Vivian Gembara served as the prosecutor and legal advisor for the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Gembara was awarded seven medals for her service, including the Bronze Star. Just 28 at the time, Gembara conducted the first trial of a U.S. soldier in Iraq. She also initiated the first major investigation into detainee abuse in Iraq and gathered the evidence used in the trial against Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein.

During her year-long deployment to Iraq, she successfully prosecuted courts-martial with sentences totaling over 16 years incarceration. While in Iraq, Gembara advised commanders and soldiers on the Rules of Engagement during combat missions, helped re-establish the judicial system in two provinces, negotiated the surrender of the Mujahedeen-E Khalq (MEK), an armed Iranian opposition force operating in Iraq, set up detainment facilities, trained Iraqi police and security personnel, and spearheaded the Small Rewards program.

Gembara has been interviewed by CNN, the BBC, and Reuters News Agency about her service in Iraq and also authored an article concerning the MEK. She has advised members of Congress about the MEK and has spoken to legal groups about the military justice system in Iraq.

Born in Tehran in 1975, Gembara is the daughter of retired Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Gembara, who served as a military intelligence officer in Vietnam, Iran, and Afghanistan. Gembara attended the University of Notre Dame on an Army ROTC scholarship, graduated from Army Airborne School, received her law degree from the College of William and Mary, and graduated from the Army Judge Advocate General School.

Deborah Gembara is a journalist with Reuters Television.  She is based in Washington D.C.  Prior to joining Reuters, Deborah worked on the ABC news program Nightline with Ted Koppel and at C-SPAN.  Deborah has also worked at several local television affiliates and in radio.  She is a graduate of Syracuse University.