Samuel Provance
Encyclopedia
Samuel Provance was a U.S. Army
military intelligence
sergeant who disobeyed an order from his commanders in the 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion
, by explaining what he experienced at the Abu Ghraib Prison
, where he was assigned from September 2003 to February 2004, to the media. After being disciplined for his actions, he eventually brought his case to the United States Government in February 2006, resulting in a Congressional subpoena of the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
. The main points of his testimony are that military intelligence soldiers and contracted civilian interrogators had abused detainees, that they directed the military police to abuse detainees, the extent of this knowledge at the prison, and the subsequent cover-up of these practices when investigated.
Military intelligence soldiers from the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade
, with first hand knowledge, had in fact spoke with the media weeks before Provance did, which corroborate his claims, saying they wanted to "do what's right...get the truth out", but they chose to remain anonymous, "because of concern that their military careers would be ruined". In addition, the military police themselves said they were ordered and encouraged by interrogators to treat detainees harshly, to "soften" them up for interrogations, and were commended by their commander for doing so.
, at Abu Ghraib he supervised the systems administration on the so-called "infamous" night shift, under the command of Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez.
In January 2004, the same month that saw the unexplained death of his Command Sergeant Major Stacy Adams, Provance was interviewed by a US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) agent, as part of Major General Antonio M. Taguba’s investigation of Abu Ghraib. Taguba considered Provance a witness based on his sworn statement. His name, along with other witnesses, were made known in May 2004 when the classified Taguba Report
was deliberately leaked to the public.
Provance was also interviewed by Major General George Fay
, the lead investigator of a second major investigation of Abu Ghraib. Provance later claimed Fay was more interested in the military police in the photographs, not of intelligence operations (Fay was charged with investigating military intelligence). He also claimed Fay resisted his testimony (largely the same provided to Taguba), who afterward decided to recommend charges of "dereliction of duty" against him for not coming forward any sooner, saying if he had, he could have prevented the scandal.
Provance was then issued an order by his company commander, Captain Scott Hedberg, and subsequently, his battalion commander, Lt. Colonel James Norwood, not to communicate with anyone about his experiences at Abu Ghraib. Perceiving the threat of charges and the gag order
as part of a larger "cover-up", Provance spoke with the media, hoping they would investigate where the military was apparently failing to. His top secret
security clearance was suspended and he was administratively "flagged" (a career hold) for 16 months, until he was given an Article 15 (non-judicial punishment
). This began with the May 18, 2004 broadcast of ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings
, where he said, "there's definitely a cover-up...people are either telling themselves or being told to be quiet...many people are probably hiding and wishing to God that this storm passes without them having to be investigated [or] personally looked at". According to the Stars and Stripes
, Provance, "still speaks passionately about his dedication to the Army and condemns the few leaders above him". Provance told them, "I would never speak out against the Army, that’s not what I’m doing...the Army is an awesome organization that I respect and honor...it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out".
On May 26, 2004 former Vice President Al Gore
referred to Provance during a speech at New York University, as the Abu Ghraib scandal evolved into a heated political debate, with the Presidential election coming up that November.
In June 2004, Jerry Fleishman
wrote a profile of Provance for the Los Angeles Times
. "Provance speaks in a near-whisper, but he possesses a steely defiant streak". It was reported that he studied to be a Christian Pastor
at Holmes College of the Bible in Greenville, South Carolina
, "quitting...after raising too many questions about faith and fundamentalism". He then joined the US Army, enlisting in Air Defense Artillery
, later tried out for Special Forces
, and then reclassified into Military Intelligence. Despite his circumstances as a result of the Abu Ghraib investigations and scandal, "he reveres the spirit of the combat soldier", and worried that this was now in jeopardy. The German newspaper Tageszeitung also wrote a profile.
On July 5, 2004 the German news program "Report Mainz" broadcast an interview with Provance, where he revealed that children were detained at Abu Ghraib. In response, the Norwegian government joined the Red Cross and Amnesty International in protest.
Jon Ronson
published the book The Men Who Stare at Goats
, later made into a motion picture in 2009. Provance, under the name "Joseph Curtis" to protect his identity at that time, is in a chapter named "The Haunted Hotel".
