Antonio Taguba | |
|---|---|
 Major General Antonio Taguba | |
| Born | (1950-10-31)October 31, 1950 (age 74) Manila, Philippines |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1972–2007 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Commands | United States Army Community and Family Support Center 2nd Brigade,2nd Armored Division 1st Battalion,72nd Armored Regiment |
| Awards | Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (4) |
Antonio Mario Taguba[1] (born October 31, 1950) is a retiredmajor general in theUnited States Army. He was the second American citizen ofPhilippine birth to be promoted togeneral officer rank in the United States Army.[2][3][4]
Taguba is best known for authoring theTaguba Report, an internal United States Army report on abuse of detainees held atAbu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The report was leaked, then published, in 2004.[2] Taguba again made national headlines in June 2008 when he accused the Bush administration of committingwar crimes in a preface to a report byPhysicians for Human Rights on prisoner abuse and torture in Americanmilitary prisons.[5]
Taguba was born inSampaloc, Manila,Philippines,[6][7][8] the city to which his family had moved from their home province ofCagayan. His father was a soldier in the45th Infantry Regiment,Philippine Division (Philippine Scouts), who fought in theBattle of Bataan (January–April 1942) during World War II and,[9] after capture by the Japanese, survived theBataan Death March.[8] Taguba was raised by his mother and grandmother. When he was 11 years old, his family moved toHawaii, in the United States.[7][10]
Taguba graduated fromLeilehua High School inWahiawa, Hawaii, in 1968.[8] He received hisBachelor of Arts degree inhistory fromIdaho State University in 1972,[8][11] and graduated from theArmor Officer Basic and Advanced Course, theArmy Command and General Staff College, theCollege of Naval Command and Staff, and theArmy War College.[12]
In addition, Taguba holds aMaster of Public Administration degree fromWebster University, aMaster of Arts degree ininternational relations fromSalve Regina College, and a Master of Arts innational security andstrategic studies from the College of Naval Command and Staff at theNaval War College.[12]
Taguba was commissioned as asecond lieutenant in 1972.[13] He served inDongducheon, Republic of Korea, less than ten miles from North Korea in the Combat Support Company as the mortar platoon leader in 1974–1975 of the 1st Battalion, 72d Armor, 2nd Infantry Division, I Corps, Eighth Army.[14]
AtFort Sill, Oklahoma, Taguba commanded the headquarters and headquarters battery, staff and faculty battalion,Field Artillery School/Center. He then served for three years in Germany, commanding a tankcompany in amechanized infantrydivision atMainz (Company B, 4th Battalion,69th Armored Regiment).[12]
Back in Korea, Taguba commanded the 1st Battalion,72nd Armored Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division atCamp Casey; and was theexecutive officer for plans and policy of the Republic of Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command inYongsan.[12]
Atthe Pentagon Taguba served as a material systems analyst, Office of the Chief of Staff, Army. AtFort Hood,Texas, he commanded the "St. Lo," 2nd Brigade,2nd Armored Division; when the brigade was transferred to the4th Infantry Division,Colonel Taguba assumed command of the "Warhorse," 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division from June 1995 until he transferred command in June 1997.[15]
AtFort McPherson,Georgia, Taguba was chief of staff of theUnited States Army Reserve Command. AtFort Jackson,South Carolina, he was assistant division commander-forward of the24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) and Deputy Commanding General (South),First United States Army.
AtAlexandria, Virginia, Taguba was promoted tobrigadier general and given command of theUnited States Army Community and Family Support Center.
Major General Taguba served for ten months as deputy commanding general for support of theThird United States Army,United States Army Forces Central Command,Coalition Forces Land Component Command, based inKuwait. Earlier, he was at the Pentagon as acting director of the Army Staff, Headquarters, Department of the Army, under GeneralEric K. Shinseki.[16]
In 2004, Taguba was assigned to report on abuse of prisoners inAbu Ghraib prison in Iraq.[17] In May of that year, he published an extremely critical report that was leaked to the public.[18] Later that month, Major General Taguba was reassigned to thePentagon to serve as deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness, training and mobilization in the Office of theAssistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs.[16] Describing his thoughts upon being informed byJohn Abizaid a few weeks after the leak that he and his report would be investigated, Taguba said "I'd been in the Army thirty-two years by then, and it was the first time that I thought I was in the Mafia."[18]
In January 2006, GeneralRichard A. Cody, the Army's Vice-Chief of Staff, instructed Taguba to retire by the following January. No official explanation was given; Taguba himself believes his forced retirement was ordered by civilian Pentagon officials in retaliation for his report on abuse of prisoners.[18] Taguba's retirement, effective January 1, 2007, ended a 34-year career of military service.[13]
In 2004, Taguba was assigned to head an investigation into accusations of prisoner abuse in theAbu Ghraib prison in Iraq.[17] Taguba became known worldwide when theTaguba Report, a classified, internal U.S. Army report on the investigation,[19] was leaked to the public and published to national attention.[2] The report was extremely critical of U.S. Army conduct and found widespread negligence and abuse.
In June 2008, Taguba was again in the headlines when he wrote the preface to a report byPhysicians for Human Rights on prisonerabuse and torture at Abu Ghraib prison, in Guantanamo Bay, and in Afghanistan.[20] In it, he accused the Bush administration of committingwar crimes and called for the prosecution of those responsible. He wrote, "There is no longer any doubt that the current administration committed war crimes. The only question is whether those who ordered torture will be held to account."[5]
In the2024 United States presidential election, Taguba endorsedKamala Harris.[21]
 | Army Distinguished Service Medal |
  | Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters |
  | Meritorious Service Medal with five oak leaf clusters |
 | Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters |
 | Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster |
  | National Defense Service Medal with twobronze service stars |
 | Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal |
 | Global War on Terrorism Service Medal |
 | Korea Defense Service Medal |
 | Army Service Ribbon |
 | Army Overseas Service Ribbon |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
