[MadAnthony1776]

I don’t have a lot of sympathy or respect for the way these hostages handled themselves. They certainly didn’t look like they had been coerced. I know the the Code of Conduct that we have in the US military expects you to resist to the best of your ability but it also doesn’t expect you to sacrifice your life. You can ask people like Senator McCain what terrible torture they endured. I read a book about the POWs in North Vietnam and the treatment our POWs got would definitely break a person but they resisted as best they could. For all the outrage about Abu Gharib and Gitmo the treatment they receive pales in comparison to the treatment our POWs received at the hands of the North Vietnamese. By all appearances, it looks like their treatment didn’t even reach that level. They have to live with it though. It definitely is not a shining moment for the British military. It does not live up to the proud history of their military.

[GAB-1955]

I have heard undercurrents from recently retired officers in the UK that they are disgusted with the behavior of the 15 captured sailors and Marines. In a good world, they would all be reprimanded for their pusillanimous behavior. Perhaps they will be.

We hear from British commentators often that the British military thinks the U.S. is crude and coarse and doesn’t know how to work in the Middle East. My response? Our men are not cowards.

[SkyPilot]

I went through Resistance Training at the POW school at Fairchild AFB. For those who don't know - this is a very realistic camp where you are actually captured, interrogated, and imprisoned for a few days to give you a realistic training experience of what it will be like as a hostage or POW. Of course, this is training, and there is education taking place and it is not as bad as the Hanoi Hilton - but it is pretty bad. I never wanted to go through it again.

But, it taught me a lot. They teach you how to resist.

I cannot imagine why these Brits succumbed so quickly. Mock executions? Some friends of mine went through that in Panama. They were captured before JUST CAUSE by Noreiga's thugs. They were taken out in the jungle, stripped, and empty pistols unloaded into their heads. Afterwards, none of them agreed to make a statement denouncing the US.

[Coldwater Creek]

You can ask Senator McCain just how long he was in captivity before he was disclosing the location of our ships!

[Labyrinthos]

By all appearances, it looks like their treatment didn’t even reach that level. They have to live with it though. It definitely is not a shining moment for the British military. It does not live up to the proud history of their military.

Which is probably why the Iranians released them when they did: They Iranians won this battle without firing a shot and so, they released the Brits when the risks of further captivity outweighed the benefits.

[MizSterious]

"By all appearances, it looks like their treatment didn’t even reach that level. "

There are more recent examples. Look through the archives for pictures of our hostages taken during the early part of the Iraq war. Pay special attention to their eyes. Then compare with how the Brits looked in their videos, and at the presser.