Operation Just Cause... ...for as long as it takes
By Maj. Donna Miles, USAR
American Forces Information Service
WASHINGTON -- All service members receive training in the
Code of Conduct at various times in their careers.
Sometimes, within the security of a motor pool or on a
flight line, they may wonder why.
But as the military plays an ever-increasing role in
peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and other "operations
other than war," service members are increasingly at risk
of capture by hostile forces.
That's exactly what has happened to Staff Sgt. Andrew
Ramirez, Staff Sgt. Christopher Stone and Spc. Steven
Gonzales, three cavalry scouts abducted March 31 by the
Yugoslavian army while on a border patrol in Macedonia.
President Dwight Eisenhower introduced the uniquely
American code in 1955, he said, partly in response to the
North Koreans' use of prisoners for political propaganda
during the Korean War. Service members who've been captured
have cited the code as the foundation that helped them
through the toughest times in their military careers,
according to Al Erickson, chief of operational support at
the Joint Services Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape
Agency at Fort Belvoir, Va.
The code is based on time-honored concepts and traditions
that date back to the American Revolution. It embodies
principles that have guided hundreds of U.S. prisoners of
war and potential prisoners for almost 45 years, Erickson
said.
The six articles outline the obligations and
responsibilities of U.S. service members in harm's way:
"Unlike the Geneva Conventions, which are an international
legal guide regarding POWs, the Code of Conduct is a moral
guide," Erickson said. "If you follow it, it enables you to
best serve yourself, the nation and your fellow POWs."
Though not law or regulation, the code often coincides with
the provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice,
particularly those involving conduct in the face of the
enemy, while evading capture or as a prisoner of war.
As demanding as the Code of Conduct may appear, Erickson
said, almost every former U.S. POW has called it "a
lifesaver that gave them something to hold onto during
their captivity."
A 1997 Code of Conduct training videotape, Production No.
613126, can be borrowed for official uses through the
Defense Automated Visual Information System.
The video
discusses the code and the spirit it embodies, and it uses
testimonials from service members who say the code helped
them through the toughest days of their military careers:
o Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Michael Durant said he
couldn't have recited its six articles -- but clearly
understood the spirit of the code and let it govern his
actions when he was taken captive in October 1993 in
Mogadishu, Somalia.
Durant suffered a broken back, a compound fracture of his
right leg and a broken cheekbone when his helicopter was
shot down during a firefight that ultimately cost the lives
of 18 U.S. soldiers. While in captivity, Durant's guards
shot him in the arm. The Somalis also videotaped and
broadcast images of his battered face.
Yet, Durant said, the Code of Conduct and the high standard
of behavior it demands helped him through those difficult
days. "It's important to know what's in it and what you
should and should not do, and to live by it -- and up to
it," he said.
o Ironically, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bobby Hall had
read the code just minutes before he left Camp Page, South
Korea, on an ill-fated training mission in 1994. Hall and
copilot Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Hilemon had been
waiting for the weather to clear so they could depart. By
chance, Hall looked at a nearby wall and started reading
the words on a Code of Conduct poster.
Those words, Hall said, helped him through 13 days of
captivity after his OH-58A Kiowa helicopter accidentally
strayed over the border and the North Koreans shot him
down.
o Air Force Capt. Scott O'Grady said the Code of Conduct
gave him the will to drive on and evade capture for six
days after his F-16 fighter was shot down by a surface-to-
air missile over Bosnia in 1995.
"I knew it was my duty to survive," he said, adding that
the code reminded him that, although alone behind enemy
lines, "I was still part of a team working to get me out,
and I had to do my part."
Following O'Grady's rescue, then-Defense Secretary William
Perry praised the pilot for exemplifying the code: "They
shot his plane down," Perry said, "but not his spirit."
o Following the Code of Conduct "takes perseverance,
motivation, bravery and courage," according to Lt. Cmdr.
Larry Slade, an F-14 Tomcat "backseater" shot down in 1991
during Operation Desert Storm. But, he said, the code
helped him survive 43 days in the hands of the Iraqis with
honor.
The military has changed countless times since the
introduction of the Code of Conduct in 1955, but the code
itself has changed just twice. Its words were made gender
neutral. The other change, initiated after the Vietnam War,
clarified that service members may provide their captors
more than just what Erickson calls "the big four": name,
rank, Social Security number and birth date.
The change was intended to allow prisoners some discretion
if they are facing torture or other life-threatening
circumstances. According to Erickson, it allows them to
discuss more than just the "big four," as long as they
don't willingly give their captors information that
violates the code -- even in the face of mental and
physical duress.
Slade said the code helped him during his captivity, and
continues to guide him in his day-to-day life. "It applies
to every member of the military, every day," he said. "It
can help you every day, no matter where you are - whether
you're behind a desk, inside a tank or in an aircraft
cockpit."
The Code of Conduct
ARTICLE I: ARTICLE II:
ARTICLE III:
ARTICLE IV:
ARTICLE V:
ARTICLE VI:
I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my
country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life
in their defense.
I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command,
I will never surrender the members of my command while they
still have the means to resist.
If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means
available. I will make every effort to escape and to aid
others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special
favors from the enemy.
If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my
fellow prisoners. I will give no information nor 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 lawful
orders of those appointed over me and will back them in
every way.
When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am
required to give 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 or its allies or harmful
to their cause.
I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for
freedom, 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.
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