Ricardo Sanchez
Ricardo Sanchez | |
---|---|
Born | Rio Grande City, Texas, U.S. | September 9, 1953
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | United States Army |
Years of service | 1973–2006 |
Rank | Lieutenant general |
Commands held | 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor, 197th Infantry Brigade 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division 1st Armored Division Multi-National Force – Iraq V Corps |
Battles/wars | Persian Gulf War Iraq War |
Awards | Defense Distinguished Service Medal Army Distinguished Service Medal Defense Superior Service Medal Legion of Merit Bronze Star |
Ricardo Sanchez (born September 9, 1953) is a former lieutenant general in the United States Army. His career was most notable for authorizing the use of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison between 2003 and 2004.
Early life and education
Sánchez was born into a
Career
Sánchez became a platoon leader in the
In 1991, then
On July 10, 2001, by then a general, Sánchez became commander of
Commander of Coalition Ground Forces in Iraq
June 2003 to June 2004
Sánchez held the top military position in Iraq during what was arguably one of the most critical periods of the war—the year after the fall of the Hussein regime, and the time the insurgency took root and began its counterattack. Highlights during his tenure as commander in Iraq include the killing of Uday and Qusay Hussein, and the capture of Saddam Hussein.
He was in command when the abuse of prisoners occurred most notably at Abu Ghraib prison. Some have been highly critical of the U.S. military's failure to hold senior officers accountable, as blame for abuses at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers was placed only on a few individuals of the lowest rank.
Sánchez was succeeded as commander of coalition ground forces in
Disunity in leadership
When you take a father in front of his family and put a bag over his head and put him on the ground, you have a significant adverse effect on his dignity and respect in the eyes of his family.[1]
There was almost a complete failure to communicate between Bremer, the top civilian, and Sánchez, the military leader. According to journalist Thomas Ricks: "It was very clear they hated each other. They lived in the same palace and didn't talk to each other." This disunity in leadership has been cited as one of the major failures of the first year of the Iraq War.[2]
Abu Ghraib scandal
Sánchez was commander of coalition forces during a period when abuse of prisoners occurred at
On May 5, 2006, Sánchez denied ever authorizing interrogators to "go to the outer limits". Sánchez said he had told interrogators: "...we should be conducting our interrogations to the limits of our authority." Sanchez called the ACLU: "...a bunch of sensationalist liars, I mean lawyers, that will distort any and all information that they get to draw attention to their positions."[4]
Documents obtained by The Washington Post and the ACLU showed that Sanchez authorized the use of military dogs, temperature extremes, reversed sleep patterns, and sensory deprivation as interrogation methods in Abu Ghraib.[5] A November 2004 report by Brigadier General Richard Formica found that many troops at the Abu Ghraib prison had been following orders based on a memorandum from Sanchez, and that the abuse had not been carried out by isolated "criminal" elements.[6] ACLU lawyer Amrit Singh said in a statement from the union that "General Sanchez authorized interrogation techniques that were in clear violation of the Geneva Conventions and the army's own standards."[7]
Military career after Iraq
In June 2004, Sánchez relinquished command of the Multi-National Force Iraq (MNF-I) to General
On September 6, 2006, Sánchez relinquished command of V Corps in a ceremony at Campbell Barracks, Heidelberg, Germany. Sánchez had commanded the corps for more than 3 years; longer than any previous commander in the unit's history. In deference to Sánchez' longevity, he relinquished command to General
Sánchez retired on November 1, 2006, culminating 33 years of Army service. Sánchez now lives in his home state of Texas.
In May 2008 Sanchez's autobiography Wiser in Battle: a Soldier's Story was published by
2012 U.S. Senate campaign
In May 2011, Sánchez announced that he was considering a candidacy for the
I am very grateful for the strong support and encouragement I have received from supporters across the country and the wonderful Texans I have met in every part of our great state. However, pressing personal challenges, coupled with the recent loss of our home due to fire and lagging fundraising numbers make a statewide election campaign impractical for me at this time.
After extensive consultation with my family, Maria Elena and I have decided to put family first and I will therefore end my campaign for the 2012 U.S. Senate seat as of today.
I am blessed to have made friends with so many great Texans on this journey. Their personal stories and their love for our homeland will continue to inspire me as I look ahead and consider future opportunities for public service. I remain steadfast in the desire to serve both my country and the State of Texas to help bring new, responsible, and fair-minded leadership to our government.
May God Bless Texas and May God Bless America.
