A collection of photo illustrated war and post war vignettes, short stories, war nightmares, war poetry and travel writing by a Vietnam combat medic. Site includes war related videos and documents. There is some harsh language.
First published on CounterPunch on 30 August 2024.
The July/August 2024 issue of Disabled American Veterans Magazine featured a profile on Vietnam vet and former Chicago police superintendent Terry Hillard, who had been named Disabled American Veteran of the Year. The piece was written by Matt Saintsing.
In his long police career, I wondered if Hillard had ever encountered Vietnam vet and notorious Chicago police detective Jon Burge, found guilty of lying about his direct or implicit approval of torturing at least 118 people in police custody, in order to obtain false confessions. The egregious and disabling abuse took place between 1972 and 1991 and was based on techniques Burge apparently learned as an MP with the Ninth Military Police Company of the Ninth Infantry Division at Đong Tâm in 1968. Many if not all the victims were black. The resulting trials made national headlines; damage awards totaled millions.
A bit of online research disclosed that Hillard retired from CPD in 2004, and worked in private corporate security until retiring in 2020, though he is still active as a consultant. In 2013 Hillard was nominated for the position of Monitor for the New Orleans Consent Decree, a federal reform blueprint, the result of NOPD’s long history of civil rights violations, corruption and poor oversight. That same year New Orleans attorney Mary E. Howell wrote a letter of dissent to U.S. Judge Susie Morgan. She cited Hillard as a defendant in the Chicago torture cases as a result of claims that he took part in an ongoing coverup, having failed, in his capacity as police superintendent, to perform a detailed third party inquiry and to demand culpability.
To buttress her dissent of Hillard’s nomination, Howell provided a damning letter from People’s Law Office attorney G. Flint Taylor, who expressed his concerns regarding the possible appointment of Terry Hillard as Monitor of the NOPD consent decree. Taylor noted that by the time Hillard became Chicago’s top cop a decade of organized police cover-up and disavowal had passed before an internal investigation concluded the Chicago police, led by Police Commander John Burge, had engaged in systematic torture of black suspects. The methods of torture included electricity, asphyxiation, and fake executions.
Taylor went on to note that Burge was terminated; investigators concluded that his “right hand men” had tortured a number of suspects. Rather than enforce discipline, Hillard’s top aid overruled the findings, an act that Hillard pointedly approved. Asked by numerous community groups and municipal leaders to overturn his ruling and order a third party investigation, Hillard declined. As a result, the cover-up continued, leading to the wrongful imprisonment of many black men for an additional ten years. Hillard’s refusal to reopen an investigation led to his and his aide’s being named as defendants in five federal court torture/wrongful conviction cases. Three cases settled for approximately $17,000,000. (The Chicago Reporter states that during his 35 years with CPD Hillard was named in four misconduct lawsuits which cost Chicago nearly $23,000,000).
Taylor concluded that Superintendent of Police Hillard was not seen as a reformer, but as representative of the Chicago police status quo, where officers, right or wrong, supported each other, and fought changes that would make the CPD more answerable regarding police brutality, torture, false arrests and unlawful prosecutions. Jonathan S. Aronie, a distinguished attorney with the reputable law firm Sheppard Mullin was ultimately appointed to the position of Monitor for the New Orleans consent decree.
Did Hillard withhold his part in the torture scandal from DAV staff writer Matt Saintsing? The Illinois Security Professionals Association makes no mention of trouble in Hillard’s lengthy bio. Did DAV in selecting Hillard and Saintsing in his article fail to perform due diligence? Ironically, Saintsing, a combat disabled Iraq war vet and seasoned journalist, worked for CACI Inc from 2009 to 2010. In 2008 Iraqi POWs sued CACI in U.S. federal court regarding its alleged involvement in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal.
It is true that Terry Hillard was a staunch advocate for veterans before he became the 2024 Disabled Veteran of the Year. He earned numerous law enforcement commendations, and the Police Medal, the Chicago Police Department’s highest honor, as well as major awards from the FBI and the City of Chicago. But as Chicago’s top cop he allegedly shielded corrupt officers who purposely disabled Chicago citizens in order to advance their careers.
In light of his questionable past, DAV should thoroughly review its choice of honoring Hillard with its coveted award. Regardless of his military service, and his advocacy work, that heroic title belongs to a disabled veteran more worthy of it. _______________________
Top image:The Custody is as Barbarous as the Crime, taken from The Prisoners, a series of three etchings by Goya, depicting imprisoned men. The prints are believed to have been made between 1810 and 1815, around the time Goya started his print series The Disasters of War. Image/text Wikipedia. Additional text/Art Institute Chicago.
