1) I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.
2) I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender my men while they still have the means to resist.
3) If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.
4) If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me, and will back them up in every way.
5) When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am bound to give only name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies, or harmful to their cause.
6) I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.
I am not familiar with the British equivalent, but I am very sure that in the weeks and months to come, we are going to read about some of these British servicemen having problems. As the the reality of how they acted sinks in, they will become increasingly angry and shamed. I will not be surprised if I read about divorces, alcoholism, or other problems.
The Code of Conduct is there to protect and guide American servicemen. I remember interviewing Gen Latham years ago. He was in the Hanoi Hilton for several months. He was a late war shoot down while flying the "Fast FAC" F-4. He later on became a 2 time Thunderbird.
He told me when he got to his cell, he was passed a note in his food. It was written on the back of a chewing gum foil piece - very small writing. On it, it said:
"There are 110 POWs immediately west of you in this building. Your Commanding Officer is XXXX. You will follow his orders and back him up."
Below that, was a copy of the "Tap Code" and also a copy of the Code of Conduct. In addition, they gave him an additional duty - Deputy Officer in Charge of Morale!
These POWs were an amazing group of men.