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Antonio Taguba
U.S. Army General Who Authored Abu Ghraib Torture Report; Career Destroyed for Telling Truth
U.S. Army Major General; Author of the Taguba Report on Abu Ghraib Torture
Overview
Major General Antonio Mario Taguba is a retired U.S. Army officer and the first Filipino-American to achieve the rank of general in the United States military. He is best known for authoring the classified "Taguba Report" (Article 15-6 Investigation of the 800th Military Police Brigade); which documented the systematic torture and abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Ordered to investigate allegations of abuse in January 2004 by Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez; Taguba conducted a thorough investigation and produced a devastating 53-page report documenting "sadistic; blatant; and wanton criminal abuses" including beatings; sexual humiliation; the use of military dogs to intimidate naked detainees; forced nudity; simulated electrocution; and other acts that violated the Geneva Conventions and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The report concluded the abuse was systemic and not the work of "a few bad apples" as the Bush administration would later claim. When the Abu Ghraib photographs became public in April 2004; Taguba's report corroborated the visual evidence. However; Taguba's reward for telling the truth was the destruction of his career. He was ostracized by Pentagon leadership; denied a third star; and effectively forced into retirement in January 2007. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Taguba: "You and your report will be investigated." In a 2007 interview with Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker; Taguba said he was ordered to limit the scope of his investigation to low-ranking soldiers and not follow the chain of command upward to senior Pentagon officials; but his report nonetheless implicated systemic failures. He later stated that the abuse was "directed or condoned" at the highest levels of the Bush administration. His father had been a prisoner of war during World War II; held by the Japanese in the Bataan Death March.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Authored the Taguba Report documenting "sadistic; blatant; and wanton criminal abuses" of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq
Report concluded Abu Ghraib abuse was systemic and not the work of "a few bad apples" as the Bush administration maintained
Career destroyed for telling the truth; denied third star; ostracized by Pentagon leadership; forced into retirement in January 2007
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Taguba: "You and your report will be investigated" as retaliation for his findings
Ordered to limit scope of investigation to low-ranking soldiers and not follow chain of command upward to senior officials
Later stated that Abu Ghraib abuse was "directed or condoned" at the highest levels of the Bush administration
Pentagon leadership attempted to discredit and marginalize him after his report contradicted the official narrative
Related Investigations (1)
Sources & Documentation
3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Personal Information
- Born
- October 31; 1950
- Birthplace
- Manila; Philippines
Education
- •Idaho State University; BA History (1972)
- •Naval War College; MA National Security and Strategic Studies
Key Timeline
October 31; 1950
Born in Manila; Philippines; father was a POW survivor of the Bataan Death March
1972
Commissioned as U.S. Army officer; graduates Idaho State University
January 2004
Ordered by Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez to investigate abuse allegations at Abu Ghraib prison
March 2004
Completes classified 53-page Taguba Report documenting systematic torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib
April 28; 2004
Abu Ghraib photographs become public on CBS 60 Minutes II; Taguba Report corroborates the evidence
May 2004
Testifies before Senate Armed Services Committee about Abu Ghraib findings
2004-2006
Ostracized by Pentagon leadership; denied promotion to third star; marginalized for telling the truth
January 2007
Forced into retirement from the Army
June 2007
Breaks silence in interview with Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker; describes retaliation and cover-up