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Camp X-Ray takes toll on some guards

U.S. troops take an Afghan war detainee back to his cell at Camp X-Ray.

GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (CNN) -- Four U.S. service members assigned to guard detainees from the war in Afghanistan have been transferred to new duties at the Guantanamo Bay naval base, a U.S. military spokesman said Sunday.

Two were transferred because of apparent stress and the other two were transferred because of what one military official called a "disruptive" detainee.

Two of those transferred were guards at the Fleet 20 field hospital, a series of air-conditioned tents where 27 detainees are being treated for battle wounds suffered in Afghanistan, Marine Maj. Stephen Cox said.

He said one detainee receiving treatment was "consistently disruptive" to the two guards and at one point had to be sedated. The detainee's behavior -- refusing to be shackled and yelling -- posed a security concern inside the medical facility, Cox said.

The solution was to transfer the guards away from the hospital and reassign them to "normal duties" at guard posts where the majority of detainees are being held, Cox said.

Called Camp X-Ray, the detention facility is an open-air, chain-link cell structure where U.S. forces are holding and interrogating 300 suspected Taliban and al Qaeda members.

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Capt. Albert Shimkus, commanding officer of the base's naval hospital, told reporters earlier that three service members were transferred from the field hospital for "not following the rules" by interacting with detainees and that their conduct was being investigated. Cox said later that Shimkus' information was incorrect.

"The bottom line is the guards did not violate any security procedures, did not violate any detainee handling procedure," Cox said.

Cox told reporters two Army military police guards also had been transferred from their posts to new duties elsewhere on the base. They had been serving with the 600 to 700 other soldiers providing day-to-day security for the detainees.

The two, Cox said, had "expressed a general level of uncomfort working inside Camp X-Ray" and met with psychologists before the transfer. One U.S. military official said the two were carrying out "support duties," doing jobs that don't require direct contact with the detainees.

The transfer took place in January but was reported only last week.

"Not all people are built for that kind of job," explained Brig. Gen. Michael Lehnert, commander of Camp X-Ray.

"Working on somebody who is an avowed enemy of the United States, who is sworn to kill U.S. citizens -- that sets up a certain psychological angst," Lehnert said. "We want to get to them before it becomes a problem."

Boredom, stress

In general, detainees' behavior has been good, but some have resisted medical treatment, thrown objects at service members and spat at guards, officials said.

"If [the detainees] had an opportunity to get at me, they'd get at me," said Lt. Col. Bill Cline, deputy commander for security forces at Camp X-Ray. "If they have the opportunity to get to my soldiers, they would."

The military provides a team of psychologists and chaplains to detainees and troops at Camp X-Ray. Boredom, religious beliefs and family issues contribute to psychological stress for service members on duty at the camp, members of the psychological team said.

Security personnel initially worked 12-hour days, six or seven days a week, but the schedule has been eased to eight-hour shifts, five days a week.

Muslim service members at Camp X-Ray may face heightened stress.

"I help [troops] try and cope with issues and their mission," said Lt. Abuhena Saiful-Islam, the Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo Bay.

Muslim troops must ensure that the sharing of religious beliefs with detainees does not affect the way they carry out their duties, he said.