User:Geo Swan/Jennifer Tharp

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Jennifer Tharp is an officer in the United States Navy and a dentist.^[1]

Lieutenant Tharp was on the staff of the Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton during 2001.^[2]

When Lieutenant Tharp was the dentist stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in Cuba she was the subject of a profile reprinted in several Department of Defense publications.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} Part of her duties was to provide dental services for the captives in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camps.

During her interview Tharp said:, "My biggest fear was that I would get bitten,"^{[3][4][5][6][7]} However, her patients are shackled to the dental chair, bite guards are inserted, before she begins any work, and guards from the prison were present throughout the detainee's procedures, so she said, "I don't feel unsafe,"

When describing what it was like to work on the detainee's teeth:^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

• Tharp said, "It's very interesting, because a lot of (the detainees) have never had dental work,"
• Tharp described seeing congenital defects, she would never come across in a dental practice in the United States, and, "amounts of calculus and tartar that I didn't know existed."^{[3][4][5][6][7]}
• Regarding the detainees attitude towards having tooth extractions Tharp said they, "have a major aversion."
• Tharp recounted: "'God gave you this tooth, so why would you want to take it out of your body,' is one statement I've received from a detainee, So even if a tooth is completely nonrestorable and is at risk of infection and the best treatment of choice is to remove the tooth, they will not allow you to remove it,"

According to Tharp, translation represented an ongoing problem: "You have to explain it first to the translator and hope that they're getting it across the way that you want it to get across,"^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

Tharp said that most of her time was spent dealing with the 545 detainee's dental problems, some of whom had never had any dental care whatsoever before their arrival at Guantanamo.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} But the 2000 GIs in the Joint Task Force were able to book an appointment anytime they needed. She assured her interviewer: "That in no way means my troopers are being left in the dust."

Press reports describe the Guantanamo captives receiving prompt, excellent dental care. The Washington Post reported that, in 2004, Jose Padilla reported a toothache at 3:00 am, and was sitting in the dentist's chair by 8:30am.^[8][9]

Some of the Guantanamo captives, on the other hand, report that the camp authorities have withheld dental care, and consequently dental problems are widespread there.

[edit] References

1. ^ Kathleen T. Rhem (July 13, 2005). Navy Dentist Stays Busy at Guantanamo Bay Detainee Camp. American Forces Press Service. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
2. ^ Fall 2001 Newsletter. Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton (Fall 2001). Retrieved on January 19, 2007.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Navy Dentist Stays Busy at Guantanamo Bay Detainee Camp", Pentagon.Mil, February 18, 2005. Retrieved on January 19. 
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Navy Dentist Stays Busy at Guantanamo Bay Detainee Camp", Defense Link, February 18, 2005. Retrieved on January 19. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Navy Dentist Stays Busy at Guantanamo Bay Detainee Camp", Defense Gov, February 18, 2005. Retrieved on January 19. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Navy Dentist Stays Busy at Guantanamo Bay Detainee Camp", Pentagon Gov, February 18, 2005. Retrieved on January 19. 
7. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Navy Dentist Stays Busy at Guantanamo Bay Detainee Camp", Defense Gov, February 18, 2005. Retrieved on January 19. 
8. ^ Carol D. Leonnig (Thursday, December 14, 2006). '04 Pentagon Report Cited Detention Concerns. Washington Post. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.
9. ^ Peter Worthington (November 12, 2006). Guantanamo: On guard for America. Calgary Sun. Retrieved on January 12, 2007.