Miami Herald: Gitmo trials ‘not the U.S. at its best

Op-ed by Rear Admiral Donald J. Guter, JAGC, USN (Ret.).

I was in the Pentagon on 9/11. One moment I was chairing a meeting of senior Navy Judge Advocates, the next moment we were all viewing breaking news coverage of the World Trade Center attacks. Then the building shook. American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon. One of my Judge Advocate officers, Mari-Rae Sopper, was on the plane.

For me, the 9/11 attacks are personal. So is the need to bring those responsible to justice. This week, more than a decade after 9/11, I will be sitting a short distance away from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other al Qaida defendants as they stand trial for their alleged involvement in the attacks.