BRITS CAVE!

Friday, April 06, 2007

Dr. Noel Gibeson Corbell

When we negotiate from a position of weakness, the result is the same every time; more weakness. The once great nation of Great Britain has been seized politically by the Lefties and is now weaker than at anytime in its glorious history. The terrorists knew it and now the world knows it. That is why Iran planned and executed the abduction of British sailors and marines in Iraq’s territorial waters. 

Britain once had a navy that ruled the seas of the world, unchallenged by any nation. Today with continued Leftie budget cuts, the British navy will soon be the size of Belgium’s navy and virtually no more than a coastal defense force. At a time when the terrorist threat continues to grow, navies in Britain and Europe continue to downsize. 

What message does that send to the terrorists? Answer: It is time to play.

And what kind of conduct did the British marines and sailors exhibit during their brief capture by the enemy; certainly it was not defiance. Since when do prisoners seemingly cooperate with the enemy during their media moments?

American servicemen after the Korean War adopted and used the creed listed below. During the Korean War prisoners were subjected to torture and brainwashing a la the Manchurian Candidate. The creed was adopted to steel servicemen toward their enemy.

During Vietnam POWs, despite severe physical torture, routinely defied their captors and sent subliminal messages of defiance back home to the states when they were shown on TV. Today, Vietnam servicemen like William Stockdale and John McCain serve as examples for all on how to conduct themselves once captured. 

Perhaps the British armed forces need to adopt a similar creed after the shameful display put on by their servicemen and woman during this hostage ‘crisis.’

Creed of the American Fighting Man

I

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.

II

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.

III

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.

IV

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.

V

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 written statements disloyal to my country
and its allies or harmful to their cause.

VI

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. 

However, even worse than the conduct of the British sailors and marines, was the conduct of the British Navy, the Ministry of Defence, and the government of Britain.

The commander of the HMS Cornwall stood by as Iranian gonzos in boats took his sailors and marines captive. Instead, he should have blown them out of the water before they even reached the British sailors and marines who were clearly in Iraqi waters. He should never have called the Ministry of Defence to ask for instructions.

The Ministry of Defence was in la-la land; completely clueless in this situation. What kind of rules of engagement allow the capture of British forces in another nation’s waters instead of protecting them. This is what happens when the government feels that they must remotely micromanage war; something any government is never capable of doing.

 

And the British government is not off the hook either. Why did they have to go groveling to the Iranian terrorists to beg to get their servicemen back? When you start from a position of weakness, you finish in a position of weakness.

 

Are there lessons for the British, the EU and the US to learn from this disgusting incident? Most certainly there are. Will any of them learn from it; probably not?

 

 

Dr. Noel Gibeson Corbell. As president of the Mount Vernon Institute, Dr. Corbell provides research and consulting services into contemporary issues involving the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence, international affairs, human rights, the economy, terrorism, intelligence, homeland security, including counter-terrorism, and government responsibility and accountability. At Georgetown University, he taught courses as they relate to technology, intelligence, counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism and space issues. One course called Intelligence and American Foreign Policy, examined unclassified, open-source documents and the steps in the intelligence cycle up to and including preparation of the National Intelligence Estimate. As an organizational management consultant and a radio broadcaster with WALE Radio 990, he produced and hosted a live, radio talk show broadcast over New England and New York called Tomorrow, Today. Earlier, Noel Gibeson Corbell was a career U.S. Marine Corps force recon and infantry officer. In that regard he served in operational positions worldwide in jungles, deserts, mountains and oceans. Later, he was a strategic planner at Headquarters Marine Corps and for the Secretary of the Navy. His commentaries have appeared in newspapers like the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, the Army Times, the Air Force Times, and on the Free Market News Network, as well as in The National Interest.