Television's Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS), as a part of its documentary program, Frontline (U.S. TV series), features Provance's perspective in the documentary "The Torture Question", in October 2005.
In February 2006, Provance testified before Congress alongside Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer (intelligence officer)
from the US Army, Michael German from the FBI, and Russell D. Tice from the NSA. He testified that at his Article 15 proceeding in July 2005, he was threatened with up to ten years in military prison if he did not accept the terms of punishment. He accepted the terms, and for “disobeying a lawful order”, he was demoted in rank. He also testified about many other things before unknown or not as detailed. Congressman Chris Shays (R-CT), the committee chairman, said to Provance, "I just want to say to you it takes a tremendous amount of courage with your rank to tell a General what they may not want to hear, and people like you will help move our country in the right direction. And so this full committee thanks you for what you have done."
In July 2006, Provance's interview with Report Mainz was selected among other news stories in its forty year broadcasting history for recognition. He gave an update on that television event.
On July 6, 2006 the New York Times reported that the House Committee on Government Reform issued a subpoena to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
because he had not responded to a March 7, 2006 request for information regarding Provance's demotion and testimony. Four months later, Rumsfeld resigned, citing Abu Ghraib as his "darkest hour", and ignored the subpoena.
In November 2006, Provance spoke to a group of 350 people in Maplewood, New Jersey
and received a certificate of appreciation.
In February 2007, Provance appeared in a HBO documentary, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
, where he describes the prison as, "Apocalypse Now
meets The Shining
." An extended interview is included in the DVD release. He later wrote an article about his experience at a screening of the film in Washington DC, criticizing Senator Lindsey Graham
(R-SC), who had also been in attendance for a post-screening discussion with Senator Ted Kennedy
(D-MA), for changing his opinions of Abu Ghraib since he’d been in contact with him.
Tara McKelvey
published the book, "Monstering: Inside America's Policy of Secret Interrogations and Torture in the Terror War", which includes Provance's story most in-depth. She describes him as, "unconventional...a keen sense of injustice". The New York Times
, in a book review, reported, "if the United States still has a chance of winning the battle for the hearts and minds of the Muslim world, then we have people like Provance to thank".
On September 20, 2007 Provance was given the Sam Adams Award
for "integrity in intelligence" at the American University
. He described missing the Army "more than anything else", and that after having lost his friends and family, speaking to the media was not worth it on a personal level.
An interview with Provance was broadcast on the Democracy Now!
television program with Amy Goodman
. He lamented that "even to this day...there’s been nobody else that has had their conscience bother them to come forward and say, look, this is what was really going on, and that it wasn’t just these MP's, and that these MP's were really doing what they were told".
Provance wrote a critical editorial about the documentary, "Standard Operating Procedure", directed by Oscar winning director Errol Morris
. He claims Morris promised, "a no-holds-barred documentary", but instead only "focuses on the awful photos, the people in them and those who took them". Portions of his interview with Morris, cut from the film's release, are however on the Blu-ray Disc
edition's special features.
Provance gave a radio interview for Chicago Public Radio
; saying he wished he had exhausted more "official channels", but that it is speculation to say if that would have changed anything. He wanted to discuss things more with his leadership, but having reprimanded him for bizarre things like not doing their laundry or not washing vehicles with water they were rationing, he felt they could not be trusted. He wanted to testify on behalf of the military police at their trials, but like in Lynndie England
's case, her lawyers were erroneously told he could not be found. He compared his plight to Serpico
, but instead of meeting the same fate, says he still loves being a soldier and could return to the Army, though he fears his career would be sabotaged by "higher-ups" who might fear he has ulterior motives.
On October 22, 2009, Provance was given a letter of commendation signed by former President Jimmy Carter
and 15,000 others, for his "uncommon courage in defending the rule of law and standing up against torture". In his acceptance of the letter, he responded, "if and when we do the right thing, we may not ever know to what extent our words and actions are ever used by other people, or even God, but you can be sure that they will be". Days later he was interviewed by Karen Kwiatkowski
; his final words being, "not to give up on the Army or our country...there are still good people doing good things".
