Byline: MATTHEW DOLAN THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
NORFOLK --

Yaser Esam Hamdi slept here.

But little else was known about the military brig at Norfolk Naval Station , where Hamdi, the American-born "enemy combatant" captured in Afghanistan, spent 15 months.
For almost two years, the Navy refused to allow access to the brig or answer questions about Hamdi's confinement in Norfolk, which began in April 2002. Details about his cell, his security, his treatment and his welfare were considered classified. Even his lawyer was barred from the Norfolk facility.

On July 30, 2003 , the Pentagon moved Hamdi, 23 , to a military jail in Charleston, S.C.
Last week , the veil in Norfolk was lifted - partially.
The Navy agreed to allow a reporter to see the 13-acre brig compound on Thursday and interview the commanding officer and his staff. Officials said it was the first time a journalist has been allowed inside. Photographs were prohibited , prisoner interviews were off limits and questions about Hamdi's stay were not allowed.
But Cmdr. William R. Paulette , who took command three days before Hamdi's arrival and leaves for a new assignment next month, said, "People just don't come here and fall off the face of the earth."

During a three-hour visit to the brig, it appears Hamdi inhabited a place much like older civilian jails.
Its red-brick facade matches many …

I am unable to see the rest of this article unless I pay and I can't afford to do that. I'm trying to bring together some information on military prisons because information on them is sparse and anyone in the military could easily face imprisonment.