Marine Sgt. James Gilligan.

On May 15, 2008, Sergeant James Gilligan gave testimony before the Congressional Progressive Caucus. What follows is a selection of his testimony.

Good morning everyone, my name is James Gilligan. I served a four year and a two year contract honorably for the United States Marine Corps. While on active duty I achieved the rank of Corporal and was promoted while in the IRR (Individual Ready Reserve) to the rank of Sergeant. I was deployed to Kuwait and later in the initial assault five years ago to Iraq, for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in 2003 with the 2nd Marine Division 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion H&S Co, CEB Main; and served as a member of the Nuclear Biological Chemical recon Team for the Combat Engineer Battalion or CEB. Later within the same month of returning home I deployed to United States Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with 3/6 Weapons Co CAAT Plt. I was assigned in the Joint Operations Center (JOC) and later on the fence line. I have personally observed Camp X-Ray from the outside and later once inside. In 2004 I was deployed with the same unit to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) […] I have personally been on Camp X-Ray and though only for one hour it afforded me the opportunity to see the conditions of how detainees are treated. I have not seen water boarding, but I have heard from military police who have done it, and were less th[a]n convinced that this was a means of extracting viable intelligence and not just inhumane torture. While the US has maintained operations against the global war on terror untold numbers have been detained. If this facility is in the public eye, it makes me wonder what other prisons are there. Surely not every detainee is housed in Guantanamo.

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