In the iconic courtroom scene from the 1992 legal thriller A Few Good Men, rookie JAG lawyer Danny Kaffee, played by a young Tom Cruise, calls to the stand the intimidating Colonel Nathan Jessup, an ultra-tough, ultra-grouchy Marine played by Jack Nicholson. The climactic confrontation begins when Kaffee, seemingly unable to crack Jessup’s steely resolve, demands answers:  “You want answers?” … “I want the truth!” … “You can’t handle the truth!!”

The truth – whether in fiction or in real life – isn’t always pleasant. In A Few Good Men, Colonel Jessup was the commander of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, where he was accused of ordering an under-performing Marine to be given a “Code Red,” a violent disciplinary measure that might be referred to as, let's say, an “enhanced interrogation.” In the movie, Jessup was ultimately held accountable and the torturous practice was done away with, but unfortunately real life doesn’t always mimic the movies.

This week we mark the tenth anniversary of the “detention camp” at Guantanamo Bay, which is still going strong despite promises from President Obama that he would close it upon taking office. Fashioned as an “island outside the law” where terrorism suspects could be detained without process and interrogated without restraint, it is officially the longest-standing war prison in U.S. history. There are too many stories of injustice, torture, and even death to be recounted here. Simply put, Guantanamo has been a disaster on every front, and it is time for it to be closed permanently.

Since the prison opened its doors on January 11, 2002, more than 800 men -- including 21 children -- have passed through, ranging in age from 13 to 98. At this moment, 171 prisoners remain, even though more than half of them have been cleared for release by the government. For more information on this shameful episode in American history, read the ACLU’s statement released on Guantanamo’s ten-year anniversary or check out our ongoing coverage on the ACLU Blog of Rights. And if you’d like to put a face on the men who were captured, abused, held and released without any explanation or apology, then take a moment and watch them tell their stories. Then join us and add your name to the chorus of Americans demanding for this failed experiment to end once and for all.

Tell President Obama that you are counting on him to make good on his original promise to close Guantanamo and to shut down the un-American and illegal policies that it embodies.