The news about the Filipino-American Major General Mario Taguba being asked by his Vice-Chief of staff to retire after 35 years of service to the US Military is disgusting.

It wasn’t too long ago when our collective Filipino hearts skipped  to a proud beat when we watched the US congressional hearings on TV. At the center of it all was this very Filipino-looking man in uniform, testifying about his report on the alleged abuses at the Abu Graib prison run by the American military in Iraq. It was an assignment given to him and like a good soldier, he did his work with thoroughness and dispatch.

He showed pictures of blind-folded prisoners, half naked being tortured by their American prison guards, testified as to his findings and pinpointed the blame squarely on the people responsible for running the facility saying they violated rules they themselves had set as a standard for proper behavior. 

I remember that as I watched, I felt a sense of pride–not in what he was testifying about but in the forthrightness, strength of resolve and the character of the man. I also remember thinking that the American sense of justice and accountability was at work and here was a clear demonstration of that fact.

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