Show 4 s's 0 CASE 110 2 was in charge of his camp’s system of spying on fellow prisoners warning of escape plans This enlisted man vious refusal to return which was desertion But the Army never promised and couldn’t promise to erase all the offenses ever committed by these men They were held strictly accountable for their acts while PW’s just as every other man was but they were given amnesty for having deserted One thing should be stated clearly at this point: in setting out its case the Army in no way intends to minimize the rigors and hardships of the Korean prison camps The monotony the terrible food the fears the threats the absence of mail the presence of informers the occasional punishment by solitary confinement the constant tension and atmosphere of duress were all hard to take RExnwiMTrMH But they are not valid excuses for treasonUJS for commitor able acts against the ting crimes against fellow prisoners which in many instances resulted in their mal- treatment or death! Besides the records of returned prisoners show that men who refused to collaborate with the enemy fared as well and in many cases better in enemy hands than the men who did collaborate Generally the former were placed in labor camps and kept busy — the best thing that could have happened to them In recent months various plans have with for dealing “brainwashing” emerged One of the latest was an admiral’s personal suggestion that American soldiers be encouraged to say anything their captors CASE 110 3 want them to thereby making “brainwashThis suggestion and ing” unnecessary others like it lose sight of the fact that a soldier is sworn to defend his country to the death When a soldier has weapons he is bound by duty and patriotism to use them against his country’s enemies He is not absolved from this duty because he becomes a captive In the absence of material weapons such as rifle and bayonet he must use the only weapons left to him — resistance to the harassment of the enemy The Communist PW’s on Koje-dwaged a battle against us which was heard throughout the world Is the cause of democracy enlisted man made his Chinese co-oper- C— fight General Lemuel C Shepherd Jr Commandant of the US Marine Corps em- phatically agrees with this point of view The Army is not punishing any soldier " 7 II propaganda recordings gave captors technical military information so much less important than Communism that our PW's not only do not resist but with the enemy? are urged to Let’s not forget that one of the aims of Communism is to destroy one of the principal strengths of America its moral fiber By encouraging soldiers to lie deceive and “confess” we ourselves break down that fiber and aid the Communists in their cause o rvi This 0 ’ S RIGHT? who performed any act no matter how vile if the PW was trying to obtain food for survival medical aid for any wound or illness or to avoid physical torture But until the Army learns of a better way to uphold its own and our country's standards the Army will stick by its guns: an American prisoner of war will give his name rank serial number and date of birth Nothing more Not a word more He will continue to fight mentally and he will do everything in his power to escape Make capture easy and you destroy the fighting spirit of your Army The Army realized that its prosecutions would be hard on the families of the men involved but what about the families of the men who suffered as a result of the selfishness and treachery of the few? If the Army docs not punish these traitors has it kept faith with those soldiers who served honorably and in many cases made the supreme sacrifice for their country? TV And how can GEN LEUCEL C SHEPHERD: "Th PW stocked is only an of th battlefield where they must b taught to carry on th struggle with the only weapons remainfaith and courage” ing extension EEJUI ASmISAL D V GALLEIY in "The Saturday Evening Pot’’t should tN our men they may sign any document th Communists want them to or appear on TV and deliver any script th Reds hand them” "We Araiy'i Anrw we estimate the weakened position of the United States internationally when a segment of world support may have been alienated from the US as a result of Communist propaganda mouthed by a small group of our soldiers? Hard defiant troops are the Army's answer to “brainwashing”— it’s better for their country and the soldier himself Thousands of men did us proud only a few disgraced us For this we insist on their The End punishment t I i 9 |