Mid’town man faces military charges

Former Belford
resident named in Iraq prison-abuse case
BY JOSH DAVIDSON
Staff Writer

Col. Thomas M. Pappas

A former Middletown resident has been implicated by the military in an investigation of alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees in a Baghdad prison.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba recommended that former Belford resident U.S. Army Col. Thomas M. Pappas, 45, be given a General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand, in a February 2004 report on alleged human rights abuses of Iraqi prisoners by members of the 800th Military Police Brigade at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad.

Taguba’s other recommendations include a call for an investigation into Pappas’ actions at the prison.

The Army takes the charges very seriously, said U.S. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Kevin Gainer.

"In fact, a number of soldiers will face trial by court-martial," he said. "The Army will investigate this matter fully and with the eyes of the world watching. These abusive actions are abhorrent and the military is working hard to ensure that this does not happen again and that the guilty will be punished.

Taguba was ordered to begin the report in January, which involved investigating the treatment of prisoners detained at the prison from November 2003 to the present. The report alleges that Pappas failed to ensure that soldiers under his direct command were properly trained in interrogation procedures. It also alleges that soldiers under Pappas’ direct command did not know, understand and follow the protections required for the detainees by the Geneva Convention. Pappas also allegedly did not properly supervise his soldiers working and visiting certain areas of the prison, according to Taguba’s report.

"The military is committed to treating all persons under coalition custody with dignity and respect," Gainer said. "U.S. military personnel are expected to treat prisoners of war in a manner con­sistent with the Geneva Conventions. Those who violate these procedures, or obey unlawful orders to do so, will face military justice."

The Army will not comment on an investigation involving any of its mem­bers, said Martha Rudd, an Army spokesperson.

"We don’t want to prejudice the inves­tigation," she said. "We do intend to find out what went on and will deal with it appropriately. Of course, we do not ap­prove of any of the alleged actions there.

"The situation involving the prison abuse allegations is being investigated," Gainer said. "The goal is to find out what went wrong and bring the guilty parties to justice."

Pappas’ brother John of Middletown said he became aware of the allegations against his brother when it became pub­lic.

He said he has heard from his brother, who is stationed in Germany and is "maintaining" himself emotion­ally.

Thomas Pappas has a solid record with the military, John said.

"I don’t believe, personally, that he had anything to do with this," he said. "We believe he has always been a stand-up guy. He has always followed the rules and regulations and we’re pretty much waiting for the investigation to end."

Thomas is not talking publicly about the investigation at this point, John said.

Pappas graduated from the Naval War College in Newport Rhode Island in June 2003 with a master of arts degree, according to the Web site of the 205th Brigade, which Pappas commands. His military career started as a second lieu­tenant in the Military Intelligence Branch in the Reserve Officers Train­ing Corps (ROTC) program at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. Pappas graduated from Rutgers that year where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He also has a master of science degree from Central Michigan Univer­sity.

Pappas, grew up in the township and attended the school district.

Pappas has held numerous intelli­gence command and staff positions in the United States, Europe and Far East. He has received many military awards and decorations, including the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service medal, the Army Commendation medal, the Army Achievement medal, the National Defense Service medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary medal, the Southwest Asia Service medal, the Armed Forces Service medal and the Armed Forces Reserve medal.