| Steven L. Jordan | |
|---|---|
| Born | South Dakota |
| Allegiance | , United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army Reserve |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held | Joint Interrogation Debriefing Center at Abu Ghraib prison |
| Battles/wars | Iraq War |
| Awards | Purple Heart Defense Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal Joint Service Commendation Medal Army Commendation Medal Army Achievement Medal |
Lieutenant Colonel Steven L. Jordan is a Civil Affairs officer with the United States Army Reserve. He volunteered to return to active duty to support the war in Iraq, and with a background in military intelligence, was made the director of the Joint Interrogation Debriefing Center at Abu Ghraib prison. Jordan currently resides in Fredericksburg, Virginia[1]
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In a report by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, Jordan was among several described as being "directly or indirectly responsible for the abuses at Abu Ghraib".[2] Jordan supervised the interrogation task force at Abu Ghraib, and was the second highest ranking military intelligence officer there, serving under Col. Thomas Pappas who has been granted immunity from prosecution so that he can testify against Jordan. [3] On April 28, 2006, Jordan became the highest ranking Army officer to face charges relating to the Abu Ghraib abuse when charges were filed against him, including oppressing detainees, lying about abuse, and dereliction of duty.[4]
Major General George Fay and Lieutenant General Anthony Jones were appointed to look into the abuse at Abu Ghraib.[5] In an appendix the report contained recommendations as to the actions the authorities should take against the officers and men implicated in the abuse — including Lieutenant Colonel Jordan:
On August 20, 2007, the presiding judge at Jordan's court martial dismissed two charges against him after Major General George Fay admitted that he did not read Jordan his rights before interviewing him in reference to the abuses that had taken place. This admission contradicted his sworn testimony at a March 12, 2007 pretrial hearing in which he testified under oath that he had advised Jordan of his rights. The charges dismissed were making a false official statement and false swearing and obstruction of justice leaving only four of the original twelve charges still standing. He still faced charges of disobeying Fay's order barring him from discussing the investigation with others as well as failure to obey a regulation, cruelty and maltreatment of detainees and dereliction of duty. On the same day prosecutors narrowed the scope of the cruelty and maltreatment charge from three a three month period to one day. Jordan was only tried on this charge based on the events of November 24, 2003 during a weapons search.
For his part, Jordan claims he was a scapegoat "because he is a reservist, is considered expendable". He has claimed that interrogation procedures were the responsibility of Colonel Thomas Pappas, the intelligence brigade commander and highest-ranking officer at Abu Ghraib, and Captain Carolyn Wood, leader of a unit within the interrogation center called the Interrogation Command Element. Neither of these two officers has been charged, although Pappas was fined $8,000 for approving the use of dogs during an interrogation without higher approval.[6]
During the trial, witnesses for the prosecution appeared to support some of Jordan's claims. Pappas testified that Jordan's responsibilities involved improving the quality of life for soldiers at the base and "improving the flow of intelligence information". He admitted that he advised Jordon to "let the experienced interrogators run the interrogations." Pappas also testified that Jordan was not in charge of the military police who ran the prison and who were responsible for some of the abuses. He further stipulated that military police were in charge of the November 24, 2003 weapons search which he had personally observed, and found no issues with. Other soldiers testified that Jordon was not present during any of the abuses. [7][8][9][10]
On August 28, 2007, Jordan was convicted of disobeying an order not to discuss a 2004 investigation into the allegations, but found innocent on all other charges. Jordan faced a possible 5 year sentence for this conviction and dismissal from the Army, but on August 29, 2007, a military judge issued Jordan a reprimand; the most lenient punishment allowed for the offense for which he was convicted.[11][12]
On January 8, 2008 Jordan's conviction and sentence were wiped clean by Major General Richard J. Rowe, commanding general of the Military District of Washington. Rowe did issue Jordan an administrative reprimand questioning Jordan's decision to disobey Fay's order. Rowe's action means that Jordan will have no record of a criminal conviction and will continue to serve as an active-duty officer at Fort Belvoir until his retirement.[13]
Jordan has received the following awards: Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal and Good Conduct Medal.
Jordan has also been awarded the following service medals and ribbons: Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terror Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon and the NATO Medal.