Macario Mora

“ The JDG service members come from all walks of life. But, regardless if they’re from the Hispanic, machismo neighborhoods of California, the suburbs of Pennsylvania or the fields of the Midwest; their common purpose of service, despite operating under the microscope of the international community, weaves a tightly knit society of professional Soldiers who are honor bound and determined to carry out their mission. ”

“ The external interest in the JDG’s operations in Guantanamo isn’t lost on the leadership or the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast Guardsmen and Marines who rotate through the JTF on six, nine-month and sometimes yearlong deployments.
“The type of detainees we have, and some of the activities they participated in, makes them different than a person sentenced for crimes in the United States,” Caggins explained from his Pentagon office. “The activists who argue for the closure of GTMO frequently speak in non-factual hyperbole. And, they are able to influence the perceptions of uninformed people.” ”

“ Back home we do rehabilitation. We try to teach those inmates ways to cope with stress, financial issues, give them a skill, so that when they’re released they can be a carpenter, mechanic etc. They have a set date that comes, and they’re gone.”
The OIC explained that the detainees here are given general programs to keep them occupied, but nothing specific. The JDG is keeping detainees engaged until the courts decide what to do with them. The sustainment mission aligns with Heath’s second difference between the JDG and corrections in the United States – the legal status of the detainees. ”