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Inside the Wire: A Military Intelligence Soldier's Eyewitness Account of Life at Guantánamo
A gripping portrait of one soldier's six months at the terrorist detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba - a powerful, searing journey into a surreal world completely unique in the American experience and a vital account of the real story "inside the wire"
From Inside the Wire:
The commander radioed the IRF (initial reaction force) team leader and told him to start moving in. A detainee in the end cell shouted, "Allah Al-Akbar" - God is great - the common cry when the shit was hitting the fan. Then loud, synchronized stomping as five soldiers entered the block in helmets, over-the-knee shin pads, chest protectors, and thick black-leather gloves. The first soldier in line carried a shield. They walked in step, each hanging on to the waist of the soldier in front of him. It was like a scene from some storm-trooper action film. They were in no rush; the psychological effect of their march down the corridor, boots echoing off the metal floor with frightening, deafening thuds, was powerful. One NCO was following the group with a video camera. I was told the tapes were used for training.
The detainee very slowly kissed his Koran, closed it, placed it in its white covering, and set it on his cell ledge. Then he stood up and took off his orange shirt. He was thin but had a wiry build with sharp muscle definition. We later learned that he was a kickboxer at home. The guard commander offered him one last chance. He said nothing and simply indicated with a wave of his hand that he was ready for the IRF team.
The air on the block seemed to vibrate as everyone anticipated the onset of orchestrated violence. Some of the detainees were genuinely frightened, moving to the backs of their cells. The others started shouting "American dogs!" "Kafer!," "Allah Al-Akbar!" I had never witnessed such mayhem.
From Inside the Wire:
The commander radioed the IRF (initial reaction force) team leader and told him to start moving in. A detainee in the end cell shouted, "Allah Al-Akbar" - God is great - the common cry when the shit was hitting the fan. Then loud, synchronized stomping as five soldiers entered the block in helmets, over-the-knee shin pads, chest protectors, and thick black-leather gloves. The first soldier in line carried a shield. They walked in step, each hanging on to the waist of the soldier in front of him. It was like a scene from some storm-trooper action film. They were in no rush; the psychological effect of their march down the corridor, boots echoing off the metal floor with frightening, deafening thuds, was powerful. One NCO was following the group with a video camera. I was told the tapes were used for training.
The detainee very slowly kissed his Koran, closed it, placed it in its white covering, and set it on his cell ledge. Then he stood up and took off his orange shirt. He was thin but had a wiry build with sharp muscle definition. We later learned that he was a kickboxer at home. The guard commander offered him one last chance. He said nothing and simply indicated with a wave of his hand that he was ready for the IRF team.
The air on the block seemed to vibrate as everyone anticipated the onset of orchestrated violence. Some of the detainees were genuinely frightened, moving to the backs of their cells. The others started shouting "American dogs!" "Kafer!," "Allah Al-Akbar!" I had never witnessed such mayhem.
292 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 4, 2008
Erik Saar spent two years studying Arabic with the US military. Motivated by his patriotism and a desire to help fight the forces of evil, he was chomping at the bit to get down to Guantanamo and put to use the knowledge he had gained. This is his description of life at Gitmo, the things he heard and saw, and the concerns that grew within him as he witnessed the America he loved and served acting in a distinctly un-American manner. The story is not only about the cruelty of the tactics used at the base, but the incompetence of its managers, the bigotry of the MPs, the dysfunction of the military system in which he found it prudent to begin all manner of communications months before his expected time of release to make certain that the would actually be released at the end of his tour and not simply extended. It is clearly policy to extend tours as a matter of course. He only got stuck waiting two weeks, but that was because he went to everyone, including his congressman and his senior commanders. He describes a poorly run, morally bankrupt system that does not produce what it says it produces and is loath to admit even the possibility of error. This is a must read for anyone who wishes to hear first-hand information on how we treat our “non-combatants.”
April 11, 2011
As someone who has been assigned to Gitmo, and had interactions with the detainees in Camp Delta, I can assure you Mr. Saar is so full of himself. I bought this books in hopes that maybe he would shed some light of the stories that occurred in life "Inside the wire," but was sadly disappointed. While he does go to great details on the operations, and stories of events that happen within Camp Delta, I can assure you that there is plenty of "Fluff" to make the book sound horrible. Mr. Saar had the stage and opportunity to describe to the readers the hardships that the Military Police, Corpsmen, and various officials were working while deployed to the Detention Camp. I was among the many that were constantly verbally abused by the detainees, and even assaulted by the various bodily fluids they would release. I hoped this story would shed light, but was very sadly disappointed. Maybe one day I will write a book myself about my experiences that were shared in Camp Delta.
