After being disciplined for his actions, he eventually brought his case to the United States Government in February 2006, resulting in a congressional subpoena of the Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
[6] He also claimed Fay resisted his testimony (largely the same provided to Taguba), who afterward decided to recommend charges of "dereliction of duty" against him for not coming forward any sooner, saying if he had, he could have prevented the scandal.
Perceiving the threat of charges and the gag order as part of a larger "cover-up", Provance spoke with the media, hoping they would investigate where the military was apparently failing to.
[8] On May 26, 2004, former Vice President Al Gore referred to Provance during a speech at New York University, as the Abu Ghraib scandal evolved into a heated political debate, with the presidential election coming up that November.
It was reported that he studied to be a Christian Pastor at Holmes College of the Bible in Greenville, South Carolina, "quitting...after raising too many questions about faith and fundamentalism".
[11] On July 5, 2004, the German news program "Report Mainz" broadcast an interview with Provance, where he revealed that children were detained at Abu Ghraib.
[14] Sometime between September 3–17, 2004, Provance was sent to Washington D.C. to speak with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee and their staff, in preparation for a congressional hearing of Major General Fay's investigation.
[citation needed] On February 14, 2006, Provance testified before Congress alongside Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer (intelligence officer) from the US Army, Michael German from the FBI, and Russell D. Tice from the NSA.
He gave an update on that television event, describing the psychological consequences of his experiences, and how exceptional it was that both the Republican and Democrat political parties both grew to support him .
[18] On July 6, 2006, the New York Times reported that the House Committee on Government Reform issued a subpoena to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld because he had not responded to a March 7, 2006 request for information regarding Provance's demotion and testimony.
[22] Tara McKelvey published the book, "Monstering: Inside America's Policy of Secret Interrogations and Torture in the Terror War", which includes Provance's story most in-depth.
[23][better source needed] The New York Times, in a book review July 2007, reported, "if the United States still has a chance of winning the battle for the hearts and minds of the Muslim world, then we have people like Provance to thank".
[26] On August 29, 2007, Provance published an article about the court-martial of Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, titled, "Army Adds Farce to Abu Ghraib Shame".
On October 22, 2009, Provance was given a letter of commendation signed by former President Jimmy Carter and 15,000 others, for his "uncommon courage in defending the rule of law and standing up against torture".
In 2011, Provance went back to Holmes Bible College, which he had previously dropped out from in 1997, became the Dean of Men, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in theology.
On May 7, 2013, the documentary, "Doctors of the Darkside";[35] [better source needed]", produced and directed by Martha Davis, is dedicated, "to Sam Provance and the courage to bear witness", and is screened internationally to raise awareness of "the critical role of physicians and psychologists in detainee torture".
[36] On September 10, 2013, photographer Jo Metson Scott published the book The Grey Line,[37] which documents, "a reflection on the war told from the perspective of Britain and American soldiers who have spoken out against the invasion".
He was joined by Ali Shallal al-Qaisi (former Abu Ghraib detainee), Janis Karpinski (former US Army General), and Katherine Gallagher (human rights lawyer).