Maj. Gen Taguba Profile

May 11, 2004 -- The man who documented the alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners in the now-famous Taguba report is a career soldier, whose father also served in the military and was taken prisoner during World War II.

Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba set off a major investigation into prisoner treatment in Iraq, after 32 years of service in the U.S. Army. He followed the example of his father Tomas, who served in World War II and was taken prisoner by the Japanese in 1942.

As a POW, and part of the infamous Bataan Death March, he was tortured, but escaped after three years. He would become the first Filipino to receive the Bronze Star and POW medal for his service in the war.

After the war, the Taguba family moved from Manila to Hawaii when Antonio was 11. He later attended high school on the island of Oahu where he was active in ROTC and led the drill team.

He continued his education on the mainland, graduating from Idaho State University in 1972 and then attending military schools.

Witness to Terrorism

More recently Taguba was stationed in Iraq, after personally experiencing the Sept. 11 attacks in America.

He was at the Pentagon when American Airlines flight 77 slammed into the building and recalls speaking with a man moments before the attack who was killed. To this day Taguba tells the story so as not to forget the sacrifices of his colleagues.

His work ethic is described as "selfless service," by Retired Army Gen. John Keane. "It was never about him, it was about the Army he was serving and the American people."

That service led him to the role of acting director of the Army staff last year. Taguba was then working as deputy commanding general of the Third Army when he was given the task of investigating potential abuse among American military jailers in Iraq.

Now the 53-year-old Army major general is a national figure, for writing a 1-foot-high report outlining the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at a Baghdad prison complex.