July 30, 2015
I must firstly admit that I read this book primarily in the context of doing research for my current novel, which is themed around 9/11 and GTMO. From this perspective it was not purely pleasure reading, and I must confess it is the style and type of book I would never otherwise have touched.
However, that said, I did my best to really relax into it, and was not entirely unsuccessful.
The writing style was at times primitive, at times refreshingly straightforward. I suspect the co-author, a journalist, did some re-writing. Many passages have that refreshing clarity of journalistic writing (short, well structured sentences; logically constructed paragraphs which begin with the most important idea...). It is, however, neither a great story nor a particularly remarkable account.
The author, a military Arabic linguist who volunteers to go to Guantanamo Bay to assist in the interrogation of suspected terrorists, recounts his personal experiences during this mission. He successfully transmits to the reader how his experiences in Gitmo transform his view of the military' intelligence gathering techniques, how he becomes progressively more disillusioned with the process and how shockingly ineffective the entire operation proves to be. His underlying patriotism, however, is never questioned and the story ends rather anticlimactically.
An extensive appendix of information pertaining to the legal issues around the operation - almost certainly the notes of the co-author appended to the transcribed text of the narrative - form a useful reference for someone who (like me) has a particular interest in the facts.
And from my own personal point of view, having a detailed, first-person account of the shape and feel of the place is invaluable to my research efforts. Therefore: Your country and this author thank you, Mr Saar!
However, that said, I did my best to really relax into it, and was not entirely unsuccessful.
The writing style was at times primitive, at times refreshingly straightforward. I suspect the co-author, a journalist, did some re-writing. Many passages have that refreshing clarity of journalistic writing (short, well structured sentences; logically constructed paragraphs which begin with the most important idea...). It is, however, neither a great story nor a particularly remarkable account.
The author, a military Arabic linguist who volunteers to go to Guantanamo Bay to assist in the interrogation of suspected terrorists, recounts his personal experiences during this mission. He successfully transmits to the reader how his experiences in Gitmo transform his view of the military' intelligence gathering techniques, how he becomes progressively more disillusioned with the process and how shockingly ineffective the entire operation proves to be. His underlying patriotism, however, is never questioned and the story ends rather anticlimactically.
An extensive appendix of information pertaining to the legal issues around the operation - almost certainly the notes of the co-author appended to the transcribed text of the narrative - form a useful reference for someone who (like me) has a particular interest in the facts.
And from my own personal point of view, having a detailed, first-person account of the shape and feel of the place is invaluable to my research efforts. Therefore: Your country and this author thank you, Mr Saar!
May 29, 2008
When I first saw this book sitting on the bargain table at Barnes and Nobles, I was very interested. The cover boasted "A military intelligence soldier's eyewitness account of life at Guantanamo."
I was really looking forward to an insider's account of what REALLY went on there and what the "prisoners" were like.
Instead, we're treated to his account of his life there. Because so much of what goes on there is still classified, he was unable to talk about it. While there are a few parts about various prisoners and what they were treated like, the book focuses more on the author's life there on the island and how disfunctional the staff were.
For someone who was only on the island for six months, he certainly wasn't the best person to write a "tell all" about life on the island. But sadly, he did.
I was really looking forward to an insider's account of what REALLY went on there and what the "prisoners" were like.
Instead, we're treated to his account of his life there. Because so much of what goes on there is still classified, he was unable to talk about it. While there are a few parts about various prisoners and what they were treated like, the book focuses more on the author's life there on the island and how disfunctional the staff were.
For someone who was only on the island for six months, he certainly wasn't the best person to write a "tell all" about life on the island. But sadly, he did.
January 14, 2008
I'd love to interrorgate some hajis, and other HVT's.
