Brig That Held Lindh Casts Spell

For weeks, the brig on this amphibious assault ship kept one of the most infamous prisoners of the U.S. war on terrorism: American John Walker Lindh.

Now, the brig has become a “must-see” for several hundred seagoing tourists--family members who are returning with sailors and Marines after a seven-month deployment in the Arabian Sea and Afghanistan.

The family members, who have spent a week on the ship, were eager to see the spot that once housed the Marin County man who stands accused of conspiring to kill U.S. citizens and providing support to foreign terrorist organizations.

Many rated their visit to the brig as the highlight of the cruise.

“It is a piece of history; I just had to see it,” said Sara Falk of Brea, whose son-in-law is a Marine corporal. “I can tell my grandchildren that I saw where John Walker, the American [Talib], was kept.”

“I actually sat on his bed,” said Pam Landis of Danville, Ill., the mother of a Marine corporal. Organizers of the family program arranged tours of the brig--which also housed eight Taliban and Al Qaeda soldiers--as part of the seven-day cruise from Hawaii to San Diego, which ends this morning when the ship docks at the 32nd Street Naval Station.

There were restrictions, however. No photographs could be taken. And the Marine guards--on duty even though the brig is now empty--would turn away all questions with a knowing smile. A highlight of the tour was the chance to see a framed photograph on the wall of Lindh arriving on the Peleliu, flanked by the ship’s security chief and a Navy corpsman.

Taken into custody by U.S. officials after the uprising at the Mazar-i-Sharif prison, Lindh was first taken to the Marine outpost called Camp Rhino in southern Afghanistan; he was held in a large metal container, tended by medical personnel, questioned by FBI agents and kept away from reporters.

On Dec. 14, Lindh was transferred by helicopter to the Peleliu, where he remained until Dec. 30. He was kept in a nine-bed brig under 24-hour watch by Marine guards, chosen because of their martial arts training. A high-pressure fire hose was available if Lindh or any of the other prisoners caused a disturbance.

On the Peleliu, the prisoners were given blue jumpsuits with numbers. Lindh was “No. 1.”

Dirty, bearded and malnourished, Lindh was visited several times each day by doctors and nurses. Taken under guard from the brig to the ship’s hospital, Lindh underwent surgery to remove a bullet from his thigh.

At the insistence of security officials, he was given a local, not a general, anesthetic so he would not lose consciousness. Once the surgery was finished, Lindh asked repeatedly to see the bullet.

But the bullet already had been seized by officials for possible evidence at his trial.

In the brig, Lindh and the other prisoners were docile and presented no problems for the guards. One of the ship’s barbers came to the brig to give Lindh a haircut and beard trim.

To keep curious sailors and Marines from attempting to catch a glimpse of Lindh and the other prisoners, the passageway near the brig was ruled off-limits. Even when he and the others were transferred to the Navy ship Bataan, their identities were shielded to prevent gawking and picture-taking.

Medical personnel and high-ranking officers who visited Lindh said they stifled the urge to ask him why he allegedly turned against his country.

“I’m not sure I would have understood even if he had explained it to me,” said Capt. William Jezierski, commodore of the three-ship Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group. “I really don’t.”

Many of the Peleliu family members--called “Tigers” in military jargon--came away from the brig visit happy for the opportunity but unsure what to think of Lindh.

“I wanted to see it [the brig] so bad, I couldn’t wait,” said Tina Dalk of Petaluma, Calif., whose son is a sailor. “I just don’t understand what that boy must have been thinking.”