3 ms·
>hardly an American came out of that without responding something like this when first whispered to by a fellow prisoner next door: "You don't want to talk to m
by ALittleLight 6y ago
>hardly an American came out of that without responding something like this when first whispered to by a fellow prisoner next door: "You don't want to talk to me; I am a traitor."
Several times the article talks about how the American prisoners felt guilt that torture was able to compel them to confess or divulge information or similar. That really surprised me. I can't imagine feeling guilty that I divulged secrets under torture.
- stanrivers 6y agoPart of what was so effective about the Vietnamese, and Chinese in the Korean War, was getting the prisoners of war to feel shame. Any shame was what they wanted. Shame that they were captured. Shamed that they were attacking villages. Shame that they gave up secrets. So not only were you saying things that a romanticized view of the military has pounded into you that you would never do... but your captors are trained and specifically trying to make you feel shame / degrade your sense of self value. So I think it is more than just physical torture, but unfortunately adept mental torture as well, that leads to men having those emotions.
- howlgarnish 6y agoUS doctrine at the time was that soldiers were only supposed to reveal their name, rank and serial number, so soldiers naturally felt they had failed if they revealed anything else.