June 5, 2024
AN HONEST APPRAISAL OF GITMO BY ONE WHO SERVED THERE
Erik Saar was an army sergeant and translator who served in Guantanamo Bay from December 2002 to June 2003, supporting intelligence and interrogation operations. He wrote in this 2005 book of his first day, when he thought, “I felt as if history was taking a snapshot. I was standing in a place completely unique in the American experience.” (Pg. 46)
At an orientation session, an army psychiatrist told new arrivals, “the psychiatrist explained the need to guard our emotions at the camp, and to be careful that we didn’t allow the detainees to manipulate us. He also warned against developing sympathetic feelings for them…. This was all the training we would get on the emotional ramifications or working at Gitmo. Forty-five minutes of an army psychiatrist’s fancy PowerPoint presentation were supposed to ready us to confront individuals who we’d been told have helped plot the attacks of 9/11 and to deal with the mental states of men undergoing intense interrogation while in captivity on foreign turf. Then again, this was the army way…” (Pg. 49) He adds. “I was about to walk into the midst of nearly fifty men, all bound by an alleged hate for the United States, who I had no doubt would kill me if they had the chance.” (Pg. 51)
He observes, “The practice of Islam permeated the camp. Not only was there the taped call to prayer five times a day, but a stenciled arrow in each detainee’s cell pointed toward Mecca, and prayer mat
and cap and a Koran had been issued to each captive… I wondered how the Arab American Muslims on our team must feel finding themselves among these radicals.” (Pg. 54)
An experienced fellow linguist named Vanessa told him, “Everyone in this van falls into one of two categories… Those in one group force themselves to believe that every detainee here was somehow partially responsible for 9/11. That allows them to justify their hatred toward these men and detach themselves emotionally…. The other linguists … become more and more sympathetic every day to the detainees’ circumstances. They ponder and argue about whether or not there are innocent men here… They think the psych techs are idiots. And they believe the doctors don’t really care… My advice, Erik… is to find a happy medium. Don’t view each detainee as someone who helped 9/11, because it’s not true. But at the same time, you can’t get emotionally involved when it comes to these men.” (Pg. 55-56)
He notes, “Three things helped the detainees get through the tedium of the blocks and the stress of endless hours of interrogation: their faith, their brothers---though not all of them got along, not by a long shot---and whatever conversation, chaos, and altercations with their captors they could create, watch, or participate in. Islam was their primary source of strength, and I have to admit that in these circumstances, their devotion was impressive. The extreme nature of their beliefs, however, and the notion that we might actually be hardening those beliefs, was troubling… If the detainees weren’t radicals when they got here, there was a good chance they would be when they left---IF they left.” (Pg. 68)
Of the detainees, “this sense of hopelessness was created by design. The captives were supposed to believe that the only way to end their internment was through complete cooperation with their interrogators, and only catch being that some of those who seemed most tormented by their indefinite stay were those who weren’t being interrogated.” (Pg. 90)
He admits, “I was starting to wonder whether our war on terror would be counterproductive. I’d seen how [it] was breaking down the will---and the will to live---of some of the detainees, but I’d also seen how for others it seemed only to have strengthened their resolve and their solidarity against their American oppressors… I had to question how effectively we were isolating the actual evildoers.” (Pg. 107)
He acknowledges, “When I volunteered, I had a vision of what I thought Gitmo should be… a well-oiled, smartly run facility where our best intelligence personnel sucked information out of the worst terrorists we have captured so we could turn around and capture even worse ones, keeping American shores safe. Yet that picture wasn’t matching up with what I was seeing… the signals that something wasn’t right… were just too glaring to ignore.” (Pg. 122)
He summarizes, “I had a hard seeing how it was serving our goals in the war on terror. And it had strengthened the resolve of many of them as much as it had broken the spirit of others. The fact that we had been imprisoning an unknown number of men for more than a year who had no significant connections to terrorism was to my mind a very bad fact. We had to hold to our higher standards or we’d undermine everything we stood for. Fighting the terrorists was going to require a loner range, smarter strategy than we seemed to be deploying.” (Pg. 138)
He does comment, however, that “we did indeed have some pretty bad actors at the camp, people who likely would have gone to come lengths to contribute to additional attacks, and we had ample reasons to think they were terrorists or terrorist facilitators… Others were hardly terrorist operatives, but had useful info they were sharing…” (Pg. 147)
He laments, “Had someone come to me before I left for Gitmo and told me that we would use women to sexually torment detainees in interrogations to try to sever their relationship with God, I probably would have thought that sounded fine. And if someone had spelled out for me the details of the interrogation I had just participated in, I probably would have approved. But I hated myself when I walked out of that room, even though I was pretty sure we were talking to a piece of s-it in there. I felt as if I had lost something… We lost the high road. We cashed in our principles in the hope of obtaining a piece of information. And it didn’t even f-king work.” (Pg. 228)
He concludes, “Why hasn’t any leader been held accountable for the failure that is Guantanamo Bay? Why are they allowed to make all the excuses? … Why were people with little or no training placed face to face with alleged terrorists who shared many of their religious convictions and who would do anything to have an ally on the inside?” (Pg. 241) He continues, “To me, Gitmo represents failure on two fronts. The first failure is a moral one… the use of questionable tactics on the detainees at Gitmo and elsewhere is morally inconsistent with what we stand for as a nation… The second argument is more practical. The price we are paying for Gitmo is too high given the meager results we are getting. Guantanamo is a rallying cry throughout the Arab and Muslim world, and even some of our closest allies oppose us in this venture… the minimal intelligence we are gathering… is not worth the harm we are doing to our international reputation… It’s difficult to see how the United State, in good conscience, can hold other nations to standards we’re not meeting ourselves.” (Pg. 248-249)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone wanting to know more about Guantanamo Bay---although one might want to “balance” this book with, say, Gordon Cucullu’s ‘Inside Gitmo: The True Story Behind the Myths of Guantanamo Bay.’
