Credit Where Credit is Due

The Toguba Report on abuses by the military contains a horrifying litany of torture inflicted on Iraqi detainees. [link] Commentators have been dissecting the report at length.

I don't have time this morning to post my own thoughts, but I do think that one aspect ought to be noted: at the end of the report, Major General Toguba singled out, by name, certain individuals who had done right when put to the test. We need more of those people, and I think that they deserve as much notice as we can give them. Here's what General Toguba had to say:

The individual Soldiers and Sailors that we observed and believe should be favorably noted include:

a. Master-at-Arms First Class William J. Kimbro, US Navy Dog Handler, knew his duties and refused to participate in improper interrogations despite significant pressure from the MI personnel at Abu Ghraib.

b. SPC Joseph M. Darby, 372nd MP Company discovered evidence of abuse and turned it over to military law enforcement.

c. 1LT David O. Sutton, 229th MP Company, took immediate action and stopped an abuse, then reported the incident to the chain of command.

I have no doubt that for every soldier who committed these shameful and wanton acts, there are a thousand soldiers who have done the honorable thing when confronted with difficult situations of their own. Thanks to Major General Toguba, at least we know who three of them are.