The Ghost of Torquemada and the DAV
First published on CounterPunch on 30 August 2024.
In his long police career, I wondered if Hillard had ever encountered Vietnam vet and notorious Chicago police detective Jon Burge, found guilty of lying about his direct or implicit approval of torturing at least 118 people in police custody, in order to obtain false confessions.
The egregious and disabling abuse took place between 1972 and 1991 and was based on techniques Burge apparently learned as an MP with the Ninth Military Police Company of the Ninth Infantry Division at Đong Tâm in 1968. Many if not all the victims were black. The resulting trials made national headlines; damage awards totaled millions.
A bit of online research disclosed that Hillard retired from CPD in 2004, and worked in private corporate security until retiring in 2020, though he is still active as a consultant. In 2013 Hillard was nominated for the position of Monitor for the New Orleans Consent Decree, a federal reform blueprint, the result of NOPD’s long history of civil rights violations, corruption and poor oversight. That same year New Orleans attorney Mary E. Howell wrote a letter of dissent to U.S. Judge Susie Morgan. She cited Hillard as a defendant in the Chicago torture cases as a result of claims that he took part in an ongoing coverup, having failed, in his capacity as police superintendent, to perform a detailed third party inquiry and to demand culpability.
To buttress her dissent of Hillard’s nomination, Howell provided a damning letter from People’s Law Office attorney G. Flint Taylor, who expressed his concerns regarding the possible appointment of Terry Hillard as Monitor of the NOPD consent decree. Taylor noted that by the time Hillard became Chicago’s top cop a decade of organized police cover-up and disavowal had passed before an internal investigation concluded the Chicago police, led by Police Commander John Burge, had engaged in systematic torture of black suspects. The methods of torture included electricity, asphyxiation, and fake executions.
Taylor went on to note that Burge was terminated; investigators concluded that his “right hand men” had tortured a number of suspects. Rather than enforce discipline, Hillard’s top aid overruled the findings, an act that Hillard pointedly approved. Asked by numerous community groups and municipal leaders to overturn his ruling and order a third party investigation, Hillard declined. As a result, the cover-up continued, leading to the wrongful imprisonment of many black men for an additional ten years. Hillard’s refusal to reopen an investigation led to his and his aide’s being named as defendants in five federal court torture/wrongful conviction cases. Three cases settled for approximately $17,000,000. (The Chicago Reporter states that during his 35 years with CPD Hillard was named in four misconduct lawsuits which cost Chicago nearly $23,000,000).
Taylor concluded that Superintendent of Police Hillard was not seen as a reformer, but as
representative of the Chicago police status quo, where officers, right or wrong, supported each other, and fought changes that would make the CPD more answerable regarding police brutality, torture, false arrests and unlawful prosecutions. Jonathan S. Aronie, a distinguished attorney with the reputable law firm Sheppard Mullin was ultimately appointed to the position of Monitor for the New Orleans consent decree.
Did Hillard withhold his part in the torture scandal from DAV staff writer Matt Saintsing? The Illinois Security Professionals Association makes no mention of trouble in Hillard’s lengthy bio. Did DAV in selecting Hillard and Saintsing in his article fail to perform due diligence? Ironically, Saintsing, a combat disabled Iraq war vet and seasoned journalist, worked for CACI Inc from 2009 to 2010. In 2008 Iraqi POWs sued CACI in U.S. federal court regarding its alleged involvement in the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal.
It is true that Terry Hillard was a staunch advocate for veterans before he became the 2024 Disabled Veteran of the Year. He earned numerous law enforcement commendations, and the Police Medal, the Chicago Police Department’s highest honor, as well as major awards from the FBI and the City of Chicago. But as Chicago’s top cop he allegedly shielded corrupt officers who purposely disabled Chicago citizens in order to advance their careers.
In light of his questionable past, DAV should thoroughly review its choice of honoring Hillard with its coveted award. Regardless of his military service, and his advocacy work, that heroic title belongs to a disabled veteran more worthy of it.
_______________________
Top image: The Custody is as Barbarous as the Crime, taken from The Prisoners, a series of three etchings by Goya, depicting imprisoned men. The prints are believed to have been made between 1810 and 1815, around the time Goya started his print series The Disasters of War. Image/text Wikipedia. Additional text/Art Institute Chicago.
July/August 2024 issue of DAV Magazine
G. Flint Taylor letter to Mary Howell
Mary Howell letter to Judge Morgan and additional correspondence
Medic has written about Jon Burge’s military and police service here.