Erik Saar was an army sergeant and translator who served in Guantanamo Bay from December 2002 to June 2003, supporting intelligence and interrogation operations. He wrote in this 2005 book of his first day, when he thought, “I felt as if history was taking a snapshot. I was standing in a place completely unique in the American experience.” (Pg. 46)
At an orientation session, an army psychiatrist told new arrivals, “the psychiatrist explained the need to guard our emotions at the camp, and to be careful that we didn’t allow the detainees to manipulate us. He also warned against developing sympathetic feelings for them…. This was all the training we would get on the emotional ramifications or working at Gitmo. Forty-five minutes of an army psychiatrist’s fancy PowerPoint presentation were supposed to ready us to confront individuals who we’d been told have helped plot the attacks of 9/11 and to deal with the mental states of men undergoing intense interrogation while in captivity on foreign turf. Then again, this was the army way…” (Pg. 49) He adds. “I was about to walk into the midst of nearly fifty men, all bound by an alleged hate for the United States, who I had no doubt would kill me if they had the chance.” (Pg. 51)
He observes, “The practice of Islam permeated the camp. Not only was there the taped call to prayer five times a day, but a stenciled arrow in each detainee’s cell pointed toward Mecca, and prayer mat
and cap and a Koran had been issued to each captive… I wondered how the Arab American Muslims on our team must feel finding themselves among these radicals.” (Pg. 54)
An experienced fellow linguist named Vanessa told him, “Everyone in this van falls into one of two categories… Those in one group force themselves to believe that every detainee here was somehow partially responsible for 9/11. That allows them to justify their hatred toward these men and detach themselves emotionally…. The other linguists … become more and more sympathetic every day to the detainees’ circumstances. They ponder and argue about whether or not there are innocent men here… They think the psych techs are idiots. And they believe the doctors don’t really care… My advice, Erik… is to find a happy medium. Don’t view each detainee as someone who helped 9/11, because it’s not true. But at the same time, you can’t get emotionally involved when it comes to these men.” (Pg. 55-56)
He notes, “Three things helped the detainees get through the tedium of the blocks and the stress of endless hours of interrogation: their faith, their brothers---though not all of them got along, not by a long shot---and whatever conversation, chaos, and altercations with their captors they could create, watch, or participate in. Islam was their primary source of strength, and I have to admit that in these circumstances, their devotion was impressive. The extreme nature of their beliefs, however, and the notion that we might actually be hardening those beliefs, was troubling… If the detainees weren’t radicals when they got here, there was a good chance they would be when they left---IF they left.” (Pg. 68)
Of the detainees, “this sense of hopelessness was created by design. The captives were supposed to believe that the only way to end their internment was through complete cooperation with their interrogators, and only catch being that some of those who seemed most tormented by their indefinite stay were those who weren’t being interrogated.” (Pg. 90)
He admits, “I was starting to wonder whether our war on terror would be counterproductive. I’d seen how [it] was breaking down the will---and the will to live---of some of the detainees, but I’d also seen how for others it seemed only to have strengthened their resolve and their solidarity against their American oppressors… I had to question how effectively we were isolating the actual evildoers.” (Pg. 107)
He acknowledges, “When I volunteered, I had a vision of what I thought Gitmo should be… a well-oiled, smartly run facility where our best intelligence personnel sucked information out of the worst terrorists we have captured so we could turn around and capture even worse ones, keeping American shores safe. Yet that picture wasn’t matching up with what I was seeing… the signals that something wasn’t right… were just too glaring to ignore.” (Pg. 122)
He summarizes, “I had a hard seeing how it was serving our goals in the war on terror. And it had strengthened the resolve of many of them as much as it had broken the spirit of others. The fact that we had been imprisoning an unknown number of men for more than a year who had no significant connections to terrorism was to my mind a very bad fact. We had to hold to our higher standards or we’d undermine everything we stood for. Fighting the terrorists was going to require a loner range, smarter strategy than we seemed to be deploying.” (Pg. 138)