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
sergeant who disobeyed an order from his commanders in the 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion
302nd Military Intelligence Battalion
The 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion , whose unit crest portrays the "sly fox", evolved from the 3252d Signal Service Company which was activated in England on 1 April 1944. The 3252nd saw service in France and Germany before returning to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where it was deactivated in 1945...
, by explaining what he experienced 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....
, where he was assigned from September 2003 to February 2004, to the media. After being disciplined for his actions, he eventually brought his case to the United States Government in February 2006, resulting in a Congressional subpoena of the Secretary of Defense 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...
. The main points of his testimony are that military intelligence soldiers and contracted civilian interrogators had abused detainees, that they directed the military police to abuse detainees, the extent of this knowledge at the prison, and the subsequent cover-up of these practices when investigated.
Military intelligence soldiers from the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade
205th Military Intelligence Brigade
The U.S. Army's 205th Military Intelligence Brigade and its three battalions have a history dating back to World War II. The brigade has been in a continuous active service since 1944. The brigade was constituted on 12 July 1944 in the Army of the United States as the 205th Counter Intelligence...
, with first hand knowledge, had in fact spoke with the media weeks before Provance did, which corroborate his claims, saying they wanted to "do what's right...get the truth out", but they chose to remain anonymous, "because of concern that their military careers would be ruined". In addition, the military police themselves said they were ordered and encouraged by interrogators to treat detainees harshly, to "soften" them up for interrogations, and were commended by their commander for doing so.
Background
Provance was assigned to Abu Ghraib prison (also known as the Baghdad Correctional Facility) shortly after a mortar attack at the prison killed and wounded several soldiers from his unit on September 20, 2003. Though an intelligence analyst supporting the V Corps during the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, under the command of General William S. WallaceWilliam S. Wallace
William Scott Wallace, is a retired four-star general in the United States Army who served as Commanding General, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Monroe, Virginia from September 5, 2005, to December 8, 2008. He retired from the Army on December 8, 2008.-Biography:Wallace...
, at Abu Ghraib he supervised the systems administration on the so-called "infamous" night shift, under the command of Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez.
In January 2004, the same month that saw the unexplained death of his Command Sergeant Major Stacy Adams, Provance was interviewed by a US Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) agent, as part of Major General Antonio M. Taguba’s investigation of Abu Ghraib. Taguba considered Provance a witness based on his sworn statement. His name, along with other witnesses, were made known in May 2004 when the classified Taguba Report
Taguba Report
The Taguba Report is the common name of an official Army Regulation 15-6 military inquiry conducted in 2004 into the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse.-Initiation:...
was deliberately leaked to the public.
Provance was also interviewed by Major General George Fay
George Fay
George Fay, while an officer in the United States Army, was the lead author of an investigation into the scandal at Abu Ghraib, more commonly known as the Fay Report....
, the lead investigator of a second major investigation of Abu Ghraib. Provance later claimed Fay was more interested in the military police in the photographs, not of intelligence operations (Fay was charged with investigating military intelligence). He also claimed Fay resisted his testimony (largely the same provided to Taguba), who afterward decided to recommend charges of "dereliction of duty" against him for not coming forward any sooner, saying if he had, he could have prevented the scandal.
Provance was then issued an order by his company commander, Captain Scott Hedberg, and subsequently, his battalion commander, Lt. Colonel James Norwood, not to communicate with anyone about his experiences at Abu Ghraib. Perceiving the threat of charges and the gag order
Gag order
A gag order is an order, sometimes a legal order by a court or government, other times a private order by an employer or other institution, restricting information or comment from being made public.Gag orders are often used against participants involved in a lawsuit or criminal trial...
as part of a larger "cover-up", Provance spoke with the media, hoping they would investigate where the military was apparently failing to. His top secret
Top Secret
Top Secret generally refers to the highest acknowledged level of classified information.Top Secret may also refer to:- Film and television :* Top Secret , a British comedy directed by Mario Zampi...
security clearance was suspended and he was administratively "flagged" (a career hold) for 16 months, until he was given an Article 15 (non-judicial punishment
Nonjudicial punishment
Non-judicial punishment in the United States military, is a form of military justice authorized by Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Non-judicial punishment or "NJP" permits commanders to administratively discipline troops without a court-martial...
). This began with the May 18, 2004 broadcast of ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings
Peter 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...
