Sabrina Harman
[U.S. military guard at Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq, b. 1978, Lorton, Virginia, lives in Virginia.]
Not many people know this shit goes on. The only reason I want to be there is to get the pictures and prove the US is not what they think. But I don’t know if I can take it mentally. What if that was me in their shoes. These people will be our future terrorist. (October 20, 2003, written from Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq to her friend Kelly)
On June 23 I saw my first dead body I took pictures! The other day I heard my first grenade go off. Fun! (To her father, June 23, 2003, written from Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq)
If I come up to you and I’m like, “Hey this is going on,” you probably wouldn’t believe me unless I had something to show you. So if I say “Hey this is going on. Look, I have proof,” you can’t deny it, I guess. (On why she took the infamous photos of abused prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq)
…pictures were taken, you have to see them! A sandbag was put over their heads while it was soaked in hot sauce. Okay, that’s bad but these guys have info, we’re trying to get them to talk, that’s all. (October 20, 2003, written from Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq to her friend Kelly)
I guess we weren’t really thinking, Hey this guy has a family, or, Hey, this guy was just murdered. It was just—Hey, it’s a dead guy, it’d be cool to get a photo next to a dead person. I know it looks bad. I mean, even when I look at them, I go, “Oh Jesus, that does look pretty bad.” But when we were in that situation it wasn’t as bad as it looks coming out on the media, I guess, because people have photos of all kinds of things. Like, if a soldier sees somebody dead, normally they’ll take photos of it. (On her now notorious photos of abused prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq)
... it went too far even I can’t handle whats going on. I can’t get it out of my head. I walk down stairs after blowing the whistle and beating on the cells with an asp to find “the taxicab driver” handcuffed backwards to his window naked with his underwear over his head and face. He looked like Jesus Christ. At first I had to laugh so I went on and grabbed the camera and took a picture. (October 20, 2003, written from Abu Ghraib Prison, Iraq to her friend Kelly)