England, Lynndie

Lynndie England was catapulted onto the international stage as the face of prisoner abuse in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal during the United States’ Iraqi occupation. Pictures surfaced of England in a series of humiliating and degrading poses with detainees at the Baghdad prison. The incident has since come to be known as the “prisoner abuse scandal.” Although England insisted that she was following orders, she was sentenced to three years in prison and received a dishonorable discharge from the United States military.

Born in Ashland, Kentucky, England moved to Fort Ashby, West Virginia at the age of 2. In her junior year of high school, England joined the United States Army Reserve. She married young and was soon divorced. In 2003, she was deployed to Iraq, and served as a Specialist in the 372nd Military Police Company. In April 2004, pictures depicting abuse of detainees surfaced worldwide. In the photos, England was seen posing with naked prisoners. The most infamous include her holding a leash tied around a prisoner's neck; standing with another soldier giving the thumbs up sign in front of naked men in a pyramid formation; and pointing at prisoners forced to masturbate with a cigarette dangling from her lips. Although England was not the only soldier implicated in this scandal, nor the only female soldier involved, she became the public face of military torture.

During the time of the scandal, England was romantically involved with fellow soldier Charles Graner, who was seen in some of the incriminating photos. He was later sentenced in the case. In October 2004, England gave birth to a son fathered by Graner. The pair eventually separated and Graner married Megan Ambuhl, another soldier involved in the abuse scandal.

In May 2005, England went to court to plead guilty to conspiracy, dereliction of duty, and multiple counts of mistreating prisoners. The judge did not accept her plea bargain, however, after Graner testified that his actions signaled to England a command from a superior to participate in the abuse. At her retrial in September, England was convicted of conspiracy, four counts of abusing prisoners, and one count of performing an indecent act. She was sentenced to three years in prison and served almost half of her sentence. She was released in March 2007.

England's case continues to be debated. She is viewed by some as villainous for her role in the Abu Ghraib abuse case, while others believe she was a scapegoat for the military. Still others suggest England is a heroic soldier who participated in military interrogation tactics. Currently, England lives in her hometown with her young son, unable to find employment due to her public notoriety. England continues to insist that she had no physical contact with the prisoners and merely followed orders. In July 2009, an autobiography of her experiences in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was published.