Rep. Young visits Guantanamo Bay as part of congressional committee

Rep. Todd Young, R-9th District, went on an international expedition to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to experience how the military deals with some of the top terrorists being held there.

The trip was arranged with the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee only a few weeks into Young’s first congressional term. He returned Jan. 17.

Guantanamo Bay has been surrounded by controversy since it was revealed that waterboarding was implemented there.

Waterboarding, a process which involves pouring water over someone’s face to mimic the feeling of drowning, was used as an interrogation tactic for terror suspects. It is considered by many to be a form of torture, which is unconstitutional.

As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Young will now face policy issues related to the Guantanamo facility and how the United States deals with suspected terrorists.

“As we deal with legislative issues related to the War on Terror, I think it’s vital to have some first-hand experience with our military system for dealing with suspected terrorists,” Young said in an e-mail Monday. “The goal of the trip was to expose myself and other new members of the committee both to the terrorist-holding cells at Guantanamo and the legal processes around the military tribunals.”

One of the most important objectives of the trip was for committee members to see the specific environment in which detainees are being held, according to a Jan. 18 press release from Young’s office.

“There is no better way to collect information and to learn about issues than to immerse yourself in them and to ask questions directly of the leaders most knowledgeable of the subject,” Young said.

While in Cuba, the representatives visited various detainment sites at the U.S. Naval Base that houses the facility. They also met with military officials who run the
prison.

But Young said interaction with the inmates themselves was limited.
“We saw those who are considered low threat and will soon be released, and we saw those in maximum security who are considered the most hardened terrorists,” Young said.

Among the maximum security detainees, committee members saw Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man behind the Sept. 11 attacks, Young said.

“I can’t begin to express the range of emotions you experience when seeing these people who live to destroy our way of life,” he said.

Young said he does not know what specific issues the committee will face or what legislation will come before it.

However, he said the trip to Guantanamo was an eye-opening experience.

“I learned that the perceptions many people here in America and around the world may have about Guantanamo Bay aren’t consistent with what is actually happening there,” he said.

Young also said the information being gathered by military officials at the base justifies keeping it open.

“I’m still waiting to see what issues come before the committee,” he said. “But the first-hand experience I gained and the relationships I forged with some of our finest military men and women stationed there will greatly impact my ability to deal with those issues when they do arise.”