Relatives of four Army reservists from Pennsylvania who are accused of beating and abusing Iraqi prisoners say they fear their loved ones are targets of a vendetta.

	The Associated Press
	The four U.S. soldiers accused of abusing prisoners of war include, clockwise from top left, Sgt. Timothy Canjar, Master Sgt. Lisa Marie Girman, Staff Sgt. Scott A. McKenzie and Sgt. Shawna L. Edmondson.

They say they believe the four, all military police officers, previously have had run-ins with commanders at the Camp Bucca internment center near Umm Qasr in southern Iraq, and that mismanagement of the camp had sent soldiers' morale into a tailspin.

Master Sgt. Lisa Girman, Sgt. 1st Class Scott McKenzie, Spc. Timothy Canjar and Sgt. Shawna Edmondson are members of the 320th Military Police Battalion based in Ashley, Luzerne County. They were charged with dereliction of duty, assault and other offenses after members of another unit reported seeing the four abuse prisoners during a transport May 12, said Col. Rick Thomas, spokesman for Army Forces Central Command at Fort McPherson, Ga.

The four say they acted in self-defense.

A grand jury-style proceeding for the group began Wednesday at Camp Bucca. Thomas said he didn't how long it would take, but when it's over, the investigating officer may recommend dismissal of the charges, administrative discipline or trials.

One soldier last week testified seeing McKenzie kick an Iraqi in the groin. Another soldier testified hearing Edmondson say that one prisoner, allegedly a rapist, was abused to teach him a lesson.

The MPs also have been accused of kicking and punching prisoners in the face, dragging them through the sand and making such statements as, "This one is for Jessica," a reference to former private and prisoner of war Jessica Lynch of Palestine, W.Va.

McKenzie, 38, in civilian life a lieutenant and shift commander at the state's Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County, gave this account in an e-mail he sent home: As MPs were unloading 44 enemy prisoners of war from a bus, McKenzie said, "10 to 12 resisted as we escorted them."

He said he and Girman were escorting one prisoner who kicked at Girman's leg, knocking both MPs off balance. "I regained my balance and had to use force to bring the [prisoner] down to the sand in order to regain control," he said.

McKenzie said he had to use "foot sweeps/trips" to bring down two other combative prisoners and saw another prisoner grab Canjar's forearm, prompting a struggle.

"I know in my mind ... that what we did was right and we are being made an example of by a colonel who wants to see a certain MP burned and the rest of us are going down also," he wrote.

David Girman of Pittston, Luzerne County, said his sister, Lisa, 35, a state trooper assigned to patrol duty at the Hazleton barracks in Luzerne County, had stood up to superiors, alleging that poor management of the camp had lowered morale.

Girman said his sister first confronted superiors about their decision to hire as an assistant a prisoner nicknamed "Sammy the Kickboxer." Girman said his sister told him the prisoner, so named because he repeatedly had lashed out at MPs, was given permission to dine with U.S. troops and wander about their living quarters.

Thomas, the Army spokesman, acknowledged Sammy the Kickboxer's presence at camp but denied he was hired by commanding officers. Thomas said he knew of no morale problem.

Girman said his sister also faulted superiors for suggesting they could provide more food and speedier hearings to prisoners, raising false hopes among the Iraqis that prompted two riots the week before Easter.

During one riot, Girman said, a commanding officer retreated, stranding soldiers in the prisoners' living area. He said his sister led a rescue, raising her standing among troops who had begun to lose faith in the camp's leadership.

Linda Edmondson of South Abington, Lackawanna County, said her daughter, Shawna, 24, in civilian life a public safety officer at the University of Scranton, also had hinted at leadership problems. She said her daughter mentioned a "Palm Sunday Riot" in which a major "ran and hid behind a water tank and left the kids there."

Thomas confirmed that one prisoner was fatally shot and another wounded during an uprising and that one MP was threatened with a tent pin, but said he didn't have other details.

Edmondson and Jim Canjar of Madison, Lackawanna County, praised Lisa Girman. "All the soldiers love her," said Canjar, noting his son, a 21-year-old criminal justice student at Penn State, had mentioned a major's grudge against Girman.

Family members have contacted congressmen and senators to build support for the MPs.

Paul Feenstra, spokesman for Republican U.S. Rep. John Peterson of Venango County, said the congressman had not asked for an inquiry. However, he said the MPs have "impeccable records" while those they're accused of abusing were Baath Party officials and Syrian terrorists.

Paul Anderson, spokesman for U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., said the senator would be willing to make an inquiry on McKenzie's behalf. McKenzie's mother and stepfather, Carolyn and Bill Lachemayer, live in North Fort Myers, Fla.

In e-mails to his mother and other family members and friends, McKenzie complained about a colonel who lost his gun, a major intoxicated in front of her troops and a major's inadvertent release of a prisoner on the most-wanted list.

David Girman said the charges against his sister and others have dealt another blow to morale, leaving MPs afraid to defend themselves or confront prisoners. He said MPs did not attempt to stop four prisoners who escaped from the compound one day.

Thomas said he knew nothing about a lost gun. He said the accusation about the intoxicated major was untrue but confirmed a prisoner was released by mistake.

He didn't know the prisoner's name or role in Saddam Hussein's government but said the prisoner wasn't on the deck of cards representing the 55 most-wanted members of the regime. Thomas said the Army tightened procedures to ensure no other prisoners are released by accident.

Thomas, who said he's familiar with MP training and practices, discounted the notion that those guarding a prison would not try to foil an escape.

At the hearing, the soldiers' lawyers will have the opportunity to question prosecution witnesses, present evidence and call their own witnesses, Thomas said. He said the investigating officer's report containing findings of fact and recommendations will be forwarded to Lt. Gen. David McKiernan, head of the Third Army and Army Forces Central Command, for a final decision.

Thomas said U.S. forces must treat enemy prisoners "humanely and with dignity, in accordance with our laws and the Geneva Convention." He said the Army isn't out to get the four MPs and noted those conducting the investigation were not the same people who run the prison camp.

But the allegations ring hollow to the soldiers' relatives.

Girman said his sister bears an 8-inch scar on one arm from a prisoner's attack during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Carolyn Lachemayer said her son is so good an MP that he was assigned to guard actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in Bosnia two years ago, then shipped to South Korea to teach other military police officers how to handle war prisoners.

And Edmondson said her daughter has the respect of Scranton police officers and university public safety officials.

"They've seen her take people down," Edmondson said. "They've never seen her use anything near excessive force."