, where he said, "there's definitely a cover-up...people are either telling themselves or being told to be quiet...many people are probably hiding and wishing to God that this storm passes without them having to be investigated [or] personally looked at". According to the Stars and Stripes
Stars and Stripes (newspaper)
Stars and Stripes is a news source that operates from inside the United States Department of Defense but is editorially separate from it. The First Amendment protection which Stars and Stripes enjoys is safeguarded by Congress to whom an independent ombudsman, who serves the readers' interests,...
, Provance, "still speaks passionately about his dedication to the Army and condemns the few leaders above him". Provance told them, "I would never speak out against the Army, that’s not what I’m doing...the Army is an awesome organization that I respect and honor...it’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out".
On May 26, 2004 former Vice President Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
referred to Provance during a speech at New York University, as the Abu Ghraib scandal evolved into a heated political debate, with the Presidential election coming up that November.
In June 2004, Jerry Fleishman
Jerry Fleishman
Jerome Fleishman was an American former professional basketball player.A 6'2" guard/forward from New York University, Fleishman played five seasons in the Basketball Association of America/National Basketball Association as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors...
wrote a profile of Provance for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. "Provance speaks in a near-whisper, but he possesses a steely defiant streak". It was reported that he studied to be a Christian Pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
at Holmes College of the Bible in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, "quitting...after raising too many questions about faith and fundamentalism". He then joined the US Army, enlisting in Air Defense Artillery
Air Defense Artillery
The Air Defense Artillery branch descended from the Anti-Aircraft Artillery into a separate branch on 20 June 1968...
, later tried out for Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
, and then reclassified into Military Intelligence. Despite his circumstances as a result of the Abu Ghraib investigations and scandal, "he reveres the spirit of the combat soldier", and worried that this was now in jeopardy. The German newspaper Tageszeitung also wrote a profile.
On July 5, 2004 the German news program "Report Mainz" broadcast an interview with Provance, where he revealed that children were detained at Abu Ghraib. In response, the Norwegian government joined the Red Cross and Amnesty International in protest.
Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson
Jon Ronson is a Welsh journalist, documentary filmmaker, radio presenter and nonfiction author, whose works include The Men Who Stare At Goats. His journalism and columns have appeared in British publications including The Guardian newspaper, City Life and Time Out magazine...
published the book The Men Who Stare at Goats
The Men Who Stare at Goats
The Men Who Stare at Goats is a book by Jon Ronson about the U.S. Army's exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The title refers to attempts to kill goats by staring at them...
, later made into a motion picture in 2009. Provance, under the name "Joseph Curtis" to protect his identity at that time, is in a chapter named "The Haunted Hotel".
Television's Public Broadcasting Service
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
(PBS), as a part of its documentary program, Frontline (U.S. TV series), features Provance's perspective in the documentary "The Torture Question", in October 2005.
Congressional Testimonies
In September 2004, Provance was sent to Washington D.C. to speak with Senate Armed Services Committee staff, in preparation for a Congressional hearing of Major General Fay's investigation. It has not been made public what happened during these meetings or why they were held.Anthony Shaffer (intelligence officer)
Anthony Shaffer is a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who gained fame for his claims about mishandled intelligence before the September 11 attacks and for the censoring of his book, Operation Dark Heart....
from the US Army, Michael German from the FBI, and Russell D. Tice from the NSA. He testified that at his Article 15 proceeding in July 2005, he was threatened with up to ten years in military prison if he did not accept the terms of punishment. He accepted the terms, and for “disobeying a lawful order”, he was demoted in rank. He also testified about many other things before unknown or not as detailed. Congressman Chris Shays (R-CT), the committee chairman, said to Provance, "I just want to say to you it takes a tremendous amount of courage with your rank to tell a General what they may not want to hear, and people like you will help move our country in the right direction. And so this full committee thanks you for what you have done."
In July 2006, Provance's interview with Report Mainz was selected among other news stories in its forty year broadcasting history for recognition. He gave an update on that television event.
On July 6, 2006 the New York Times reported that the House Committee on Government Reform issued a subpoena to Secretary of Defense 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...
because he had not responded to a March 7, 2006 request for information regarding Provance's demotion and testimony. Four months later, Rumsfeld resigned, citing Abu Ghraib as his "darkest hour", and ignored the subpoena.
