Comments on: Britain and Europe’s humiliation

By: Great White Rat

Great White Rat — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 15:27:14 +0000

Dave,

During my time in service, during Vietnam, I was in a specialty for a time that held very real possibility of capture. I did get the SERE (survival/evasion/resistance/escape) training, and I can tell you that it only re-emphasized what you’ve posted. Name. Rank. Serial Number. Date of Birth. Nothing, I mean, nothing else. As you say, that’s common knowledge throughout the entire US Armed Forces.

That said, I don’t know what the British rules are. But it does appear that they weren’t kept together, where it would be easy for the ranking officer or NCO to give direction on whether to cooperate, so it appears they cooperated on their own. If the Brits do have similar rules for their POWs, it seems like their training is missing something in getting the point across.

By: Tango

Tango — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 13:40:00 +0000

…there is no way I’ll take a shot at the Brit sailors. They’re extremely junior, and are doing and saying what they’ve been told. It’s a mistake to confuse these 15 with a highly trained Navy SEAL team, for example. The Blair government had a responsibility to change and modify its doctrine back in 2004 the FIRST TIME the Iranians abducted British military personnel, but apparently did nothing meaningful. The Iranian actions (once again) violate Article 5 of the Geneva accords (of which Iran is a signatory). But yeah, let’s all take cheap shots at the Brit sailors!

By: Ewan Watt

Ewan Watt — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 13:31:02 +0000

I’m slightly concerned – I get the feeling that a lot of blogs are suggesting that the British troops somehow collaborated or capitulated to the Iranians? They were completely overpowered, therefore fighting back was futile. In addition it’s worth highlighting that they did an exemplary job in captivity, failing to correct grammar mistakes and factual errors that had been dictated to them by Tehran.

To say that your boys (and gals) would have done it any better is just baffling – how? Ahmed Altaie anyone?

By: Freed Britons: Our Confessions were Coerced « Michael P.F. van der GaliÃ«n

Freed Britons: Our Confessions were Coerced « Michael P.F. van der GaliÃ«n — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 08:59:30 +0000

[...] Also, watch this video, h/t Sister Toldjah: [...]

By: Dave Willmore

Dave Willmore — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 01:57:21 +0000

Hello,

I was a soldier in the 80’s. I was a truck driver, rank sp4. While we were in the end of the cold war and I was but a lowly truck driver, I was instructed multiple times on my duty if captured. Never freely give the enemy anything but name, rank, and serial/social number. We were also instructed to never fraternize with our captors.

This was not extensive evasion/capture training that our pilots receive, but we knew our duty.

In defence of the 15 British sailors, or at least 14 of them, when in captivity a soldier is under the comand of the senior NCO or officer. If we were ordered to cooperate with the enemy by our leader we would be in conflict, but we would follow the orders of our superior.

If the female soldier was in charge of the group and she is pregnant, I could see that it would take little persuasion for her to order her crew to cooperate.

The smiles disgust me.