He does comment, however, that “we did indeed have some pretty bad actors at the camp, people who likely would have gone to come lengths to contribute to additional attacks, and we had ample reasons to think they were terrorists or terrorist facilitators… Others were hardly terrorist operatives, but had useful info they were sharing…” (Pg. 147)
He laments, “Had someone come to me before I left for Gitmo and told me that we would use women to sexually torment detainees in interrogations to try to sever their relationship with God, I probably would have thought that sounded fine. And if someone had spelled out for me the details of the interrogation I had just participated in, I probably would have approved. But I hated myself when I walked out of that room, even though I was pretty sure we were talking to a piece of s-it in there. I felt as if I had lost something… We lost the high road. We cashed in our principles in the hope of obtaining a piece of information. And it didn’t even f-king work.” (Pg. 228)
He concludes, “Why hasn’t any leader been held accountable for the failure that is Guantanamo Bay? Why are they allowed to make all the excuses? … Why were people with little or no training placed face to face with alleged terrorists who shared many of their religious convictions and who would do anything to have an ally on the inside?” (Pg. 241) He continues, “To me, Gitmo represents failure on two fronts. The first failure is a moral one… the use of questionable tactics on the detainees at Gitmo and elsewhere is morally inconsistent with what we stand for as a nation… The second argument is more practical. The price we are paying for Gitmo is too high given the meager results we are getting. Guantanamo is a rallying cry throughout the Arab and Muslim world, and even some of our closest allies oppose us in this venture… the minimal intelligence we are gathering… is not worth the harm we are doing to our international reputation… It’s difficult to see how the United State, in good conscience, can hold other nations to standards we’re not meeting ourselves.” (Pg. 248-249)
This book will be “must reading” for anyone wanting to know more about Guantanamo Bay---although one might want to “balance” this book with, say, Gordon Cucullu’s ‘Inside Gitmo: The True Story Behind the Myths of Guantanamo Bay.’
January 11, 2017
Interesting read and depressing given the political state of affairs currently (12 years later) though I respect Obama for his decisions on gitmo. Found myself wanting more.
May 15, 2018
This is a slim, quick read. The prose is at times simplistic and the rendered dialogue flat. You can tell when an editor suggested some pinpointed detail here and there to bring the "action" to life. That's my real knock against the book as I see many reviews criticizing its scope. In 2005, however, GTMO had only been open for 3-4 years and Erik only stationed there a brief time. His experience, and his narrative arc from excitement to disillusionment with the whole operation, provides the real heart of the book. It's nothing new almost 15 years later, but for one man's peek into the life of GTMO linguists as well as the politics of the prison leadership, this is a must read. Although one may be tempted to skip the appendix, it's eye-opening and infuriating to read the Bush admin's written exchanges regarding how to treat detainees within and outside of the Geneva convention for both practical and press purposes.
February 24, 2026
I would say this book so-so. it is not mind blowing, but it is also not complete garbage. It is a quick and interesting introduction into the topic but we already know more information that back when this was published since it's been 20+ years.
I will probably end up doing a lot of research and read more accounts, so this was a good way to wet the beak, so to speak. if I had read extensively about it before, I probably would have been more annoyed after reading this book.
I will probably end up doing a lot of research and read more accounts, so this was a good way to wet the beak, so to speak. if I had read extensively about it before, I probably would have been more annoyed after reading this book.
April 24, 2024
The writing style is very rudimentary and choppy. I felt there was more information about the type of beers Erik drank and his emotional hang ups from his failed marriage than actual content about “inside the wire”. Quick read for a very high level awareness, could probably find more detailed accounts of life in Gitmo on Google.
January 18, 2023
This was an interesting read, but it left you with far more questions than answers.
July 2, 2023
I couldn’t finish this book. Too much whining.
I was hoping to learn more of what it was like “Inside the Wire” but it was more about how F’d up the system is/was at Gitmo.
I was hoping to learn more of what it was like “Inside the Wire” but it was more about how F’d up the system is/was at Gitmo.
May 12, 2010
Inside the Wire is a gripping portrait of one soldier's six months at the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - a powerful, searing journey into a surreal world completely unique in the American experience.