Post Army
Provance was honorably discharged from the United States Army in October 2006 in Heidelberg, Germany.In November 2006, Provance spoke to a group of 350 people in Maplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 23,867.-History:...
and received a certificate of appreciation.
In February 2007, Provance appeared in a HBO documentary, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib is a 2007 documentary film directed by Rory Kennedy. It is an examination of the events of the 2004 Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal. The film premiered January 19, 2007 at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival....
, where he describes the prison as, "Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
meets The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
." An extended interview is included in the DVD release. He later wrote an article about his experience at a screening of the film in Washington DC, criticizing Senator Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin Graham is the senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina and a member of the Republican Party. Previously he served as the U.S. Representative for .-Early life, education and career:...
(R-SC), who had also been in attendance for a post-screening discussion with Senator Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...
(D-MA), for changing his opinions of Abu Ghraib since he’d been in contact with him.
Tara McKelvey
Tara McKelvey
Tara Shannon McKelvey is an American journalist who is a senior editor at The American Prospect.McKelvey began her journalism career as a clerk at The New York Times, following her 1987 graduation from Georgetown University.McKelvey, a research fellow at New York University School of Law's Center...
published the book, "Monstering: Inside America's Policy of Secret Interrogations and Torture in the Terror War", which includes Provance's story most in-depth. She describes him as, "unconventional...a keen sense of injustice". The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, in a book review, reported, "if the United States still has a chance of winning the battle for the hearts and minds of the Muslim world, then we have people like Provance to thank".
On September 20, 2007 Provance was given the Sam Adams Award
Sam Adams Award
The Sam Adams Award is given annually by the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence, a group of retired CIA officers, to an intelligence professional who has taken a stand for integrity and ethics. It is named after Samuel A. Adams, a CIA whistleblower during the Vietnam War, and takes...
for "integrity in intelligence" at the American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
. He described missing the Army "more than anything else", and that after having lost his friends and family, speaking to the media was not worth it on a personal level.
An interview with Provance was broadcast on the Democracy Now!
Democracy Now!
Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
television program with Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
. He lamented that "even to this day...there’s been nobody else that has had their conscience bother them to come forward and say, look, this is what was really going on, and that it wasn’t just these MP's, and that these MP's were really doing what they were told".
Provance wrote a critical editorial about the documentary, "Standard Operating Procedure", directed by Oscar winning director Errol Morris
Errol Morris
Errol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and...
. He claims Morris promised, "a no-holds-barred documentary", but instead only "focuses on the awful photos, the people in them and those who took them". Portions of his interview with Morris, cut from the film's release, are however on the Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
edition's special features.
Provance gave a radio interview for Chicago Public Radio
Chicago Public Radio
WBEZ is a noncommercial, public radio station broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. Financed primarily by listener contributions, the station is affiliated with both National Public Radio and Public Radio International; they also broadcast content from American Public Media...
; saying he wished he had exhausted more "official channels", but that it is speculation to say if that would have changed anything. He wanted to discuss things more with his leadership, but having reprimanded him for bizarre things like not doing their laundry or not washing vehicles with water they were rationing, he felt they could not be trusted. He wanted to testify on behalf of the military police at their trials, but like in 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...
's case, her lawyers were erroneously told he could not be found. He compared his plight to Serpico
Serpico
Serpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
, but instead of meeting the same fate, says he still loves being a soldier and could return to the Army, though he fears his career would be sabotaged by "higher-ups" who might fear he has ulterior motives.
On October 22, 2009, Provance was given a letter of commendation signed by former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
and 15,000 others, for his "uncommon courage in defending the rule of law and standing up against torture". In his acceptance of the letter, he responded, "if and when we do the right thing, we may not ever know to what extent our words and actions are ever used by other people, or even God, but you can be sure that they will be". Days later he was interviewed by Karen Kwiatkowski
Karen Kwiatkowski
Karen U. Kwiatkowski is an American activist and commentator. She is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel whose assignments included duties as a Pentagon desk officer and a variety of roles for the National Security Agency. Since retiring, she has become a noted critic of the U.S....
; his final words being, "not to give up on the Army or our country...there are still good people doing good things".