Waterboarding: The Psychological Damage Is Indescribable
Until recently, “waterboarding” was something that Americans did to other Americans. It was inflicted, and endured, by those members of the special forces who underwent the advanced form of training known as Sere (survival, evasion, resistance, escape). In these harsh exercises, brave men and women were introduced to the sorts of barbarism that they might expect to meet at the hands of a lawless foe who disregarded the Geneva conventions. It was something that Americans were being trained to resist, not to inflict.
Exploring this narrow but deep distinction on a gorgeous day, I found myself deep in the hill country of western North Carolina, preparing to be surprised by a team of extremely hardened veterans who had confronted their country’s enemies in arduous terrain all over the world. They were going to show me as nearly as possible what real waterboarding might be like.
It goes without saying that I knew I could stop the process at any time, and that when it was all over I would be released into happy daylight rather than returned to a darkened cell. But it’s been well said that cowards die many times before their deaths, and it was difficult for me to forget the clause in the contract of indemnification that I had signed.
This document stated revealingly: “‘Waterboarding’ is a potentially dangerous activity in which the participant can receive serious and permanent (physical, emotional and psychological) injuries and even death, including injuries and death due to the respiratory and neurological systems of the body.”
As the agreement went on to say, there would be safeguards provided “during the ‘waterboarding’ process; however, these measures may fail and even if they work properly they may not prevent Hitchens from experiencing serious injury or death”.
