Santos Cardona
Encyclopedia
Santos A. Cardona was a sergeant in the United States Army
. He was one of the members of the U.S.
military police personnel who were charged with torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq
.
s, and unexploded ordinance UXO.
While deployed to Iraq, Cardona was accused of using his Belgian Malinois dog "Duco", to threaten Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison. Photos of the event were later made public. In May 2006 he was convicted of dereliction of duty and aggravated assault
, the equivalent of a felony
in the U.S. civilian justice system. The prosecution demanded prison time, but a military judge imposed a fine and reduction in rank
, and he was required to serve 90 days of hard labor at Fort Bragg
, North Carolina.
After his release he was transferred to a new unit and was promoted to Sergeant. He was then assigned to the 23rd MP Company that was staged in Kuwait as of November 2, 2006. He arrived in Kuwait with his unit and was selected to train Iraqi police.
On November 3, 2006, the Pentagon stated that Cardona's movement with his unit into Iraq from a staging area in Kuwait had been stopped and "He's not coming to Iraq, and will depart Kuwait and will return to Fort Bragg immediately where he will be assigned duties commensurate with his Military Occupation Specialty and rank that allows him to be a productive member of the military police corps and the United States Army." stated by Lt. Col. Josslyn L. Aberle, chief of media operations for the Multi-National Force
in Iraq
. Following his return to Fort Bragg, Cardona worked at the Army dog kennels. Cardona needed 5 more years of military service in order to gain full retirement benefits, but was unable to re-enlist to do provisions of his conviction for the incidents at Abu-Ghraib prison in Iraq. On September 29th, 2007, Cardona left the Army with an Honorable Discharge.
(KIA) February 28, 2009 in Uruzgan Providence, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan when the vehicle he was riding in struck a buried Improvised Explosive Device.
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...
. He was one of the members of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military police personnel who were charged with torturing prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in 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....
.
Military Career
Cardona joined the United States Army in 1993 at the age of 17, needing his father's signature as a waiver to join. His career led him to become a dog handler, a job he performed on deployments to Kosovo, Iraq, and later, as a government contractor in Afghanistan. His duties as a dog handler included both security, and also use of the canine's sense of smell to locate explosives, both improvised explosive devices IEDImprovised explosive device
An improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
s, and unexploded ordinance UXO.
While deployed to Iraq, Cardona was accused of using his Belgian Malinois dog "Duco", to threaten Iraqis in Abu Ghraib prison. Photos of the event were later made public. In May 2006 he was convicted of dereliction of duty and aggravated assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
, the equivalent of a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
in the U.S. civilian justice system. The prosecution demanded prison time, but a military judge imposed a fine and reduction in rank
Reduction in rank
Reduction in rank may refer to two separate concepts:*In military law, a reduction in rank is a demotion in military rank as punishment for a crime or wrongdoing, imposed by a court-martial or other authority...
, and he was required to serve 90 days of hard labor at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
, North Carolina.
After his release he was transferred to a new unit and was promoted to Sergeant. He was then assigned to the 23rd MP Company that was staged in Kuwait as of November 2, 2006. He arrived in Kuwait with his unit and was selected to train Iraqi police.
On November 3, 2006, the Pentagon stated that Cardona's movement with his unit into Iraq from a staging area in Kuwait had been stopped and "He's not coming to Iraq, and will depart Kuwait and will return to Fort Bragg immediately where he will be assigned duties commensurate with his Military Occupation Specialty and rank that allows him to be a productive member of the military police corps and the United States Army." stated by Lt. Col. Josslyn L. Aberle, chief of media operations for the Multi-National Force
MNF-Iraq
Multi-National Corps – Iraq was a formerly multinational, then United States only, army corps created on 15 May 2004, fighting the Iraq War. It's superior body, the Multi-National Force-Iraq had replaced Combined Joint Task Force 7 on May 15, 2004...
in 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....
. Following his return to Fort Bragg, Cardona worked at the Army dog kennels. Cardona needed 5 more years of military service in order to gain full retirement benefits, but was unable to re-enlist to do provisions of his conviction for the incidents at Abu-Ghraib prison in Iraq. On September 29th, 2007, Cardona left the Army with an Honorable Discharge.
Post Military Career and Death
After leaving the Army, Santos Cardona worked in Florida for a time as private security for a musician, then also as a motorcycle salesman. With the intention of returning to work as a dog handler, Cardona joined the Florida firm American K-9 Detection Services, and returned to Afghanistan in November of 2008 as a government contractor. Cardona and his Working Dog, a German Shepherd named "Zomie", were Killed In ActionKilled in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
(KIA) February 28, 2009 in Uruzgan Providence, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan when the vehicle he was riding in struck a buried Improvised Explosive Device.