American service personnel have suffered at the hands of torturers in war after war for a century or more. The United States needs a serious commitment by our government in Washington to stop once and for all the torture of our servicemen and women by rogue nations and their leaders, like Iraq under Saddam Hussein. POWs are legally protected under the Third Geneva Convention, a binding international treaty signed by the U.S., Iraq, and 192 other nations (only Nauru is not a party). We should not compromise on humane treatment of our troops and citizens.
This story is particularly poignant because of the Abu Ghraib scandal. In 1991, 13 of the 17 POWs were held and tortured there. Then, in 2004 in the wake of the Abu Ghraib story, Secretary Rumsfeld told Congress that compensating the Iraqi detainees “is the right thing to do. I’m told we have the ability to do so. And so we will -- one way or another.” At that very same time, the Department of Justice was fighting the POWs to prevent them from being compensated from Iraqi assets for the far more severe torture they endured.
The Gulf War POWs' effort is a step toward implementing and pursuing a policy of giving every bit of protection we can to our captured troops. Part of the effort is sending the message around the world that open season on American POWs is over.
You can support the effort by helping us spread the story. It is vitally important that the Members of Congress know that people in their districts and states are concerned with what's going on in this case, that they won't let it be ignored ... that it won't go away.
The POWs stand behind President Bush as their Commander-in-Chief, and eight of these men continue to defend the country in our military to this date -- 14 years after the Gulf War. We encourage you to contact your Member of Congress and your two Senators and ask them to support the POWs. We ask you to write or call the President at the White House and ask him to send a message to terrorist nations that he will not let them torture Americans and that they will pay a heavy price if they do.
What is at stake is our nation's honor, and stopping the torture now, not after the next time American POWs are tortured or killed. Enough is enough.
All of us appreciate whatever you can do on behalf of the POWs. Thank you.
1. Contact the White House
Look at a Sample Letter to The President (PDF)
- E-Mail The Honorable President George W. Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
- Write a Letter to the White House
The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500 - Call The White House Phone Numbers
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
2. Contact Your Representatives
Look at a Sample Letter to the House(PDF)
Look at a Sample Letter to the Senate(PDF)
- Click Here to Email Your Representative: www.house.gov/writerep
- Click Here to Email Your Senator: www.senate.gov
3. Contact the Congressional Leadership
- Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist
461 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202)224-3344
FAX: (202)228-1264 - Speaker Dennis Hastert
235 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2976
FAX: (202) 225-0697
Email Speaker Hastert -
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay
242 Cannon House Office
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5951
FAX: (202) 225-5241
Email Majority Leader Frist
Email Majority Leader DeLay
4. Sign up to receive updates on our efforts