Alyssa Peterson

Alyssa R. Peterson (c. 1976 – September 15, 2003) was an U.S. Army Specialist, Arabic language certification, serving with C Company, 311th Military Intelligence BN, 101st Airborne in Iraq. She died on September 15, 2003 from a "non-hostile weapons discharge" at the Tal Afar airbase on the Syrian-Iraqi frontier. Subsequent investigation revealed that she had been placed under suicide watch after refusing further participation in interrogation sessions which she alleged constituted torture of Iraqi prisoners. Her body was returned to Flagstaff, Arizona in late September 2003, where she was buried with full military honors at Citizen's Cemetery.

Peterson graduated from Northern Arizona University, after which she enlisted in the Army and attended the Defense Language Institute in California, where she learned Arabic. She also studied interrogation techniques at Fort Huachuca in Arizona.

External links

* [http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003345862 "U.S. Soldier Killed Herself After Objecting to Interrogation Techniques"] By Greg Mitchell November 01, 2006 "Editor & Publisher"
* [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-mitchell/us-soldier-killed-herse_b_91898.html "U.S. Soldier Killed Herself in Iraq -- After Objecting to Torture"] By Greg Mitchell March 17, 2008 "The Huffington Post"