Abu Ghraib: The Location, Atmosphere, and Situation

Abu Ghraib was a horrible site of the destruction of the Iraqi people during Saddam's regime. There were pictures of Saddam Hussein everywhere, and wild dogs running around digging up bodies. In one room, there were ropes hanging where Saddam's regime would hang 80-100 people a day, and in another room there were two ovens, where the bodies would be incinerated. According to one guard, the prison smelled of urine and feces, and it was "a combination of Apocalypse Now and the Shining, except this is real."

The 372nd Military Police Company came to Iraq with intentions of being on the front lines of a war, but instead were sent to Abu Ghraib to work as prison guards. With no training of being a prison guard, they were told to put their weapons away. However, Abu Ghraib was the most attacked position in Iraq, where there were frequent mortars. This is to include the road that leads up to Abu Ghraib, where a person driving on the street would not know if they were going to make it to their destination. In Abu Ghraib by the end of September, 2003, there were over 6,000 prisoners and a little less than 300 guards.