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Code of Conduct

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 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.

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 and 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.

How many of us could live within that code for seven years, physically and mentally tortured nearly every day? Seven years of torture. That's 2,555 days. 61,320 eternal hours of pain and suffering.

Want to share some REAL American heroes with you kids? Get a copy of Tom Hanks Presents Return with Honor, from Warner Brothers Home Videos.

The two-hour documentary from Academy Award-winning filmmakers Freida Lee Mock and Terry Sanders presents the firsthand accounts of several American fighter pilots shot down over North Vietnam. More than 20 veterans describe their captivity and their struggle to survive–mentally, physically, and spiritually. The personal interviews are woven with never-before-seen film from the government of Vietnam, and accounts from the wives left back at home.

Most compelling is the story of Everett Alvarez, a 26-year-old Navy fighter pilot, shot down on August 4, 1964. Gaining "fame" as the first American pilot to be captured by the Vietnamese, Alvarez was a prisoner of war for eight and a half years -- the longest period of captivity of any American POW in North Vietnam.

Alvarez thought he would be there a maximum of six months while the United States "wrapped up" the war. The accounts of torture are graphic and compelling; the stories of how they continued to resist, how they invented codes to communicate even in isolation, how they would spell out "T.O.R.T.U.R.E" by blinking when "interviewed" by Vietnamese TV, are awe-inspiring.

Some other reviews:

"Very moving...Lucid...Dignified..."
- Janel Maslin,

"Staggeringly Powerful..."
- Rod Dreher, New York Post

So, give your kids (and yourself) a real lesson in American history. Take a two-hour glimpse at how real American heroes return with honor.

Above graphic courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Video