The Code of Conduct:
I
I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
II
I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.
III
If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
IV
If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.
V
When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.
VI
I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.
Maybe you Brits can learn a thing, or two.
Hell even Jessica Lych didn't blab to her captors.
Morons.
3 comments:
Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2005 17:20:54 -0500...Taken from http://www.usspueblo.org/v2f/association/guests072005.html (Recall)
[Maybe the Brits did learn from US!) Quoting "Navy Seal Gary Brenz Stoughton, WI."
Recalling Commander Mark Bucher? "I was at Coronado, Calif., in 1969, for a portion of SERE School, which was being conducted for our class at the SEAL training facilities there. At Naval District Headquarters they were conducting the kangaroo court for Commander Lloyd Bucher (the scapegoat and capt. of the Pueblo). Walking down the sidewalk near the Hdqtrs bldg one day, I looked up and saw Cdr. Bucher walking toward me. He passed several enlisted soldiers, sailors, and junior officers, NONE of whom saluted him! I was agast. As he neared me, I stopped, came to attention, cut him my smartest salute, and said, "Good afternoon Sir. I apologize for the the rude behavior of those others, and I'd like you to know that most of us are pulling for you and wish you the absolute best. May God bless you Sir, You did the right thing." Bucher stopped, tearfully returned my salute, shook my hand, and thanked me for my courtesy and thoughtfulness. I had tried to make his day better, he had made mine more than memorable."
In case you whimp out and not retract your blame for the Brits, read: http://en.allexperts.com/e/l/ll/lloyd_m._bucher.htm
Aftermath of the Pueblo incident
Shortly after the court of inquiry, Lieutenant Edward R. Murphy, Bucher's second officer in command, published a book that was a scathing attack on his former skipper. Among other things, he charged that Bucher did not obey the "code of conduct" which limits the information captured military personnel can give. The young officer was brutally beaten by his captors for refusing to give information. He said he once lay for days in a pool of his own blood. Murphy pointed out in the book that the North Koreans were able to obtain over a ton of classified documents from the captured Pueblo because Bucher had forgotten to pick up the TNT that would be used for disposal in case the ship was captured. Murphy said Bucher was the worst commanding officer he ever had and compared him to the fictional "Captain Queeg" in Herman Wouk's book The Caine Mutiny. Murphy reported that all throughout their captivity, Bucher would cajole, harangue and bully the crew into accepting his version of what happened. Murphy said Bucher's attempted "brainwashing" was as vile as any the North Koreans used.
Murphy further claimed Bucher had a very serious problem with alcohol that led him to be absent from duty at times and make irrational decisions. Sailors on the Pueblo reported that he was even drunk on duty and once nearly ran the ship aground. He said he had talked to other officers who previously served under this man and they claimed he was a master at "shifting blame" from himself to others. Lieutenant Murphy found working with Bucher so loathsome that at one point he drafted a letter resigning his Naval commission.
In his book, "Bucher: My Story", Bucher is extremely critical of his XO Lieutenant Murphy, who is convincingly portrayed as generally incompetent and an outsider. Given the evidence and details presented in Bucher's book, the testimony of the XO seems quite questionable. Bucher also relates conversations with his superiors about limiting the volume of sensitive on-board materials and his attempts to increase shredding capacity and to install scuttle devices (such as thermite bombs) since the ship was not outfitted corectly for it mission. The Navy command at the time estimated "minimal risk" for the Pueblo's mission, since it was to be operating in international waters and its sister ship Banner had previously not been attacked by the North Koreans.
As the second AGER to be put in operation, the Peublo was doomed by both the Navy's own Top Secret policy, which limited the ship design, training, and contingency planning and the Navy's incomplete and perhaps wishful risk assessment of the North Korean threat
Why ananymous?
No balls?
Grab 'em and let it fly.
Just be decent.
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