The US Soldier Who Committed Suicide After She Refused To Take Part in Torture By Greg Mitchell

[Demeter]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article26360.htm

September 14, 2010 "The Nation" -- With each revelation, or court decision, on US torture in Iraq, Afghanistan and Gitmo -- or the airing this month of The Tillman Story and Lawrence Wright's My Trip to Al-Qaeda -- I am reminded of the chilling story of Alyssa Peterson, who died seven years ago this week. Appalled when ordered to take part in interrogations that, no doubt, involved what most would call torture, she refused, then killed herself a few days later, on September 15, 2003.

Of course, we now know from the torture memos and the US Senate committee probe and various press reports, that the "Gitmo-izing" of Iraq was happening just at the time Alyssa got swept up in it.

Spc. Alyssa Peterson was one of the first female soldiers who died in Iraq. Her death under these circumstances should have drawn wide attention. It's not exactly the Tillman case, but a cover-up, naturally, followed.

Peterson, 27, a Flagstaff, Ariz., native, served with C Company, 311th Military Intelligence BN, 101st Airborne. She was a valuable Arabic-speaking interrogator assigned to the prison at our air base in troubled Tal Afar in northwestern Iraq. According to official records, she died on Sept. 15, 2003, from a "non-hostile weapons discharge."

[stray cat]

1. So a failure to participate indicates a weak suicide prone personality?

[golddigger]

2. I don't think it was suicide.

[gateley]

3. +1

[HubertHeaver]

4. Very suspicious suicide.

[Uncle Joe]

5. Kicked and recommended.

I also agree with the posters upthread, this warrants further investigation.

Thanks for the thread, Demeter.