Joe Darby the Whistleblower by Abigail Sanford

Summary

sanforda25155_2 — 2024-12-16 02:17:18 UTC

Joe Darby was serving in Iraq when he accidentally found photos of his fellow soldiers humiliating and torturing Iraqi prisoners. It took him 3 weeks to turn in the photos because he knew it would put him against his peers. He called his decision a "moral call". His tip called attention to the Abu Graib prison which led to investigations. When the pictures surfaced the news it caused an outrage in America. He later received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on May 16, 2005, in recognition of his courage.

Result

sanforda25155_2 — 2024-12-16 02:18:16 UTC

Darby was promised to stay anonymous because he knew he would receive backlash and feared being murdered by his colleagues. He risked his reputation, job, and the safety of his family by coming forward. He was exposed by the Secretary of Defence while sitting with hundreds of soldiers. When he returned to the United States he was placed in protective custody. His wife fled to her sister's house which was vandalized. She later joined him in custody. He was called a hero by people he didn't know and a snitch by his neighbors. He was blamed for the deaths that occurred in retaliation for the abuse that went on at the hands of American soldiers. Of the soldiers who got in trouble, eleven were convicted. However, most sentences were minor. Charles Graner served the most severe conviction; six-and-a-half years of his ten-year sentence. His family up and left and started a new life somewhere else. Joseph Darby returned to the United States Army, where he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He says he never regrets turning in those pictures.

Newspaper article

sanforda25155_2 — 2024-12-16 02:23:31 UTC

https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/PersonOfWeek/story?id=131827&page=1

According to allsides.com "ABC News" is usually leaning left, but I think this article is unbiased. The only controversial statement in this article is that he came forward and spoke out about how he was the one who sent the pictures in. In other articles I have read they said the Secretary of Defense is the one that exposed him for sending in the tip.

Video Clip

sanforda25155_2 — 2024-12-16 02:27:49 UTC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsCRKcWLamc

Connection to "Enemy of the People"

sanforda25155_2 — 2024-12-16 02:30:44 UTC

Joe Darby connects to Dr. Stockmann in Enemy of the People because they were both whistleblowers. Dr.Stockman exposed the bacteria in his town's baths, and Joe Darby exposed the abuse the military was putting detainees through. Their communities stayed silent, which was against these two people's moral values. They both received backlash, and it was the worst in their hometown. They were outcasted and called traitors. Both of the homes they were staying in were vandalized as the town tried to punish them.

sanforda25155_2 — 2024-12-16 02:37:14 UTC

I use this picture because it is the core of this scandal, the abuse that happened in the prison. https://www.businessinsider.com/guard-dogs-attack-prison-inmates-abu-ghraib-torture-trauma-2023-7 describes how this was a game where they would use the dogs to scare the detainees until they urinated or defecated.

sanforda25155_2 — 2024-12-16 02:38:57 UTC

I think this picture portrays Joe Darby because he is not like the rest of his community. He didn't participate in the inhumane actions going on around him. When he told the truth, he was outcasted by his peers.

sanforda25155_2 — 2024-12-16 02:42:22 UTC

I think this picture portrays Joe Darby because he exposed the truth when he knew there were consequences for his peers. He spoke out for the detainees who were silenced.

sanforda25155_2 — 2024-12-16 17:11:25 UTC