My heart bleeds again
Accused soldier's kin say he's scapegoat
By David Dishneau, Associated Press Writer
HAGERSTOWN, Md. --Family members of a soldier accused of abusing Iraqi war prisoners said Thursday that he was being made a scapegoat for commanders who gave him no guidance on managing hundreds of Iraqis with just a handful of poorly equipped troops.
Army Reserves Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick is one of six members of the 800th Military Police Brigade facing courts-martial for allegedly humiliating the prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. CBS's "60 Minutes II" broadcast pictures of the alleged abuse and an interview with Frederick Wednesday; the other soldiers' names have not been released.
Frederick's uncle, William Lawson, said the Army was treating his nephew unfairly.
"They're trying to portray him as a monster," said Lawson, of Newburg, W.Va. "He's just the guy they put in charge of the prison."
Frederick's wife, Martha, of Buckingham, Va., said her husband, in Iraq since April 2003, told her his unit wasn't provided proper training and equipment.
"I feel like things are being covered up. What has come to light has fallen on the burden of my husband," Martha Frederick said.
Military officials said Chip Frederick, 37, and at least some of the others are from the 372nd Military Police Company, a unit of the 800th based in Cresaptown, in western Maryland. The charges against them include dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, assault and indecent acts with another person.
Some of the soldiers were smiling in the photographs obtained by CBS, which showed naked prisoners stacked in a human pyramid and being forced to simulate sex acts.
