James H. Coffman Jr.

James H. Coffman Jr.
Colonel James H. Coffman Jr. after being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Born1954 (age 69–70)
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1978–2014
RankColonel
Battles / warsIraq War
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Bronze Star Medal

Colonel James Henry Coffman Jr. (born 1954) is a retired United States Army officer who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for valorous conduct while serving as an advisor with the Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq attached to the Iraqi Special Police Commandos in Mosul, Iraq in 2004.[1]

Early life and education

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Coffman grew up in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1978.[2] Coffman subsequently earned a Master of Science degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School. He was also a United States Army Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and attended the Boston University Overseas Program for Master of Science in International Relations in Vicenza, Italy.[3] In the course of his formal education Coffman has authored papers on ethnic conflict in the post-Cold War world.[4][5]

Iraq war counter-insurgency activities

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Coffman served during the US occupation of Iraq. While working as a civilian advisor, his unit was attacked on November 14, 2004. During this attack, he was commended for the leadership he provided his troops while outnumbered against a group of Iraqi insurgents. He continued fighting even after an enemy round shattered his shooting hand, continuing to fire with his other hand. After reinforcements arrived, Coffman refused to exit the battle despite his injuries. He was award the Distinguished Service Cross for these actions.[2]

Coffman worked as a civilian adviser to train the Special Police Commandos; a paramilitary unit known as the Wolf Brigade that was later accused by a UN official of torture and murder, and which was also implicated in the use of death squads.[6][7][8] The Wolf Brigade was created and supported by the US and it enabled the redeployment of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard but with the new task of terrorising those connected with the Iraqi insurgency.[9] This was part of the US drive to use "dirty tactics" against insurgents in Iraq, a counterinsurgency doctrine known as "fighting terror with terror," and one that had previously been exercised by the US in other theaters, including Vietnam and El Salvador.[10]

Coffman worked closely with Steele advising Iraqi Special Police Commandos during Multi-National Security Transition Command operations, and who has also been implicated in human rights abuses of Iraqi detainees.[1][11][12] Coffman reported directly to General David Petraeus and worked alongside Steele in detention centers that were set up with US funding.[13][14]

General Muntadher al-Samari, Iraqi interior ministry commander from 2003 to 2005, revealed the US role in torture carried out by the Special Commandos' interrogation units, claiming that Steele and Coffman knew exactly what was being done. Al-Samari described "the ugliest sorts of torture" he had ever seen, which included the severe beating and hanging of detainees, as well the pulling off of their fingernails. The Guardian report also claimed that the US backing of sectarian paramilitary units helped create conditions that led to sectarian civil war.[15]

Awards and decorations

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Coffman has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Joint Service Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Special Forces Tab and the Ranger tab.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Colonel Receives DSC for Leading Iraqi Commandos". Military.com. 2005-08-29. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  2. ^ a b "James Henry Coffman, Jr". Military Times Hall of Valor. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  3. ^ a b Jewell, Sgt. Lorie. "Colonel receives DSC for leading Iraqi commandos". Army News Service. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  4. ^ Coffman Jr., James H. (1994). Political Ethnicity:A Political Paradigm of Analysis (PDF). Monterey: Naval Post Graduate School. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013.
  5. ^ Coffman Jr., Col. James H. (2002). The Gordian Knot: Analysis of United States Support to Ethnic-based "Resistance" Movements (PDF). Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania: US Army War College. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013.
  6. ^ Buncombe, Andrew and Patrick Cockburn. "Iraq's death squads: On the brink of civil war", The Independent. February 26, 2006
  7. ^ Spencer, Richard (October 25, 2010). "Wikileaks war logs: who are the 'Wolf Brigade'? - Telegraph". London: The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
  8. ^ "Wikileaks: Americans handed over captives to Iraq torture squads – Telegraph". London: The Daily Telegraph. October 25, 2010. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
  9. ^ Leigh, David (October 24, 2010). "Iraq war logs: US turned over captives to Iraqi torture squads". London: guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
  10. ^ Snodgrass Godoy, Angelina (2006), Popular Injustice: Violence, Community, And Law in Latin America, Stanford University Press, pp. 175-180, (ISBN 978-0804753838).
  11. ^ O'Kane, Maggie; Mahmood, Mona; Madlena, Chavala; Smith, Teresa (March 6, 2013). centres-link "Revealed: Pentagon's link to Iraqi torture centres | World news". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2013-03-06. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  12. ^ "James Steele in Iraq: only known video footage". London: guardian.co.uk. March 6, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
  13. ^ "Report Links US Advisers to Iraq Torture Centers". Military.com. Retrieved 2013-03-08.
  14. ^ "James Steele: America's mystery man in Iraq - video". The Guardian. 2013-03-06. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  15. ^ Deutsche Press Agentur. "Report: US advisers in Iraq linked to torture centers" Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine, Stars and Stripes. March 7, 2013.
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