In an explosive newsbreak that generated headlines all around the world, a document submitted by army Sergeant Erik Saar to the Pentagon for clearance was leaked to the Associated Press in January, 2005. His account of appalling sexual interrogation tactics used on detainees at Guantanamo Bay was shocking, but that was only one small part of the story of what he saw at Guantanamo -- and the leak was only one more strange twist in his profoundly disturbing and life-changing trip behind the scenes of America's war on terror.
Saar couldn't have been more eager to get to Gitmo. After two years in the army learning Arabic, becoming a military intelligence linguist, he pounced on the chance to apply his new skills to extracting crucial intel from the terrorists. But when he walked through the heavily guarded, double-locked and double-gated fence line surrounding Camp Delta -- the special facility built for the "worst of the worst" al Qaeda and Taliban suspects - he entered a bizarre world that defied everything he'd expected, belied a great deal of what the Pentagon has claimed, and defiled the most cherished values of American life.
In this powerful account, he takes us inside the cell blocks and interrogation rooms, face-to-face with the captives. Suicide attempts abound. Storm-trooper-like IRF (initial reaction forces) teams ramp up for beatings of the captives, and even injure one American soldier so badly in a mock drill -- a training exercise - that he ends up with brain seizures. Fake interrogations are staged when General Geoffrey Miller - whose later role in the Abu Ghraib fiasco would raise so many questions - hosts visiting VIPs. Barely trained interrogators begin applying their "creativity" when new, less restrictive rules are issued by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
When Saar takes over as a cosupervisor of the linguists translating for interrogations and gains access to the detainees' intelligence files, he must contend with the extent of the deceptions and the harsh reality of just how illconceived and counterproductive an operation in the war on terror, and in the history of American military engagement, the Guantanamo detention center is.
Inside the Wire is one of those rare and unforgettable eyewitness accounts of a momentous and deeply sobering chapter in American history, and a powerful cautionary tale about the risks of defaming the very values we are fighting for as we wage the war on terror.
About the Author
Erik R. Saar served as an army sergeant with the U.S. military in the Detainee Camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba for six months from December 2002 to June 2003, working to support the intelligence and interrogation operations. Sergeant Saar is a recipient of two Good Conduct Medals, an Army Commendation Medal, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, and a Joint Service Achievement Medal. He was trained in Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. Before serving at Gitmo, he worked as an intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, MD, and for the FBI in New York City. He is a graduate of King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Viveca Novak is a Washington correspondent for Time, covering legal affairs, terrorism, and civil liberties, among other issues. A recipient of Harvard University's Goldsmith Prize for investigative reporting, the Clarion Award for investigative reporting, and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, she is a frequent guest on the national broadcast media, including
In an explosive newsbreak that generated headlines all around the world, a document submitted by army Sergeant Erik Saar to the Pentagon for clearance was leaked to the Associated Press in January, 2005. His account of appalling sexual interrogation tactics used on detainees at Guantanamo Bay was shocking, but that was only one small part of the story of what he saw at Guantanamo -- and the leak was only one more strange twist in his profoundly disturbing and life-changing trip behind the scenes of America's war on terror.
Saar couldn't have been more eager to get to Gitmo. After two years in the army learning Arabic, becoming a military intelligence linguist, he pounced on the chance to apply his new skills to extracting crucial intel from the terrorists. But when he walked through the heavily guarded, double-locked and double-gated fence line surrounding Camp Delta -- the special facility built for the "worst of the worst" al Qaeda and Taliban suspects - he entered a bizarre world that defied everything he'd expected, belied a great deal of what the Pentagon has claimed, and defiled the most cherished values of American life.
In this powerful account, he takes us inside the cell blocks and interrogation rooms, face-to-face with the captives. Suicide attempts abound. Storm-trooper-like IRF (initial reaction forces) teams ramp up for beatings of the captives, and even injure one American soldier so badly in a mock drill -- a training exercise - that he ends up with brain seizures. Fake interrogations are staged when General Geoffrey Miller - whose later role in the Abu Ghraib fiasco would raise so many questions - hosts visiting VIPs. Barely trained interrogators begin applying their "creativity" when new, less restrictive rules are issued by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
When Saar takes over as a cosupervisor of the linguists translating for interrogations and gains access to the detainees' intelligence files, he must contend with the extent of the deceptions and the harsh reality of just how illconceived and counterproductive an operation in the war on terror, and in the history of American military engagement, the Guantanamo detention center is.
