FT. HOOD, Texas — A military jury sentenced Spc. Charles A. Graner Jr. to 10 years in prison Saturday and ordered him discharged from the Army, dismissing his defense that he was following orders from his superiors to torture and humiliate detainees inside Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
The sentence was handed down after Graner took the witness stand. Graner said that though he was obeying his commanders, he was willing to shoulder part of the blame for embarrassing the U.S., hampering its military effort in Iraq and its bid to win the trust of a people terrorized in a similar manner by Saddam Hussein.
"I didn't enjoy anything I did there," Graner said. "I did what I did. A lot of it was wrong. A lot of it was criminal. And of all things, that is what I wanted to get off my chest most."
Graner said he was given personal instructions from his superiors, including Lt. Col. Steven Jordan, to carry out harsh acts against prisoners.
"I know the Geneva Conventions better than anyone else in my company," Graner said. "And we were called upon to violate the Geneva Conventions."
Moments after the sentence was announced, Graner turned to reporters and said he had no regrets.
"Bad things happen in war," he said.
Along with the 10-year sentence, Graner forfeited all of his pay and allowances, was reduced to the rank of private and ordered dishonorably discharged as soon as he finished his prison sentence. Graner could have received as much as 15 years in prison.
Under military court rules, his case will be automatically appealed to the Army Court of Criminal Appeals.
At dusk, Graner was driven to the Bell County Jail in nearby Belton, Texas, his temporary home until he is moved to a permanent prison cell inside the military's disciplinary system.
On the stand, he pleaded with the jury not to toss him out of the Army. He said he would easily accept prison time over losing his uniform in a military career that included the Persian Gulf War.
"I would rather take confinement," he told the jury of 10 officers and enlisted men. "I still want to be part of the Army. I would ask the panel to just give me that chance."
After the sentencing, Graner said that he was not bitter that no officers were charged in the scandal, though his defense attorney, Guy Womack, said an Army investigation into their conduct was continuing.
