Tweet
Just saw this, and it really saddened me on many levels... A travesty...
Followed his orders... Betrayed, maligned and ostracized by those superiors that gave the orders. Lost his career and died trying to fix all that in his head and make it right...
I'm so thankful for these brave warriors that allow us live the life we do....
________________________________________
Former MP Slain in Bid for Redemption
LINK w/photo
Abu Ghraib MP Slain In Bid for Redemption
Ex-Soldier Hoped to Boost Afghan War Effort
Santos A. Cardona, 34, who was a contractor in Afghanistan, died Saturday in a roadside bombing. (Family Photo)
By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 6, 2009
Santos A. Cardona, an Army dog handler involved in the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, was determined to continue fighting in America's overseas battles to erase the stain of his assault conviction, his family members said.
Those closest to him said his passion for doing what he loved in the service of his country led him to try to return to Iraq in 2006, but the military brought him home after his planned deployment was publicized. Late last year, Cardona, 34, got his chance to rejoin the fight.
He traveled to Afghanistan as a government contractor, using a German shepherd to search for improvised explosive devices and weapons stockpiles. On Saturday, Cardona and his dog, Zomie, were killed when his military convoy hit a roadside bomb, according to Cardona's employer and his family.
Cardona's death was a violent end to a quest for redemption. His loved ones said he undertook one last year at war to earn money for his young daughter, show the military that he was good at his job, and dispel the cloud caused by photographs from Abu Ghraib that circled the globe.
"He wanted to prove that he had nothing to hide, and his way of dealing with that was to go back to war," said Steven Acevedo, Cardona's uncle and close friend. "He very much believed his job was important, but he was resentful that his president and that his government had turned their back on him and tried to use him as a scapegoat. He was really torn up about that."
Cardona and his tan Belgian Malinois, Duco, were shown in photographs of detainee abuse that surfaced publicly in 2004. The most notable image showed Duco growling at a cowering, naked detainee.
Cardona argued he was ordered to have Duco intimidate high-value detainees at the behest of senior officers -- claims supported by court testimony and military records -- and jurors acquitted him of all but one assault charge. Cardona was ecstatic after receiving a verdict that spared him jail time and allowed him to stay in the Army.
But staying in the Army did not mean the legacy of Abu Ghraib would disappear. After his blocked attempt to return to Iraq in 2006, he worked at the Army's dog kennels at Fort Bragg, N.C. Demoted as part of his sentence and finding he was unable to sign up for the five more years it would have taken to earn a full military retirement pension, Cardona was honorably discharged on Sept. 29, 2007, according to Army records.
Though Cardona always believed he had done nothing wrong at Abu Ghraib, he carried a silent anger at those who ordered his actions but never were held to account, family members said.
"I know that the accusations and the trial tore him up," said Heather Ashby, the mother of Cardona's 9-year-old daughter, Keelyn. "Emotionally, it was a huge drain on him. I don't think he ever wanted to be remembered like that, and I know he was angry that people who were giving orders didn't pay a price or defend what happened and instead let the lower enlisted take a hit."
Easygoing, sometimes goofy, Cardona was dedicated to the life of a soldier. He joined the Army at age 17 in 1993 -- needing his father's signature to do so -- and envisioned a military career. He met Ashby, also a military police soldier, while the two were stationed in Germany in the late 1990s, and Keelyn was born in 1999. It was then that Cardona fell in love with dog handling and was sent to Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, where he used his dogs on patrols to sniff out bombs and provide security.
He so loved his working dogs that he adopted them after they were retired from service. Duco, now 12 years old, lives with Keelyn and Ashby in Florida.
The deployments caused Cardona to miss much of Keelyn's youth, and it wasn't until after he left the Army in 2007 that he became close to her. When he moved to Florida to be near Keelyn, he bought her a pink .22-caliber rifle and often took her shooting, discovering that she had a natural ability with the weapon. Cardona loved helping her play softball and was described by many as being a lot like a big kid.
His desire to deploy again was based largely on wanting to be able to provide for Keelyn, family and friends said. Cardona's family said he planned to eventually start up a security company in the United States using his experience with dogs.
But those plans were put on hold after Cardona was discharged from the military in 2007. He provided private security for a rap musician in Florida and at times sold motorcycles, another of his passions. In November, Cardona joined Florida-based American K-9 Detection Services, which has a contract with the U.S. military.
