When one enters the military, he is taught military law in boot camp; that being the Military Code of Conduct. If one is captured, he or she is only to give out his name, rank and serial number.
If we expect to be treated accordingly, then we in turn have to treat the prisoners we capture as such. Putting a hood over someone’s head is torture — pure and simple. It’s wrong and sends the message to the enemy that it’s OK to treat our military, when captured, the same way.
We are at war with terrorists … period. When we capture them they should be treated as soldiers and to change the distinction of them, and also to change the rules after they are captured only increases their hatred of what we stand for. Anything less than treating them as enemy soldiers according to our own rules brings us down to their level and then we become no better than them.
The female Army private seen in photos in our prison in Iraq had to be given orders to do what she did. It had to come from her superiors, but she will suffer because of following the orders. If anyone believes that she could have just disobeyed that order, then he or she lives in a dream world. It just doesn’t work that way in the military.
What she did was wrong and God help the next female captured by our enemy (enemies). Why these atrocities were committed and then photographed makes one wonder who is in charge of what.
Robert Fine
Jackson