldier sentenced in prison abuse scandal speaks out

Wife of soldier sentenced in prison abuse scandal speaks out

BRIAN WITTE
Associated Press

BALTIMORE - The wife of an Army reservist sentenced to prison for
abusing prisoners in Iraq said she knows her husband was wrong, but she
also blames higher-ranking officials who "sit behind the curtains" for
the abuse.

Martha Frederick, wife of Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick, said the
eight-year sentence he received Thursday for his role in the Abu Ghraib
prison scandal will force her family to "endure hardships and many
sacrifices."

"The pain sets deeper yet in knowing that he serves these years not
only for his actions or actions of a few reservists, but those included
in the chain of command," she wrote in an e-mail to The Associated
Press.

Her 38-year-old husband, of Buckingham, Va., received the stiffest
punishment given so far in the scandal. But she questioned why her
husband's superiors weren't being punished for what she said was their
complicity on the abuse.

"I feel outrage that he and a few others will bear the weight for the
actions of many," she wrote.

Since finding out her husband faced charges, Frederick wrote that her
family has felt as if they were "facing a life-threatening situation
when you relive your life's most memorable moments as well as
contemplating all the things that you wish you could change or have
done differently."

Martha Frederick said she will always see her husband as a "good
soldier."

"I will see my husband as a far greater man than those who have
abandoned him, left him to be convicted for his acts and the failures
of their own," she wrote.

Throughout the e-mail, she claims "misguided" leadership led to the
abuse of Iraqi detainees. She wrote that the photographs and videos
showing abuse "do not represent the people of this country, nor do they
represent Chip as a person."

"I do not see Chip as a good soldier gone bad but as a good soldier
thrust into a no-win situation," she wrote.

She writes of the pain and isolation her family has felt, especially
her husband, who was sentenced in Iraq, far from his family.

"It is not just how my husband will endure incarceration but how he
will endure being left behind, used and discarded," she wrote.

Frederick joined the Army National Guard at 17, after convincing his
mother to sign the papers authorizing his enlistment.

Seven members of the 372nd Military Police Company of Cresaptown, Md.,
have been charged in the scandal. Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits of Hyndman,
Pa., is already serving a one-year sentence after pleading guilty in
May to three counts.



© 2004 AP Wire and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.timesleader.com
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/9990010.htm?
template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107,....
full disclaimer http://www.duckdaotsu.org/fairuse.html
http://lists.igc.org/mailman/listinfo/duckdaotsu
a proud mediachannel.org affiliate
International Progressive Publications Network
duck feed at http://duckdaotsu.blogspot.com/atom.xml