Criticism of the media and political leadership
Speaking to a group of military reporters and editors in Washington, D.C., on October 12, 2007,[10] Sanchez lambasted the media for "sensationalist" coverage and "self-aggrandizement" and expressing the belief that reporters were willing to "compromise [their] integrity" and "display questionable ethics" to get front page stories:
The death knell of your ethics has been enabled by your parent organizations who have chosen to align themselves with political agendas. What is clear to me is that you are perpetuating the corrosive partisan politics that is destroying our country and killing our servicemen who are at war. My assessment is that your profession, to some extent, has strayed from these ethical standards and allowed external agendas to manipulate what the American public sees on TV, what they read in our newspapers and what they see on the web. For some of you, just like some politicians, the truth is of little to no value if it does not fit your preconceived notions, biases and agendas.
Sánchez went on to criticize the partisanship that has characterized America's political leadership on Iraq:[11]
There has been a glaring, unfortunate, display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders. As a Japanese proverb says, "Action without vision is a nightmare." There is no question that America is living a nightmare with no end in sight. Since 2003, the politics of war have been characterized by partisanship as the Republican and Democratic parties struggled for power in Washington. National efforts to date have been corrupted by partisan politics that have prevented us from devising effective, executable, supportable solutions. At times, these partisan struggles have led to political decisions that endangered the lives of our sons and daughters on the battlefield. The unmistakable message was that political power had a greater priority than our national security objectives. Overcoming this strategic failure is the first step toward achieving victory in Iraq — without bipartisan cooperation we are doomed to fail. There is nothing going on in Washington that would give us hope.[12]
Sánchez has become the most senior retired general to criticize American political leadership of the war.[citation needed]
Military awards
Among Ricardo Sánchez military awards and decorations are the following:
Decorations and medals
Defense Distinguished Service Medal | |
Army Distinguished Service Medal (with one Oak leaf cluster) | |
Defense Superior Service Medal | |
Legion of Merit | |
Bronze Star Medal (with Oak leaf cluster and "V" device) | |
Joint Service Commendation Medal
| |
Army Commendation Medal
| |
Army Achievement Medal (with 1 Oak leaf clusters)
| |
National Defense Service Medal (with one Service star) | |
Southwest Asia Service Medal | |
Kosovo Campaign Medal | |
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal | |
Army Service Ribbon | |
Army Overseas Service Ribbon
| |
NATO Medal | |
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia) | |
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) | |
Meritorious Unit Commendation | |
Army Superior Unit Award
|
Badge
Bibliography
On May 6, 2008,
On May 7, 2008, General Sánchez was interviewed by Fresh Air host Terry Gross on NPR where he discussed the Iraq war, his life and book.[14]
References
- ^ Cleveland, William L., and Martin P. Bunton. A History of the Modern Middle East. Boulder: Westview, 2013. 513. Print.
- ISBN 1-59420-103-X
- ^ US memo shows Iraq jail methods
- Macon Telegraph, May 5, 2006
- ^ "General Granted Latitude At Prison". The Washington Post. June 12, 2004. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007.
- ^ "Wrong advice blamed for US abuse". BBC News AMERICAS. London: British Broadcasting Corporation. June 17, 2006. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
[...] most defendants say they were following orders.
- ^ "US memo shows Iraq jail methods". BBC News Americas. London: British Broadcasting Corporation. March 30, 2005. Archived from the original on May 26, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2007.
The top US general in Iraq authorised interrogation techniques including the use of dogs, stress positions and disorientation, a memo has shown.
- ^ a b Martin, Gary (May 5, 2011). "Profile: Can Ricardo Sanchez go from impoverished Texas child to 3-star general to U.S. Senate?". Houston Chronicle. Houston, TX.
- ^ NEWS FLASH: Ricardo Sanchez Drops Out of Senate Race
- ^ http://www.militaryreporters.org/sanchez_101207.html Archived 2007-10-14 at the Wayback Machine Prepared notes for Military Reporters and Editors address, Military Reporter, October 12, 2007
- New York Times, October 12, 2007
- ^ "Gen. Sánchez's Scream". opinionjournal.com. 2007-10-18.
- ^ Wiser in Battle: A Soldier's Story HarperCollins official site
- ^ Ricardo Sanchez: 'Wiser' in Hindsight on Iraq, Politics
External links
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- U.S. Commander Retires Over Abu Ghraib
- Complete text, audio, and video of Ricardo Sanchez' speech to a military reporters and editors forum luncheon
- The Story of Ricardo S. Sanchez by Our World in Balance
- U.S. commander "allowed prison abuse" (Friday 27 August 2004, Aljazeera)
- SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE INQUIRY INTO THE TREATMENT OF DETAINEES IN U.S. CUSTODY United States Senate Committee on Armed Services, 2008
- Ricardo Sanchez at IMDb