Orrin Hatch: “I rise today to echo the horror that all of our citizens felt when we first viewed the photographs taken at Abu Ghraib…”

“I rise today to echo the horror that all of our citizens felt when we first viewed the photographs taken at Abu Ghraib prison. It is a stain upon the honor of our nation and the actions of these few individuals have undermined many of the substantial gains and sacrifices that our service men and women have achieved since the events of September 11th. At the same time, it is important to remember that these are the disgraceful actions of a few and by no means do they represent the hard work and honorable service of the 138,000 soldiers, sailors, airman, marines, and coast guardsman that are serving our country in Iraq and surrounding countries. During this trying time, I am also reminded that one of our troops' primary responsibilities is to do what is necessary to minimize civilian casualties. As some of my colleagues have mentioned on numerous occasions, one of their most vivid memories of the war was when a young American service member ran out onto an exposed bridge in order to save a young Iraqi woman. This is just one of many examples of the high personal, professional and moral conduct that is displayed every day by our Nation's service members. The question then arises, how do we remove this stain on our honor? Our commander-in-chief, the President, as always, is leading the way by expressing his outrage over these actions and has apologized to the world. The Department of Defense has followed the President's example.”