RALEIGH, N.C. – Military officials have demoted a female member of a National Guard military police unit for indecent exposure after a mud-wrestling party at the Camp Bucca (search) detention center in Iraq.
Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, spokesman for detainee operations at the U.S. Army-run camp did not released the name of the soldier. However, the New York Daily News identified her as Deanna Allen, 19, and Allen's mother, Ladyna Waldrop of Black Mountain, confirmed the identification.
After an inquiry, Allen was demoted from specialist to private first class and placed on restriction for participating in the event. She is still a guard at the camp, the newspaper said.
Four or five other members of the 105th who were spectators received counseling, Johnson said.
The party occurred Oct. 30, as the 160th Military Police Battalion, an Army Reserve Unit from Tallahassee, Fla., prepared to turn over its duties to the Asheville-based 105th Military Police Battalion (search), Johnson said.
In the course of the transfer of duties, "some individuals in their exuberance decided to put together a mud-wrestling thing," Johnson said Sunday by telephone. "There were females involved, and some members of the 105th also became involved, one female soldier in particular."
The Daily News said it was given 30 of the party photos, and it printed several in Sunday's editions.
Waldrop said her daughter is devastated by the events.
"It was just a thing where she was coerced by a bunch of people, and with all the excitement, she lost her sanity for a moment and that's all it took," she said.
"It seems like they're just singling her out," Waldrop said. "She's the one getting all the publicity and punishment, and that's not right."
The 105th took over Camp Bucca on Nov. 1, and photos of the party were found after the 160th had left Iraq, Johnson said, adding that he understood a soldier had turned over the photos to commanders.
Results of the inquiry were sent to the commander of the 160th, he said. "It appears from the commander's inquiry that this was primarily put on by troops of the 160th, who are no longer under our command," Johnson said.
It wasn't immediately clear Sunday if any members of the 160th had been disciplined.
The party was isolated, Johnson said. "Detainees were nowhere in the vicinity," he said. "They had no possible way of seeing what occurred."
A scandal involving the separate Abu Ghraib (search) prison erupted last spring when photographs were made public showing soldiers taunting naked Iraqi prisoners.
Waldrop said she communicates with her daughter almost every day via Internet instant messaging, and they also see each other by means of a Web camera. "She's very tearful, very upset," Waldrop said.
Waldrop said she was proud of her daughter for joining the National Guard. "But I hate that this happened, and so does she," she said. The party "just got way out of hand, and before you know it, pictures were taken, and she didn't have time to react.
"My mom and I have both had talks with her that she's supposed to be an example for her country."
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