Inside the Wire is one of those rare and unforgettable eyewitness accounts of a momentous and deeply sobering chapter in American history, and a powerful cautionary tale about the risks of defaming the very values we are fighting for as we wage the war on terror.
About the Author
Erik R. Saar served as an army sergeant with the U.S. military in the Detainee Camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba for six months from December 2002 to June 2003, working to support the intelligence and interrogation operations. Sergeant Saar is a recipient of two Good Conduct Medals, an Army Commendation Medal, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, and a Joint Service Achievement Medal. He was trained in Arabic at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. Before serving at Gitmo, he worked as an intelligence analyst for the National Security Agency at Fort Meade, MD, and for the FBI in New York City. He is a graduate of King's College in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Viveca Novak is a Washington correspondent for Time, covering legal affairs, terrorism, and civil liberties, among other issues. A recipient of Harvard University's Goldsmith Prize for investigative reporting, the Clarion Award for investigative reporting, and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Award, she is a frequent guest on the national broadcast media, including
July 6, 2014
Interesting subject matter missing a great deal of evidence. After finishing this book I find myself at war with myself and the author. I agree with him that something just wasn't right and still isn't right at Gitmo, why hadn't charges been brought against these men, etc. However, I felt that he was taking the word of the prisoners a little too far. First and foremost, they are prisoners. Of course they are going to swear that they are innocent. These are people that choose to blow themselves up for their God. They are not going to easily succumb to an interrogation. Yes, there are interrogators that went to far, but this also happens in civilian police interrogations. Not saying that it is right, but sometimes going overboard is what gets you answers. I can't help but feel that the author became soft and sympathetic toward these imprisoned men. Sometimes in war innocent people get hurt, does that make the entire mission a failure?
That being said, the fact that the rules and protocols were made up to fit the situation as they went along is definitely disturbing. The Geneva Convention is in place for a reason. And the military has a strict code of conduct for a reason. Why the soldiers were at times not allowed to leave and report to their new orders is obviously an issue and one that I, nor the author, not anyone else apparently can answer, and along with many of the other personnel issues within the base. But does it illicit a soldier to disobey orders and go rogue? I'm still not sure.
That being said, the fact that the rules and protocols were made up to fit the situation as they went along is definitely disturbing. The Geneva Convention is in place for a reason. And the military has a strict code of conduct for a reason. Why the soldiers were at times not allowed to leave and report to their new orders is obviously an issue and one that I, nor the author, not anyone else apparently can answer, and along with many of the other personnel issues within the base. But does it illicit a soldier to disobey orders and go rogue? I'm still not sure.
January 7, 2009
Pretty faced paced writing. Could have done without the subtle references to the superiority of Christianity and his misunderstandings of Islam. Because he uses no names or aliases for some of the prisoners, one really has to be familiar with some of the figures imprisoned down there to get a fuller picture of who was detained. For example, one prisoner he mentions with mental issues has also been linked to the Lackawanna 6 and Yemeni operatives of al Qaida - this adds complexity to our understanding of these guys and why they were there, but it's something I only knew because I had read other books and was able to fit the puzzle together.
Saar's description of the infamous interrogation where a female interpreter used sexual and other techniques is intense. Also noteworthy is his perceptions of how the FBI and other agencies differed in approaches from the Army.
Saar's description of the infamous interrogation where a female interpreter used sexual and other techniques is intense. Also noteworthy is his perceptions of how the FBI and other agencies differed in approaches from the Army.
December 23, 2008
I breezed through this fascinating book written by a military intelligence soldier about his experience working at Gitmo at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Erik Saar is from PA, joined the army, and became an Arabic linguist. Some of the work he did at Guantanamo was translating for interrogators who would try to get information from the "detainees" in Camp Delta.
Mr.Saar was very disgusted at the un-orderliness and dishonorable ways Gitmo was run.
I would only recommend this book to adults age 19+ who are interested in learning about Guantanamo. Otherwise, even though it kept me hooked, it had LOTS of bad language, sexual references, and was somewhat disturbing.
Erik Saar is from PA, joined the army, and became an Arabic linguist. Some of the work he did at Guantanamo was translating for interrogators who would try to get information from the "detainees" in Camp Delta.
Mr.Saar was very disgusted at the un-orderliness and dishonorable ways Gitmo was run.
I would only recommend this book to adults age 19+ who are interested in learning about Guantanamo. Otherwise, even though it kept me hooked, it had LOTS of bad language, sexual references, and was somewhat disturbing.