Harvey Volzer, an Alexandria lawyer who represented Cardona, said he returned to the battlefields to prove something to himself and to his country. Despite feeling stung by his government, Cardona felt he owed much to the Army, his attorney said.
"What happened in court didn't prevent him from trying to get back there and do his job again," Volzer said. "He thought what we were doing in Iraq and Afghanistan was important, and he loved feeling like he was doing something that was saving lives."
Family members said Cardona led a team of explosives-sniffing dogs in Afghanistan, hunting the roadside bombs that have claimed thousands of American lives there and in Iraq over the past eight years. His efforts -- including the discovery of dozens of such bombs in recent days -- got him handpicked for a mission with U.S. Special Forces on Saturday.
Acevedo said officials told him that Cardona was sitting in the back of a Humvee when it came under fire. Trying to evade the ambush, the vehicle rolled over several bombs, was catapulted by the blasts, flipped and landed on Santos and his dog.
"He loved the dangerous part of the job," Acevedo said. "I wish he didn't, but he did."
American K-9 said in a statement yesterday that Cardona and Zomie were killed while conducting "force protection operations" in Afghanistan. "We will remember them for their bravery and their selflessness."
The U.S. military provided few details about the incident, citing operational security concerns. Air Force Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a spokeswoman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said the blast killed Cardona about noon Saturday near Sawra village in Uruzgan province. Two coalition soldiers who were injured in the attack were evacuated and are in stable condition.
Ashby said she and Keelyn last spoke to Cardona the Wednesday before he was killed, and he seemed busy and tired. Ashby and Keelyn were planning to send him photos of a school event on Friday -- in which Keelyn was dressed as a pioneer in a bonnet and skirt -- when they learned of Cardona's death.
"It has been devastating, but we know he was doing what he loved to do," Ashby said in a telephone interview, Duco barking in the background. "He went over there to show that he still very much loved his country and helping people and protecting people. He still was going to do it no matter how hard you kicked him when he was down."
Funeral services are scheduled for Wednesday in Cardona's home town of Fullerton, Calif., where he will be buried in a family plot.
Followed his orders... Betrayed, maligned and ostracized by those superiors that gave the orders. Lost his career and died trying to fix all that in his head and make it right...
I'm so thankful for these brave warriors that allow us live the life we do....
________________________________________
Former MP Slain in Bid for Redemption
LINK w/photo
Abu Ghraib MP Slain In Bid for Redemption
Ex-Soldier Hoped to Boost Afghan War Effort
Santos A. Cardona, 34, who was a contractor in Afghanistan, died Saturday in a roadside bombing. (Family Photo)
By Josh White
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 6, 2009
Santos A. Cardona, an Army dog handler involved in the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib, was determined to continue fighting in America's overseas battles to erase the stain of his assault conviction, his family members said.
Those closest to him said his passion for doing what he loved in the service of his country led him to try to return to Iraq in 2006, but the military brought him home after his planned deployment was publicized. Late last year, Cardona, 34, got his chance to rejoin the fight.
He traveled to Afghanistan as a government contractor, using a German shepherd to search for improvised explosive devices and weapons stockpiles. On Saturday, Cardona and his dog, Zomie, were killed when his military convoy hit a roadside bomb, according to Cardona's employer and his family.
Cardona's death was a violent end to a quest for redemption. His loved ones said he undertook one last year at war to earn money for his young daughter, show the military that he was good at his job, and dispel the cloud caused by photographs from Abu Ghraib that circled the globe.
"He wanted to prove that he had nothing to hide, and his way of dealing with that was to go back to war," said Steven Acevedo, Cardona's uncle and close friend. "He very much believed his job was important, but he was resentful that his president and that his government had turned their back on him and tried to use him as a scapegoat. He was really torn up about that."
Cardona and his tan Belgian Malinois, Duco, were shown in photographs of detainee abuse that surfaced publicly in 2004. The most notable image showed Duco growling at a cowering, naked detainee.
Cardona argued he was ordered to have Duco intimidate high-value detainees at the behest of senior officers -- claims supported by court testimony and military records -- and jurors acquitted him of all but one assault charge. Cardona was ecstatic after receiving a verdict that spared him jail time and allowed him to stay in the Army.
