Ricardo Sanchez
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Lieutenant General Ricardo S. Sanchez (born 1953) was the commander of coalition ground forces in Iraq and was the highest-ranking Hispanic in the United States Army as of November 2, 2006, when he retired. At that time, he called his career a casualty of the Abu Ghraib scandal. [1]
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[edit] Early life and education
Born into a poor family in Rio Grande City, Texas, Sanchez studied hard throughout school. He spent one year at the University of Texas at Austin on an ROTC scholarship, eventually transferring to Texas A&I University (now Texas A&M University-Kingsville) in Kingsville, Texas, where he graduated in 1973 with a double major in math and history. Sanchez was named "Distinguished Military Graduate" of his graduating class and was offered a Regular Army commission as a second lieutenant (as opposed to the usual Reserve Army commission tendered to graduates).
[edit] Army career
Shortly after graduation, Sanchez was commissioned into the Army, becoming a paratrooper platoon leader with the 82nd Airborne Division stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. By 1977, he was transferred to Armor. He received promotions swiftly and was stationed all over the United States, in Korea, Panama and Germany.
In 1991, then-Lieutenant Colonel Sanchez served as a battalion commander during Operation Desert Storm, successfully leading his battalion to Basra without losing any men. Shortly after the Gulf War, Sanchez was promoted to colonel and given command of the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division. Afterwards, he served on the staff of U.S. Southern Command, first as deputy chief of staff then as director of operations.
On July 10, 2001, General Sanchez became commanding general of V Corps' 1st Armored Division. He held that position for nearly two years before assuming command of the entire corps on June 14, 2003. On this date he also became commander of coalition ground forces in the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq.
[edit] Commander of Coalition Ground Forces--Iraq
June 2003 to July 2004
Sanchez held the top military position in Iraq during what was arguably one of the most critical periods of the war--the year after the fall of the Hussein regime, and the time the insurgency took root and began its counterattack. Highlights during his tenure as commander in Iraq include the killing of Uday and Qusay Hussein, and the capture of Saddam Hussein.
He was in command when the abuse of prisoners occurred most notably at Abu Ghraib prison. Some have been highly critical of the U.S. military's failure to hold generals accountable, putting the blame for abuses at Abu Ghraib and other detention centers only on a few individuals of the lowest rank.
Sanchez was succeeded as commander of allied ground forces in Iraq by a four-star general: former Army Vice Chief of Staff George Casey.
[edit] The Westmoreland of Iraq
American Army Colonel (Retired) Andrew Bacevich sums up what many think of the general: "Historians will remember Sanchez as the William Westmoreland of the Iraq War--the general who misunderstood the conflict he faced and thereby played into the enemy's hands."[1]
[edit] Disunity in leadership
L. Paul Bremer was the leader of the Coaltion Provisional Authority in Iraq. There was almost a complete failure to communicate between Bremer the top civilian, and Sanchez the military leader. "It was very clear they hated each other. They lived in the same palace and didn't talk to each other." This disunity in leadership has been cited as one of the major failures of the first year of the Iraq War.[1]
[edit] Abu Ghraib
Sanchez was commander of coalition forces during the period when abuse of prisoners occurred at Abu Ghraib and at other locations. On May 5, 2006 Sanchez denied ever authorizing interrogators to "go to the outer limits". Sanchez said he had told interrogators: "...we should be conducting our interrogations to the limits of our authority." Sanchez called the ACLU: "...a bunch of sensationalist liars, I mean lawyers, that will distort any and all information that they get to draw attention to their positions." [2]
[edit] War Crimes Prosecution
On 14th November 2006 human rights advocate Wolfgang Kaleck brought charges at the German Federal Attorney General (Generalbundesanwalt) against Ricardo Sanchez and a number of other high officials for their involvement in human rights violations in Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay. Kaleck acts as an advocate for more than 30 human rights organisations as well as 11 former prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. According to a spokesmen of the agency Federal Public Prosecutor Monika Harms will examine the statement of claim now. [3][4]
[edit] Career after Iraq
Sanchez was relieved of his role as commander in Iraq, but tapped by his bosses at the Pentagon for promotion to a four star command. The Senate refused to approve the appointment because of the Abu Ghraib scandal.
Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez relinquished command of the V Corps in Germany on Sept. 6, 2006 in a ceremony at Campbell Barracks. The Army announced on September 8 that the 33-year veteran will retire in November.[2] David D. McKiernan will be the new commander.
[edit] Quotes
- "(The Abu Ghraib prison scandal is) the key reason, the sole reason, that I was forced to retire. I was essentially not offered another position in either a three-star or four-star command." [3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Quoted in Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, by Thomas E. Ricks, p. 392, New York: Penguin Press, 2006.
- ^ defends his adherence to Geneva Conventions in Iraq, Macon Telegraph, May 5, 2006
- ^ Adam Zagorin: Exclusive: Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld Over Prison Abuse. TIME, 10 November 2006
- ^ Sebastian Wessels: Keine Ruhe für Rumsfeld. jungeWelt, 15 November 2006 (German)
[edit] External links
- US commander 'allowed prison abuse' (Friday 27 August 2004, Aljazeera)