November 12, 2015
I have read many books regarding Guantanamo. I certainly don't feel like I got to know the detainees in any real depth like some of the other books. Nor did this soldier end up converting to Islam. However it is still a good book. In some ways the fact that he remained a Christian and admitted he could see the good and the bad points of Gitmo made it appear a less biased account. I enjoyed reading it and it certainly kept me interested. However I felt it lacked a little something. Maybe I wanted a more dramatic ending? Well life's not always like that is it? A good read but not as 'exciting' as many other books.
July 13, 2008
I think this was a decent read. It's definitely not the most explosive book on the issues raised, but it is a perspective from someone who was there day in, day out, not just for the times it was prettied up for reporters etc.
It was interesting the way the soldier's mindset changed from entrance to exit. Someone with very few political ideas and right wing ideas the few that he had actually sees some of the problems with certain policy's which he has supported.
It's a very quick read.
It was interesting the way the soldier's mindset changed from entrance to exit. Someone with very few political ideas and right wing ideas the few that he had actually sees some of the problems with certain policy's which he has supported.
It's a very quick read.
September 26, 2008
Written with a co-author, this is the story of a soldier who served as an Arabic interpreter in Guantanamo. The book is a bit clumsy in telling the story, but nevertheless well worth reading for an inside view of life with the prisoners. Although Saar questions why many of the prisoners are there at all, and criticizes the treatment of all of them, it is a balanced book--unlike members off the Bush administration, Saar is able to differentiate between the true bad guys and other Muslims. Saar makes a strong case for why our intelligence operation post-9/11 has been so poor.
January 31, 2016
Inside the Wire is truly an educational read about the military ongoings of GTMO (Guantanamo Bay). Though the writing in this book is not anything spectacular, the content is unforgettable. Saar describes everything from the mental and physical hardships soldiers stationed at GTMO must suffer, to the security, discipline, and interrogation tactics of the US government. The book skates so closely to the line of secret information that Saar is unable to even name one of the government agencies working at GTMO.
December 28, 2009
so this book talks about what exactly life is like for this new recruit who works as a translater for the captured. To sum it up shortly, you have two options while you are being held there: Answer the questions, and get rewarded. Fail to, concequences can be too grotesque to post on this website. However, it was a very thrilling book, not an action filled "shoot 'em up" but something far more traumatizing and life-spinning.
June 9, 2008
I wish I could have known what he saw/heard! Too bad for "classified". A lot of it seemed to be written by his co-author but still a personal acocunt of his experience at Gitmo. Didn't gain a lot from the book as the stories and exposes of the camps have been leaked by stronger investigative writers than this author.
July 24, 2008
A quick read but disturbing. Unfortunately, it confirms what I already thought about the policy of having detainees outside our laws. The potential for abuse is too high. Bravo to the author for writing it. It doesn't necessarily portray him in the best light but that somehow makes it more real. Who can say what we would have done in the same situation?
July 30, 2008
Pretty good book--I have to say some parts of it made me not able to put it down! but the rest wasn't at all boring, it was very interesting. Interesting, but not necessarily a page-turner. I mean, let's face it, it's not fiction :) Very interesting take on what really goes on at that prison, and solidifies my belief that the government really screws things up sometimes :)
November 10, 2008
For anyone who has ever wondered what we're up against in the War on Terror, or for those who wonder what Guantanamo Bay is like, this is the book for you. This is a book that every American should read. It's one officer's experiences in Guantanamo Bay and it's spine chilling and educational all at the same time.
October 10, 2016
BLUF: If you do not work in the Army, and you want to know the dirt, this is a book for you. It offers the inside (shitty and ongoing) tale of Guantanamo.
If I wasn't in the Army, the rating would be higher.
If your in the Army, imagine the same Army friction and grit but in a role @ Cuba; no need for you to read this book.
If I wasn't in the Army, the rating would be higher.
If your in the Army, imagine the same Army friction and grit but in a role @ Cuba; no need for you to read this book.
December 11, 2020
Having served in military intelligence myself I was eager to pick up this book. I found the author to be quite whiny but honest. The system is a mess. But I think he also failed to see some of the bigger picture. He had such a small personal view of the situation. A single or even a few small views can be disappointing. One has to think in the larger context.
Want to Read
January 24, 2008Just got it, will be reading it after Disney War
Read
April 10, 2008355.34
May 28, 2008
A very interesting book! You don't realize what really happens and it really opened my eyes.
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