Courts Marshall the Iranian Captives

AnyOldIron

AnyOldIron

Atheist Missionary
It's all kicked off over this side of the pond about the 15 sailors held captive by Iran. Two have sold their stories to the media.

They should be courts marshalled. Not only did they not resist capture, they complied meekly with the Iranians, going beyond the usual name, rank and number (one even gave details of their unit) and allowing themselves to be used like puppets.

From the media stories they were given, it seems that the terrifying torture they endured consisted of being flicked on the neck and told they'll never see their families again. They report in the media that they would cry themselves to sleep!

WHAT!!!! Is this the RN that conquered the world? Pussies, the lot. Court marshall them, drum them out!
 
Well, when I read about them being ordered not to sell their stories, I didn't think that was fair.
 
That order only came after the two sold theirs and the public kicked off about it.

If they had acted somehow in the manner becoming the RN, then there wouldn't be so much fuss. My objection isn't them selling the story, but their conduct whilst in captivity.
 
AnyOldIron said:
That order only came after the two sold theirs and the public kicked off about it.

If they had acted somehow in the manner becoming the RN, then there wouldn't be so much fuss. My objection isn't them selling the story, but their conduct whilst in captivity.
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Well, what were they supposed to do? Kick-off WW3? They're safe and there was diplomatic ending that left them unharmed and no blood was shed. I think in hindsight they did the right thing.
 
going beyond the usual name, rank and number (one even gave details of their unit) and allowing themselves to be used like puppets.
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I do have issues with this aspect and selling their stories.
On their being captured and going meekly, I am not sure they had a choice. Not like they were in the heat of battle....
 
uscitizen said:
going beyond the usual name, rank and number (one even gave details of their unit) and allowing themselves to be used like puppets.
//
I do have issues with this aspect and selling their stories.
On their being captured and going meekly, I am not sure they had a choice. Not like they were in the heat of battle....
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Well, I have no issues with anyone selling their stories. Its there's to sell.
I also have no issues with the way they handled it. I think under the circumstances they did the right thing. No one took their 'confessions' seriously and we all knew they were being forced. Its just a matter of how willing the iranians were going to go to force them.
 
it is an adventure not a responsiblity / duty is how many in the military view it now. Just don't seem to have the same caliber of people in there now as we used to. Boot training is more like summer camp now, except the marines I suppose. But then they did not want to run off the volunteers....


And this is NOT an I do not support the troops thing. Just an observation of the effects of changes in our society.
 
uscitizen said:
it is an adventure not a responsiblity / duty is how many in the military view it now. Just don't seem to have the same caliber of people in there now as we used to. Boot training is more like summer camp now, except the marines I suppose. But then they did not want to run off the volunteers....


And this is NOT an I do not support the troops thing. Just an observation of the effects of changes in our society.
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Is it this? Or is that the soldier of yore is mostly a myth?

We did not have the same access to info then that we do know. Fifty years ago, might not Jessica Lynch have remained a hero who went down shooting at the enemy?
 
fifty years ago Jessica would not have been in a combat area. A perfect example of what I said.

Closest would have been a medical facility.
 
Darla makes a great point.

I don't know enough about it to pass judgement on these sailors.


From a strategic, geopolical standpoint, maybe they did the right thing anyway. It's not like the UK and Iran are at war. Maybe the best thing to do, is to end the hostage situation as fast as possible. From a geopolitical perspective. Before it spins out of control. And maybe cajoling their captors, was deemed the quickest way to do that.

Would it honestly have served the world, and the UK, any purpose to let this drag on for 444 days, like the 1979 hostage event?
 
uscitizen said:
fifty years ago Jessica would not have been in a combat area. A perfect example of what I said.

Closest would have been a medical facility.
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That's not the point though usc. The propaganda surrounding her capture, is what is important. And to imagine that this was something new, I think, is naive.
 
The way they responded by giving out too much information and showing a severe lack of "balls" is my point.
I do NOT think they should have resisted and been killed in the capture event. Their actions afterwards is the issue to me.

In the military you do NOT give out any information that can in any way be used to endanger or compromise your comadres in arms saftey or security.
 
"In the military you do NOT give out any information that can in any way be used to endanger or compromise your comadres in arms saftey or security."

What information did they disclose that put them in danger?
 
I was wondering the same thing LadyT.

What british intelligence or operational tactics did they give away?

I'm only aware that they played along with their captors, about being in iranian waters. I wasn't aware that they spilled the beans on any british operational tactics or intelligence.
 
LadyT said:
"In the military you do NOT give out any information that can in any way be used to endanger or compromise your comadres in arms saftey or security."

What information did they disclose that put them in danger?
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according to any they discussed their unit info with their captors.

Just basing my statment on that info. I don't personally know.

name , rank and serial number only. Per Geneva convention and military protocols.
 
I think there's a good possibility these sailors actually saved british lives, by playing along and cajoling their captors -- effectively ending the crises relatively rapidly.

You know bush is looking for an excuse to attack Iran. And unless these sailors blabbed about British operational tactics or gave up valuable intelligence, I don't see what the long term harm was.

Britain can still make iran pay a price, behind the scenes, for what they did. There's ways to quietly handle it, so Iran doesn't feel rewarded.
 
Well, before I pass any judgement on them I'd have to see the facts. It sounds to me like they did right thing in order to faciliate saving their lives. I highly doubt Iran has any insight to their top secret intelligence.
 
Oh I agree on the saving their lives part. but their lives would have been saved if they had only provided name, rank and SN.

the extra info they provided is my main issue. And yes Cypress I agree with the blair "keep your trap shut" deal to Bush.
I figure Bush was like a kid on christmas when this first happened...
 
uscitizen said:
Oh I agree on the saving their lives part. but their lives would have been saved if they had only provided name, rank and SN.

the extra info they provided is my main issue. And yes Cypress I agree with the blair "keep your trap shut" deal to Bush.
I figure Bush was like a kid on christmas when this first happened...
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No one's been able to tell me what "extra info" they provided, that comprimised british soldiers or british operational tactics.

To my knowledge all they did was play along with the Iranians and cajoled them with tales of being in iranian waters. Every rational person knows that was coerced. No one thinks that was a big coup for the iranians. To my knowledge, it didn't comprimise British national security.
 
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