Joseph Darby
Encyclopedia
Sergeant Joseph M. Darby (born c. 1979), of Corriganville, Maryland
, is best known as the whistleblower
in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
scandal. Darby is a graduate of North Star High School, near his hometown at the time, Jenners, Pennsylvania
.
At the time, Darby was a U.S. Army Reservist
who served as an M.P. at the Abu Ghraib prison
, in Abu Ghraib
, Iraq
. After learning of the abuse, Darby was the first person to take steps to alert the U.S. military command.
s to Special Agent Tyler Pieron of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
, who was stationed at Abu Ghraib Prison, triggering an investigation that led to the implication of several soldiers violating the Geneva Convention. Darby initially wanted to remain anonymous, and had been assured of anonymity — he and those implicated all served in the 372nd Military Police
Company, but became known after Donald Rumsfeld
publicly named him during a Senate hearing. Darby had agonized for a month beforehand, but finally decided to blow the whistle on his former friends explaining "It violated everything I personally believed in and all I'd been taught about the rules of war." He had known Lynndie England
, one of the most well-known suspects, since basic training. He testified that he had received the photos from Charles Graner
, another soldier in the photographs.
On the other hand, CBS reports that former neighbors from one of his childhood homes in Pennsylvania were proud of him. Darby has also said that soldiers in his unit shook his hand afterward.
on ABC's World News Tonight, and in December 2004, he was selected as one of three ABC News
"People of the Year". He was profiled and interviewed by Anderson Cooper
on the December 10, 2006 broadcast of 60 Minutes
(the segment was aired again on June 24, 2007).
Darby received a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on May 16, 2005, in recognition of his courage in exposing the abuses at Abu Ghraib.
Darby also received a personal letter from Donald Rumsfeld, asking him to stop talking about how his identity had been disclosed by Rumsfled despite receiving assurances of anonymity from military command.
News clips
Corriganville, Maryland
Corriganville is an unincorporated town in Allegany County, Maryland, USA. The town lies north of Cumberland at the confluence of Wills Creek and Jennings Run...
, is best known as the whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
Beginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
scandal. Darby is a graduate of North Star High School, near his hometown at the time, Jenners, Pennsylvania
Jenners, Pennsylvania
Jenners is an unincorporated community in Jenner Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. Other nearby unincorporated communities within Jenner Township include Jenner Crossroad, Ferrellton, Acosta, Gray and...
.
At the time, Darby was a U.S. Army Reservist
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
who served as an M.P. at the Abu Ghraib prison
Abu Ghraib prison
The Baghdad Central Prison, formerly known as Abu Ghraib prison is in Abu Ghraib, an Iraqi city 32 km west of Baghdad. It was built by British contractors in the 1950s....
, in Abu Ghraib
Abu Ghraib
The city of Abu Ghraib in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq is located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000. The old road to Jordan passes through Abu Ghraib...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. After learning of the abuse, Darby was the first person to take steps to alert the U.S. military command.
Disclosure of abuses at Abu Ghraib
In January 2004, Darby provided 2 compact discs of photographPhotograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s to Special Agent Tyler Pieron of the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command
United States Army Criminal Investigation Command investigates felony crimes and serious violations of military law within the United States Army...
, who was stationed at Abu Ghraib Prison, triggering an investigation that led to the implication of several soldiers violating the Geneva Convention. Darby initially wanted to remain anonymous, and had been assured of anonymity — he and those implicated all served in the 372nd Military Police
372nd Military Police
The 372nd Military Police Company is a company law enforcement unit within the U.S. Army Reserve. The unit is based out of Cresaptown, Maryland. Eleven former members of this unit were charged and found guilty in the Abu Ghraib scandal. Another member of the Company, Joseph Darby, was awarded the...
Company, but became known after Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
publicly named him during a Senate hearing. Darby had agonized for a month beforehand, but finally decided to blow the whistle on his former friends explaining "It violated everything I personally believed in and all I'd been taught about the rules of war." He had known Lynndie England
Lynndie England
Lynndie Rana England is a former United States Army reservist who served in the 372nd Military Police Company. She was one of eleven military personnel convicted in 2005 by Army courts-martial in connection with the torture and prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad during the occupation...
, one of the most well-known suspects, since basic training. He testified that he had received the photos from Charles Graner
Charles Graner
Charles A. Graner, Jr., is a former U.S. Army reservist who was convicted of prisoner abuse in connection with the 2003–2004 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal...
, another soldier in the photographs.
Reactions
The disclosure was not received well by the community in which Darby and his wife, Bernadette, were living in Maryland. They have been shunned by friends and neighbors, their property has been vandalized, and they now reside in protective military custody at an undisclosed location. Bernadette said, "We did not receive the response I thought we would. People were, they were mean, saying he was a walking dead man, he was walking around with a bull's-eye on his head. It was scary."On the other hand, CBS reports that former neighbors from one of his childhood homes in Pennsylvania were proud of him. Darby has also said that soldiers in his unit shook his hand afterward.
Recognition
On May 7, 2004, Darby was profiled as the "Person of the Week" by anchor Peter JenningsPeter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
on ABC's World News Tonight, and in December 2004, he was selected as one of three ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
"People of the Year". He was profiled and interviewed by Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
on the December 10, 2006 broadcast of 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
(the segment was aired again on June 24, 2007).
Darby received a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on May 16, 2005, in recognition of his courage in exposing the abuses at Abu Ghraib.
Darby also received a personal letter from Donald Rumsfeld, asking him to stop talking about how his identity had been disclosed by Rumsfled despite receiving assurances of anonymity from military command.
See also
- Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuseAbu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuseBeginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
- Haditha massacreHaditha killingsThe Haditha killings refers to the incident where 24 Iraqi men, women and children were killed by a group of United States Marines on November 19, 2005 in Haditha, a city in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar. At least 15 of those killed were civilians...
- Con Son Island prison#"Tiger cages" (Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
) - Ronald RidenhourRonald RidenhourRonald Lee Ridenhour , a young GI who served in the 11th Infantry Brigade during the Vietnam War, played a central role in spurring the investigation of the My Lai Massacre. -Life:...
(alerted authorities to My Lai MassacreMy Lai MassacreThe My Lai Massacre was the Vietnam War mass murder of 347–504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968, by United States Army soldiers of "Charlie" Company of 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade of the Americal Division. Most of the victims were women, children , and...
)
External links
- Acceptance speech by Sergeant Joseph Darby. 2005 Profile in Courage Award, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
- Beliefnet.com - Most Inspiring Person of 2004
- Photos and letters of support for Joseph Darby (also includes correspondence from Darby)
News clips
- ABC News - Person of the Week Story - May 7, 2004
- Washington Post - When Joseph Comes Marching Home - May 16, 2004
- 60 Minutes - Exposing the Truth of Abu Ghraib
- GQ - Prisoner of Conscience, interview of Joseph Darby
- NPR - Abu Ghraib Whistleblower Speaks Out
- BBC News - The Abu Ghraib whistleblower's ordeal