Brit Crew Claims Opposing Captors "Not An Option": Heroic POWs in History Considered it the Only Option

A lot has been stated and written about the conduct of the British sailors and Royal marines held hostage by Iran until their release Wednesday after 13 days. Critics have argued that the sailors’ behavior was disgraceful, that apologies and confessions came too quickly and too easily, and that posing for pre-release smiling photos with Iranian President Ahmadinejad ran contrary to the expected British military code of conduct for prisoners. Defenders of the sailors and marines countered these criticisms by warning that at that time it was unknown what, if any, coercive tactics were employed by the Iranians to secure the apologies and confessions, nor were any of the captured personnel extensively trained in Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) techniques (hat tip to Spook86 at In From the Cold).

This morning the crew, safely returned and prepped by British officials for a press conference, spoke publicly about their 13 day ordeal and specified the interrogation tactics utilized by the Iranians to “force” the apologies and confessions. BBC reported that the sailors and marines were isolated from each other at times, and were stripped and subject to random interrogation. One marine described being blindfolded and lined up against a wall while interrogators ominously cocked firearms. An excerpt from the BBC report of the press conference follows:

They were also subject to random interrogation and rough handling, and faced constant psychological pressure.

In a joint statement the crew also stressed that they were inside Iraqi waters at the time of the capture.

Royal Marine Captain Chris Air said it became apparent that opposing their captors was "not an option."

"If we had, some of us would not be here today, of that I am completely sure," he said.

"We realised that had we resisted there would have been a major fight, one we could not have won and with consequences major strategic impacts.

“We made a conscious decision not to engage the Iranians and do as they asked," he said….

The officer in charge Lt Carman said: "We were interrogated most nights, and presented with two options.

"If we admitted we had strayed, we would be on a plane back to the UK soon. If we didn't we faced up to seven years in prison".

Keeping in mind that these sailors and marines were held hostage for 13 days, and that I have never faced that unnerving and terrifying situation, I believe it is fair to point out the contrast between how this young British crew conducted themselves in captivity for only 13 days with how others, who faced actual physical torture for years and suffered permanently disfiguring injuries as a result, acted much more honorably and admirably under worse circumstances. I do not imply that I would fare any better in captivity than the British crew did. The comparison is not with me but with many military veterans who have far more horrific tales to tell and did not obtain freedom after confessions or photo opportunities with captors.

For behavioral comparisons between these young Brits and war veterans who were POWs, Spy The News refers readers to Spook86’s excellent post today at In From the Cold, titled “Remembering Douglas Bader and Admiral Stockdale.” Bader, a pilot in the Royal Air Force, lost both legs in the 1930s but with prosthetic limbs became a fighter pilot in WWII. He was shot down and spent nearly 4 years in German POW facilities. He never stopped attempting to escape, despite his physical limitations. Stockdale, a Medal of Honor winner, worked tirelessly to reduce the torture inflicted on other American POWs in Vietnam through leadership by example. He disfigured his face by beating himself so he could not be used in North Vietnamese propaganda films made to fool the world into believing the POWs were being treated well in the camps. His repeated attempts to harm and kill himself rather than submit to his captor’s demands eventually worked to discourage the North Vietnamese from some of their more brutal torture and interrogation tactics as they saw his determination never to acquiesce with their demands for confessions or information.

Reading about these two men, and I would add to their heroic examples the experiences and resistance displayed by former POW Senator John McCain, the contrasts between them, could not be more evident. After only 13 days of isolation, as opposed to years of that dreaded treatment, and hearing guns cocked as they were blindfolded, the young British crew decided that opposing their captors “was not an option.” Baden, Stockdale, McCain, and thousands of POWs certainly felt that opposing their captors was the ONLY option, and to do otherwise would bring shame and dishonor to themselves and the military they represented.

I encourage readers to read about two of these men at In From the Cold, and to learn about Senator McCain’s experiences in his memoir, Faith of My Fathers. McCain candidly described the extensive and lengthy torture he endured before, much to his shame even today, he broke and provided a “confession” of his “war crimes” against the North Vietnamese. He provided them nothing of intelligence value, but the forced confession from an Admiral’s son was valuable for propaganda purposes. Comparing what he endured with what today’s British crew experienced for, in comparison, a mere 13 days prior to confessing to captors. The British officer in charge, Lieutenant Carman, made it clear that neither of the two options given to them by their Iranian captors included death or unspeakable physical torture. Instead they faced up to 7 years in prison if they would not comply, and speedy return to Britain if they would confess to having been in Iranian waters when captured. They chose the latter, with, by POW standards, minimal coercion.

What are Britain’s enemies to think when British military personnel make statements such as “fighting back was simply not an option?” Terrorists and others will likely view British military personnel worldwide as compliant and valuable as hostages, thus increasing the likelihood that more of them will be targeted in the future. Had they resisted and proven themselves determined and willing to endure interrogation rather than comply with terrorists (and let’s not cloud that issue with the fact that it was the Iranian military that seized them: the military of a terror sponsoring state consists of terrorists), they might have been harmed physically, and possibly even killed, but terrorists would have been reminded that they face a strong and fiercely unbending foe. Unfortunately the terrorists learned that seizing British sailors and marines results in no repercussions. Ahmadinejad smiled along with their happy, clean, adequately fed faces.

If British Lieutenant Carman had been Admiral Stockdale, he would have bashed his own face into a bruised, swollen mess and encouraged his fellow crew members to do the same once they were returned to each other after isolation a few nights before their release. Stockdale would never have allowed himself to be used to pose with Ahmadinejad in front of the Iranian media. Rather than submit to such a spectacle he would have beaten himself to a pulp, to condemn and embarrass his kidnapper. No such heroic tactics from this crew, however. Instead, they confessed to something they did not do (enter Iranian waters), apologized for doing what they did not do, and then smiled through their grip and grin session with Ahmadinejad, a terrorist sponsoring, holocaust-denying Hitler figure who was one of the main perpetrators of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and subsequent 444 day hostage crisis.

Having returned from captivity, the British crew fielded questions at this morning’s press conference and described the intimidating interrogations that caused them to confess and comply with their captors. While I am glad they are safe and have returned to their families and friends, I am wary of the message their minimal resistance has sent to Ahmadinejad and other terrorist sponsors about the current resolve of the British people. PM Tony Blair has done what he can in the War on Terror while hamstrung by British anti-war sentiment and his own liberal political policies. He is a lame duck prime minister now, and there is no Winston Churchill waiting in the wings to end the drift toward appeasement that characterized the British response to this hostage crisis. Britain should beware the consequences that will result from being perceived as weak and incapable of enduring discomfort.

What prompted Ahmadinejad to release the hostages Wednesday? There are several theories being tossed around in the media, but the one that seems most likely and that I would credit for Iran’s “goodwill gesture” is the rapid approach to the Persian Gulf of a third U.S. carrier group led by the USS Nimitz. Already staring down the barrels of two carrier groups in the Gulf, the addition of a third carrier group is certainly an unnerving situation for Iran, which appears to have released the hostages in an attempt to diffuse international hostility while Iran negotiates its nuclear programs.

With three carrier groups in the Gulf and numerous air bases in Iraq, Iran seems to have read the writing on the wall that an attack on Iran to cripple its nuclear program is becoming imminent unless Ahmadinejad changes course and becomes a responsible player on the world stage. Whether he will do so, of course, may depend on his assessment of America’s resolve and the fortitude of America’s allies. The conduct of Britain and British hostages during this recent crisis will do little to convince Ahmadinejad that he faces a formidable opposition to his desires, nuclear or otherwise. Carrier groups are, however, very convincing.