DALLAS -- A Plano soldier sentenced to prison and discharged from the Army for abusing prisoners is ready to serve his time, but is taking legal action to stay in the military afterward.

Spc. Armin Cruz was a senior in college and studying to be a teacher when the war in Iraq inspired him to join the Army, but is now the one of many U.S. soldiers wrapped up in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

"He cursed at the detainees, yelled at them, made them do military exercises, handcuffed them together," attorney Stephen Karns said.

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Soldier Fights To Stay Enlisted

Cruz, who was stationed at the now-infamous Abu Ghraib prison, was sentenced to eight months and kicked out of the Army. And while Karns knows the soldier will have to serve his time, he is filing an appeal for Cruz aiming to keep his client in the military once he serves his sentence.

However, according to his lawyer, Cruz deserves a chance to serve again despite was he's done. "He believes in the Army. He supports President Bush and the war against terrorism," Karns said.

Karns maintains that Cruz, an intelligence soldier, spent less than half an hour in the prison the night he admitted to abusing prisoners. He also said that his client's service up to that point demonstrates his dedication to the Army.

The 24-year-old received a Purple Heart after he was injured in a mortar attack, during which he tried to save another soldier's life. Cruz also received a Bronze Star for his outstanding service in the Middle East from April to November 2003.

"The public supports Spc. Cruz," Karns said. "This incident does not define Cruz and those who know him, support him. His fellow soldiers also support him."

Karns said he would file the brief for an appeal in two months. The appeal process will take at least half a year.