I Was on the Waterboard

Self | 12/11/2007 | Mariner

[Mariner]

I am an honorably discharged US Military member that was subject to the Waterboard in SERE school circa 1979-1980.

I'm certain there are other ex military member that would like to join me in testifying to both the US Congress and the US Media that this procedure, while effective, is not torture.

If the majority of the American people knew that this was an act that US service members are subject to, it would disappear off the front pages of every newspaper and news show in the country.

Sign up. State you were waterboarded. Jim Robinson can collect our logins and provide our info to a brave Congress Person or member of the administration.

Let's send the dims and the media running and looking stupid while doing so.

[Mariner]

Jim, would you direct the admin moderator to leave this up in Breaking News for a couple of days?

This could be something important for our nation and the WOT.

[Hunble]

If the soldier was captured in uniform, he must be given the respect that he is due. He did his absolute best in defending his home and country.

If the SOB was not in uniform, and was hiding behind women and children in an effor to murder....

That SOB no longer has any rights as a human, and can be treated like the garbage that he is. I honestly do not give a damn what happens to him!

[Ronin]

Those of you who know me now, know what a friendly lovable fuzzball I am, but it might surprise some of you to know that between the ages of 17-19 (I had parental approval to enlist) as a very junior enlisted sailor aboard the USS Constellation, I was a despicable doper with a bit of an attitude problem.

One week, after a particularly nasty blow-up with my chief, I found myself in pre-trial in the ship’s brig for three days.

I went in with a chip on my shoulder, a smirk on my face and a determination not to give an inch. That lasted about three hours.

The Marines did NOT torture me in any sense that I would call torture, but believe you me, when I got out of that place I shaped up pretty damn quick.

[NonValueAdded]

to the defense of Dumb_OX (please don't let me regret this) ... an American soldier or Marine knows they are in SERE training and the object of the exercise is not to kill them. An ememy combatant usually has no such pre-knowledge. They have likely been fed propaganda all their lives and expect to be tortured to death. They have no concept that we actually follow the Geneva Convention. Chances are they don't even know about the Convention.

Now, perhaps an AlQ who has had their version of SERE knows that Reid, Pelosi, and Murtha are in their fighting for their right to kill us and that all torture can be endured without fear of death. I suspect that is the difference Dumb_OX was trying to draw.

[REDWOOD99]

How do you ‘splain the “ethically dubious” part?

[Mariner]

"Now, perhaps an AlQ who has had their version of SERE knows that Reid, Pelosi, and Murtha are in their fighting for their right to kill us and that all torture can be endured without fear of death".

It would not matter if you KNEW you were not going to be killed. Anyone who has ever been on the Waterboard knows that you would tell anything you know not to go back...especially if you knew it would be daily until you talked.

The threat of the Waterboard has nothing to do with death. It's more primal than that.

[BIGLOOK]

Perhaps you should mention some of the other entertainments that Navy UDT/Seal had in store for SERE trainees.

Sleep deprivation, no food for five days (unless you could find some whelks and seaweed off Coronado or some squaw potatoes and wild onions at Warner Springs), heat and cold (Warner Spring was high desert, in the 80s during the day, around 40 at night.), duck walking.....for hours, hands on punishment for any perceived infractions, hands on punishment for looking bored, hands on punishment...just for the hell of it, the hope of getting a sandwich, a drink and an apple for successful escape, hope denied, hands on punishment for escape. Then there was the promise that you'd have to repeat the course if you failed it the first time.

[NonValueAdded]

See, I knew I’d regret it. I don’t share the thought that interrogation techinques such as waterboarding are ethically dubious.

[jonrick46]

The photo in your link is the first one I have seen of an operational water board. I am sure modern water boards have the same design elements. It looks like something one could have some fun with. One way would be to have water board races. I have seen bed races. Water boards would work fine. They also look like they would make good sleds. I have seen satellite dishes used as sleds. A good water board would hold up for a fast ride down a wintry hill. I offer these thoughts to my fellow Freepers who can’t sleep because of bad dreams about water boards. And a good water board race near the Congress would put to sleep some bad dreams about things that exist in fantasy. The security of this nation depends on it. A good night’s sleep is always good for those who need the face the world of . . . water boards.

[jonrick46]

The photo in your link is the first one I have seen of an operational water board. I am sure modern water boards have the same design elements. It looks like something one could have some fun with. One way would be to have water board races. I have seen bed races. Water boards would work fine. They also look like they would make good sleds. I have seen satellite dishes used as sleds. A good water board would hold up for a fast ride down a wintry hill. I offer these thoughts to my fellow Freepers who can’t sleep because of bad dreams about water boards. And a good water board race near the Congress would put to sleep some bad dreams about things that exist in fantasy. The security of this nation depends on it. A good night’s sleep is always good for those who need the face the world of . . . water boards.

[Mariner]

You were there.

Were you waterboarded? Speak up.

[Dumb_Ox]

Do you look at that and think “I’d better trust my government to torture!”? Does terrorism scare you that much?

[Androcles]

You’ve taken a brave albit unpopular stand and I agree with you. If it was done to one of our soldiers, I’d view it as an atrocity so I can’t justify using it ourselves.

[Dumb_Ox]

I too share your respect for the ethical integrity of our troops. Though I won't pretend our intelligence services have ethical integrity, I think we need to keep things above board, and away from the waterboard, for our troops' sake.

If Al-Quaeda waterboarded a captured Marine to force him to reveal his friends' position, I'd call that torture. I hope others would too.

[Dumb_Ox]

Thank you.

If it was done to one of our soldiers, I’d view it as an atrocity so I can’t justify using it ourselves.

I wrote the same thing, and I hadn't seen your post.

[BIGLOOK]

I was at SERE but wasn't one that was water boarded. The Guards would grab someone and hold him down on a plank that was elevated on one side, feet up and head down. A cloth was placed over the victim's face and then a guard would pour water from a bucket into his face. Another guard was there with his hand on the victim's chest....asking questions...but mostly monitoring.

Happened several times to different victims during our day as POWs but never saw anyone get more than one bucket. The questions were anything from what your rating and what job was to something dumb like telling how he lost his cherry.

[Dumb_Ox]

Just a hypothetical for you, prompted by recent posts. You're in a war zone. Your buddy is captured and waterboarded for intelligence information. Was he tortured?

Just to be clear, I know our enemy doesn't care about torture or not. But they're a crappy little terrorist group. We'll beat them. One of my concerns is the precedent we're setting for the future. If we ever get involved in a conventional war with a party minimally respectful of the Geneva Convention, they could waterboard our boys in uniform and throw all these "waterboarding is not torture" arguments back in our face.

[Humidston]

Next thing we know, evil military types will be calling prisoners’ mothers UGLY.

*Note* - I call them ‘prisoners’ not detainees. Detainees is such a PC word, isn’t it?

[smoothsailing]

I am an honorably discharged US Military member...

What in the hell is a US Military member?

Who do you think you're kidding, you twit.

[BIGLOOK]

Call it coercion. It's uncomfortable and frightening. Torture is having your fingernails pulled out, fingers cut off, cigarette burns to the soles of your feet, your genitals or your ass.

Some of the things the NVA did to our men. Torture is hanging by a rope tied to to your hands behind your back. Torture is being in a cage submerged in a river with only your nose above water. Then there are the beatings, starvation and sleep deprivation...without end. And of course there were the speeches by Jane Fonda ....