So every one is upset by the Abu Ghraib abuse! This situation is of course, wrong. The people involved need to be punished, from the officer in charge on down. For any person, military or not to claim they were just "following orders" in committing these atrocities is ridiculous. This is an attempt to justify bad behavior, and is typical of today's attitude of not taking responsibility for what they did.

It's also typical military. Just watch and see who does the time for the crime, and don't be surprised if it's all enlisted personnel. In 1977, while providing technical support for a combined Navy/Marine Corps exercise on the Philippine island of Mindanao, I saw this first hand.

Who planned and oversaw the exercise? An Officer.
Who decided not to bring rifles ashore? An Officer.
Who okayed the use of the pick-axe handle in place of rifles? An Officer.
Who should also have been blamed? An Officer. It didn't happen.

First off, I don't condone what happened at Abu Ghraib. With that said, let's put this in perspective.
-Saddam Hussein tortured, raped, and killed his own people.
-The Germans, during WWII, committed genocide, medical experimentation, and torture.
-The Japanese, during WWII, tortured, raped, performed medical experimentation, mutilated corpses, and practiced cannibalism.

Pretty wild stuff in comparison, yet you don't hear folks getting worked up over any of that.

I wonder why.........