ARLINGTON, Va. , April 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CACI International Inc (NYSE: CAI) announced today the release of Our Good Name, A Company's Fight to Defend Its Honor and Get the Truth Told About Abu Ghraib. The book comprehensively recounts how the Iraqi prison scandal of 2004 unexpectedly dragged the Virginia -based contractor into the international spotlight and put the company's dedicated employees, reputation, and future at risk.
As told by company chairman Dr. J. Phillip ("Jack") London and the CACI team who defended the company during the Abu Ghraib crisis, Our Good Name offers a unique inside look at how the company prevailed against allegations surrounding an employee who was precipitously and wrongly accused of responsibility for abuses at Abu Ghraib. It is a story of how CACI coped with the misplaced anger and harsh criticism that followed during the media-driven crisis.
As London explains, "Our Good Name is about CACI and the media frenzy that spun out of control and perpetuated the sensationalism surrounding the Abu Ghraib scandal. It is a factual account of how the CACI team fought for the truth, as well as for the 9,500 CACI employees (2004) whose livelihoods were put at risk because of the rush to judgment. We were just as appalled as everyone at the behavior depicted in the Abu Ghraib photos, but there were too many errors and inconsistencies in the allegations to believe we were somehow central to the blame for these actions. No CACI people appeared in any of the horrendous abuse photographs, and we had not heard about any problems from the Army in Iraq . We had to get the bottom of these allegations fast, but act only when the facts were known. Our reputation and our future existence were at stake."
Our Good Name outlines the development and implementation of CACI's
innovative crisis response strategy, highlighting the team-focused leadership
style of Jack London , a
Unlike the media and other critics who were quick to condemn the company, CACI held fast to the standard of "innocent until proven guilty." This meant CACI's strategy had to include a wide-ranging and painstaking effort to correct the public record as the media amplified every mistake, exaggeration, rumor, and innuendo about the company. The book also chronicles how pundits and other opportunists used CACI's turmoil over Abu Ghraib to promote their own agendas and how the company stood firm against these and other detractors.
Our Good Name is a thoroughly documented examination of the allegations against CACI, using official U.S. government records, sworn public testimony, and other factual public records. Official government investigations not only dramatically backed away from the initial suspicions about a single CACI interrogator at Abu Ghraib, but four years later not one current or former CACI employee has been charged with or found culpable of any wrongdoing at Abu Ghraib. The preponderance of factual evidence demonstrated that CACI personnel were not responsible for the horrific events at Abu Ghraib and, in fact, that contractors like CACI had provided a valuable service to the military.
Even after the initial media uproar subsided, CACI continued to face challenges about Abu Ghraib from critics and members of the public who could not accept that the accusatory reports they had embraced as fact were simply wrong. In the end, CACI's determination prevailed, and the company continues to grow through valuable service to its important customers, with its good name prevailing.
The company's commitment to ethical business practices was recently recognized by the independent Ethisphere Institute when it named CACI to its list of Best Overall Ethics Programs. Among the company's scores, CACI received the highest classification of "Excellent" and placed third among the 100 Largest Government Contractors. In addition, CACI placed second among Fortune magazine's Most Admired IT Service Companies in the magazine's Most Admired Companies list, as well as second among Fortune's Most Admired Companies in Virginia .
Today CACI is the largest software developer, the third largest systems integrator, and the fourth largest IT employer in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The company is a valuable national asset, dedicated to serving the nation's armed forces, homeland security, and the American people. CACI is committed to a safe, secure America and to being ever vigilant in the war on terror.
All company royalties from the sale of Our Good Name are being donated to charitable causes for disabled veterans.
For more information, including excerpts from the book, visit http://www.ourgoodnamethebook.com.
CACI International Inc provides the IT and network solutions needed to prevail in today's new era of national security, intelligence, and e-government. From systems integration and managed network solutions to knowledge management, engineering, simulation, and information assurance, we deliver the IT applications and infrastructures our federal customers use to improve communications and collaboration, secure the integrity of information systems and networks, enhance data collection and analysis, and increase efficiency and mission effectiveness. Our solutions lead the transformation of national security and intelligence, assure homeland security, enhance decision-making, and help government to work smarter, faster, and more responsively. CACI is a member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies of 2007 and the Russell 2000 index. CACI provides dynamic careers for approximately 11,800 employees working in over 120 offices in the U.S. and Europe . CACI is the IT provider for a networked world. Visit CACI on the web at http://www.caci.com.
For further information contact: Jody Brown Executive Vice President, Public Relations (703) 841-7801 [email protected]SOURCE CACI International Inc
