Sean Baker Sean Baker , a native of Lawrenceburg , Kentucky , is a United States Air Force veteran and former member of the Kentucky National Guard , who served during the first Gulf War , and as a member of the 438th Military Police at Guantanamo Bay . In January 2003 , Baker was ordered by an officer at Guantanamo to play the role of a prisoner in a training drill . As per instruction , Baker wore an orange prison jumpsuit over his uniform and crawled under a bunk in a cell , so an " internal reaction force " consisting of four ( possibly five ) US soldiers could practice extracting an uncooperative inmate from his cell . The soldiers in the reaction force were operating under the impression that he was a genuine detainee that had assaulted a sergeant . During an interview with WLEX , a Kentucky television station , Baker stated that he was beaten severely and that a soldier pressed his head down against the steel floor of the facility to the point where he became unable to breathe . Although Baker shouted out the safeword ( " red " ) he had been given to stop the exercise and stated that he was a U . S . soldier , the soldier continued beating Baker ' s head against the floor and choking him . Only after ripping his prison jumpsuit in the struggle , revealing that he was wearing a battle dress uniform and government - issue boots underneath , did the beating stop . Baker was transported to a military hospital for treatment of head injuries and then transferred to a Navy hospital in Portsmouth , Virginia , where he was treated for six days and given a two - week injury discharge . During that discharge Baker began suffering major seizure s indicative of traumatic brain injury , and was sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center , where he stayed for forty eight days . Afterwards , he was transferred to light duty with a burial detail at Fort Dix , New Jersey , and received a medical discharge in April 2004 . After Baker revealed his story to a Kentucky reporter , a spokeswoman for United States Southern Command questioned the validity of Baker ' s injuries , and denied that his medical discharge was related to the training drill . However , the Physical Evaluation Board stated in a document on September 29 , 2003 , that " the TBI was due to soldier playing role of detainee who was non - cooperative and was being extracted from detention cell in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , during a training exercise . " The Army has since recanted its denial of the relationship between Baker ' s injury and the training drill , although the spokeswoman continues to claim that the injury was only partly caused by the incident . A military investigation concluded that there was no misconduct that led to Baker ' s injury . A videotape that should have been made of the incident for training purposes has yet to be found . Lawsuit . Baker filed a lawsuit in May 2005 , against Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld , Secretary of the Army Francis J . Harvey , and Secretary of the Navy Gordon R . England , among others . Baker alleges the events in the incident violated his constitutional rights . In his suit Baker is asking for $ 15 million in compensation and damages , and for re - instatement in the Army . However , due to the 1950 Supreme Court decision in Feres v . United States , Baker is unable to sue . Baker still wants to serve his country , in the Army , and thinks the Army can find him a job that accommodates his disability . Involuntary medical retirement from Army . As of June 2005 Baker receives $ 2 , 350 a month in military disability benefits , plus $ 1 , 000 a month in Social Security , which he was willing to give up if the Army finds a way to reinstate a position for him . After retirement . A June 2005 BBC story reports Kentucky Congressman Ben Chandler " urged the military to turn over Mr . Baker ' s medical records . " A June 2005 " LA Times " story quotes an unnamed official about the Baker incident : " " While it is unfortunate that Spc . Baker was injured , the standards of professionalism we expect of our soldiers mandate that our training be as realistic as possible " "