But staying in the Army did not mean the legacy of Abu Ghraib would disappear. After his blocked attempt to return to Iraq in 2006, he worked at the Army's dog kennels at Fort Bragg, N.C. Demoted as part of his sentence and finding he was unable to sign up for the five more years it would have taken to earn a full military retirement pension, Cardona was honorably discharged on Sept. 29, 2007, according to Army records.
Though Cardona always believed he had done nothing wrong at Abu Ghraib, he carried a silent anger at those who ordered his actions but never were held to account, family members said.
"I know that the accusations and the trial tore him up," said Heather Ashby, the mother of Cardona's 9-year-old daughter, Keelyn. "Emotionally, it was a huge drain on him. I don't think he ever wanted to be remembered like that, and I know he was angry that people who were giving orders didn't pay a price or defend what happened and instead let the lower enlisted take a hit."
Easygoing, sometimes goofy, Cardona was dedicated to the life of a soldier. He joined the Army at age 17 in 1993 -- needing his father's signature to do so -- and envisioned a military career. He met Ashby, also a military police soldier, while the two were stationed in Germany in the late 1990s, and Keelyn was born in 1999. It was then that Cardona fell in love with dog handling and was sent to Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, where he used his dogs on patrols to sniff out bombs and provide security.
He so loved his working dogs that he adopted them after they were retired from service. Duco, now 12 years old, lives with Keelyn and Ashby in Florida.
The deployments caused Cardona to miss much of Keelyn's youth, and it wasn't until after he left the Army in 2007 that he became close to her. When he moved to Florida to be near Keelyn, he bought her a pink .22-caliber rifle and often took her shooting, discovering that she had a natural ability with the weapon. Cardona loved helping her play softball and was described by many as being a lot like a big kid.
His desire to deploy again was based largely on wanting to be able to provide for Keelyn, family and friends said. Cardona's family said he planned to eventually start up a security company in the United States using his experience with dogs.
But those plans were put on hold after Cardona was discharged from the military in 2007. He provided private security for a rap musician in Florida and at times sold motorcycles, another of his passions. In November, Cardona joined Florida-based American K-9 Detection Services, which has a contract with the U.S. military.
Harvey Volzer, an Alexandria lawyer who represented Cardona, said he returned to the battlefields to prove something to himself and to his country. Despite feeling stung by his government, Cardona felt he owed much to the Army, his attorney said.
"What happened in court didn't prevent him from trying to get back there and do his job again," Volzer said. "He thought what we were doing in Iraq and Afghanistan was important, and he loved feeling like he was doing something that was saving lives."
Family members said Cardona led a team of explosives-sniffing dogs in Afghanistan, hunting the roadside bombs that have claimed thousands of American lives there and in Iraq over the past eight years. His efforts -- including the discovery of dozens of such bombs in recent days -- got him handpicked for a mission with U.S. Special Forces on Saturday.
Acevedo said officials told him that Cardona was sitting in the back of a Humvee when it came under fire. Trying to evade the ambush, the vehicle rolled over several bombs, was catapulted by the blasts, flipped and landed on Santos and his dog.
"He loved the dangerous part of the job," Acevedo said. "I wish he didn't, but he did."
American K-9 said in a statement yesterday that Cardona and Zomie were killed while conducting "force protection operations" in Afghanistan. "We will remember them for their bravery and their selflessness."
The U.S. military provided few details about the incident, citing operational security concerns. Air Force Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a spokeswoman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said the blast killed Cardona about noon Saturday near Sawra village in Uruzgan province. Two coalition soldiers who were injured in the attack were evacuated and are in stable condition.
Ashby said she and Keelyn last spoke to Cardona the Wednesday before he was killed, and he seemed busy and tired. Ashby and Keelyn were planning to send him photos of a school event on Friday -- in which Keelyn was dressed as a pioneer in a bonnet and skirt -- when they learned of Cardona's death.
"It has been devastating, but we know he was doing what he loved to do," Ashby said in a telephone interview, Duco barking in the background. "He went over there to show that he still very much loved his country and helping people and protecting people. He still was going to do it no matter how hard you kicked him when he was down."
Funeral services are scheduled for Wednesday in Cardona's home town of Fullerton, Calif., where he will be buried in a family plot.
Comment