Video of Torture Hearing Released (VIDEO)

Some of war's most disturbing moments don't happen on the battlefield. Such was the case when Sergeant Chuck Luther sat before a Congressional committee and described how he was tortured by U.S. Army officials.

Luther had been confined to a closet at Camp Taji, Iraq. He was held there for over a month, under enforced sleep deprivation, until he agreed to sign documents saying his mortar fire wounds were caused by a pre-existing condition, making him ineligible for benefits.

Below is a video of Luther's testimony, as he lays out the graphic details of his torture. As a reporter who covers veterans' issues, I'm often asked what Americans can do to honor our soldiers. My answer: watch this video. Share it with your friends. Ask them to share it with theirs.

On this Veterans Day, don't let the voices of soldiers like Sgt. Luther go silent.

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Comments

[Laura Curtiss Palmer]

02:40 PM on 11/12/2010

Thank you Chuck for being there for us and so many others. I don't know what would have happened if not for your courage. You are truely a hero. Thank you also Joshua for believing and standing by Chuck. What a difference your voices will make for so many.

[Terris Linenbach]

12:28 AM on 11/12/2010

The bean counter at the Pentagon got a promotion by computing that 25,600 PD discharges would save the Pentagon $14.2 billion - even more if soldiers could live forever! Republican Buyer's (also disadvantaged by his most generous campaign contributors) response is exactly the same as apologizing to BP for being shaken down just for killing 11 people and devastating the Gulf. No doubt Republicans put up big bucks to get Rep. Filner out of office. Will Buyer be the new chair of the Veterans' Affairs committee? This is now Obama's mess to fix, so WHY HASN'T HE? Have the discharged soldiers been notified? And I'm so glad that Rep. Buyer won't let those commie reporters talk to Congress - instead they should be tortured until they sing God Bless America. And what a nice man, that sensitive Mr. Buyer, for respecting Mr. Luther's privacy! But we all know he is really concerned about the Pentagon's privacy, especially when it comes to following the advice of cold, evildoing bean counters.

[Rex Devious]

09:18 PM on 11/11/2010

Choose your allies well
For you'll soon find it true
That what they do to others
They'll one day do to you
-Rex Devious

[maserati2]

07:02 PM on 11/11/2010

After celebrating the long and proud history of our nation, we now witness the end of government integrity. We put our enlisted men in harm's way and we damn well better support them. To disinherit the injured and force them to lie under extreme duress demonstrates our true goals, which have little to do with protecting our national honor and security. We have invaded and abused foreign countries in the name of corporate profit. We favor the overpaid and well-equipted hired help from Blackwater at the expense of our own.

The officials in charge of this monsterous policy along with the congressmen that enable them should be removed from service immediately and jailed. Leg irons would be appropriate.

[RRK70]

06:39 PM on 11/11/2010

Just wondering when the last Congressional Committee investigation occurred that amounted to anything at all?  Watergate maybe? 

Kabuki.

[Terris Linenbach]

12:38 AM on 11/12/2010

If it weren't for the Internets the story and the hearing would be virtually unknown. Unless you read the Nation magazine. Cheney has said, roughly, that the few who read don't matter. Since Jon Stewart mocked the California Missile thing, perhaps he could talk about this story instead. How about it, Jon?

[cybersense]

06:17 PM on 11/11/2010

You know, this is not the first war this has happened.

[Terris Linenbach]

12:40 AM on 11/12/2010

Prove it.

[cybersense]

06:14 PM on 11/11/2010

Joshua, thank you for being a jounalist first.

[MarsAmbassador]

06:09 PM on 11/11/2010

This country is rotten to the core and the fact that conservatives are blind to this and just walk out when presented with the facts tells me that it's doomed as well.

[montn2]

05:26 PM on 11/11/2010

Reading all the messages here, everyone seems to be as angry and outraged as I am. Now let's do something --- write your congressman/woman and your senators. Both of my senators are rethugs but I am writing anyway. HEADS MUST ROLL on this. Accountability is a must.

[OnAndOnSOH]

05:25 PM on 11/11/2010

Bush authorized torture. The fear was that his decision would result in our soldiers being captured and tortured by foreign forces. It is appalling to discover that our soldiers are, instead, being tortured by our own military- just to save some money. Sickening.

[MrNCN]

05:20 PM on 11/11/2010

This is truly amazing. Unbelievable even...
Chuck Luther's website: http://www.disposablewarriors.com

[teapot90]

05:06 PM on 11/11/2010

What a shame. And remember, the only way this man's terrible story was brought before the US Congress was because it was under Democratically control. Republicans wouldn't have given this matter 2 seconds in the light of day. As of this coming January, when the house is again under Republican, if not Tea Party control, it will go back to the old rules: CYA and denying the obvious.

The days of getting answers about anything, and correcting injustices, will soon come to an end.

[Marco Lamboglia]

04:52 PM on 11/11/2010

Does anyone notice a pattern in republican actions? Attack and deny......... even our wounded veterans? Sad thing; majority of the military is republican.

[Todays Illusion]

04:28 PM on 11/11/2010

25,600 forced to sign personality disorder discharges.
How dishonorable.
What is the deal with the Republican Rep. Buyer?
Walking out instead of asking questions.

[cybersense]

06:10 PM on 11/11/2010

or because someone accused you of being gay. This happens to people in the Military. The reason the reported was there was that he didn't expect pay. He investigated, he was the only one to help.
Anyone could see that - and yet that non serving Republican show cased himself. Nice, eh?

[Todays Illusion]

06:19 PM on 11/11/2010

One of the Republicans who called us who opposed the Iraq war traitors.
One of the Republicans who had to be shamed into improving Veterans Care.
And the military man who had not begun to contact the service personnel who had been forced to sign the discharge documents, stating personality disorders.
 
Stories like this are not going to help recruitment.
 

[Allez18]

04:26 PM on 11/11/2010

Excuse me the United States of America would never torture... nope I got that wrong sorry, we would definitely do that.