Tension, Confusion Between Troops, Contractors in Iraq

One by one, the contractors were escorted into a courtyard where spotlights shone against a dark sky. Several contractors said a group of perhaps 40 Marines was standing in a half-circle, jeering and heckling. The contractors were thrown to their knees, and their hands were tethered with plastic handcuffs. Several Marines were taking photographs while others laughed and taunted them about their salaries.

"Marines don't do this to Marines," said Robert Shaver, 32, of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. "What ever happened to Semper Fidelis, always faithful?"

Ginter, who is Roman Catholic, wears a wrist rosary and a cross around his neck. He said he had not taken off the rosary in nearly four years, and he had been wearing the cross since his wife gave it to him not long before he left for Iraq. "I believed it kept me safe," he said.

A Marine yanked both off Ginter. When Ginter asked him to be careful with the sacred items, he tossed them to the ground and cursed, Ginter said.

"I said, 'Excuse me, sir. I'm an American. I have the right to my religion,' " Ginter said. The Marine cursed again and grabbed Ginter's testicles, Ginter said. "He squeezed them so hard that physically, I almost got sick," he said.

The contractors were put on a bus, wearing darkened goggles. When the bus stopped, they were sequestered in a dusty holding pen surrounded by concertina wire and ordered to strip down to their underwear. Each was handed an orange jumpsuit, a Koran, a bottle in which to urinate and a prayer mat.

"Oh, I knew exactly where I was then," Devine said. "I was somewhere where they were putting Iraqis and terrorists."

Each contractor was placed in a 6-foot-by-6-foot cell, with a blue mat to spread on the concrete floor. Their repeated pleas to speak with a lawyer, their families, the Red Cross and Amnesty International went unheeded.

Investigation Ordered

Marine Lt. Col. Dave Lapan, a spokesman for Multi-National Force-West, said Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Johnson, his unit's commanding general, ordered the security contractors held pending an investigation. Lapan said there is no requirement to advise security detainees of their rights, they do not have the right to speak with a lawyer during their initial detention period and there are no Red Cross representatives in the Fallujah area.

"Their actions were deemed a threat to Marines and others, which is why they were detained," Lapan said. "We are investigating previous incidents of a similar nature."

According to documents obtained by The Post, a June 7 Marine memo indicated that MNF-I "has experienced many problems with Zapata and will not be extending their contract." Another memo, written June 4, indicated that the contractors were accused of "repeatedly firing weapons at civilians and Marines, erratic driving, and possession of illegal weapons" posing a "direct threat to Marine personnel."

Gail Rosenberg, a Zapata spokeswoman, said that there were no previous incidents and that the contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expired after it had run its course.

The contractors said the "illegal" weapons cited in the allegations are six antitank weapons they carried for use against insurgent attacks. They said Army and company officials encouraged them to carry the weapons with a wink and a nod, telling them to keep them concealed.

After the contractors had spent three days in the facility, FBI agents and U.S. marshals came to interview a few of them. According to Shaver, Simpler and Devine, it appeared the FBI was trying to determine whether they were insurgents, even though the investigators had the contractors' military files in front of them. Once the contractors were cleared, they were passed on to a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent. Shortly thereafter, they were released. The Marines issued "debarment letters" banning the contractors from all coalition bases in western Iraq.

Cleland, who according to the contractors was the only one to fire a shot that afternoon, was never questioned about the incident.

Now the contractors say they want to clear their names. News of the incident spread quickly in Iraq, and allegations that they shot at U.S. troops have destroyed their reputations.

Rick Blanchard, 42, an ex-Marine, said he had two security jobs lined up in Iraq but does not know if he will ever be allowed back in the country. "They've ruined my career," he said.

Lapan said a decision on whether to file criminal charges will be made when the investigation is completed.