Abstract
"No one among the American guard force, past or present, doubts for a moment that if these 'worst of the worst' were released they would go right back to the battlefield. Some would make the battlefield right in the United States." While this may be the dominant perspective regarding Guantanamo Bay, additional research has shown that guard detainee relations are incredibly complex. There have been many brutalities on record by guards. Although, there are some accounts of guards being seen as a friend or a helpful figure to detainees while they are in captivity. In this paper, I will explore the question of whether guards are coerced or complicit in their actions regarding detainee abuse. This will be done by using firsthand accounts written by people who have spent time at Guantanamo Bay. Some of these include Guantanamo Diary written by former detainee Mohamedou Ould Slahi and Inside Gitmo: The True Story Behind the Myths of Guantanamo Bay by Gordon Cucullu, a retired Army colonel. The guard detainee relations are a critical aspect of any detention center.