Can POW camps be targeted?

Retained personnel are NOT to be held until the end of the conflict. POWs are entitled to special protections. We are supposed to keep POWs separated from the battlefield if at all possible. POW camps are supposed to be marked and are not legal targets.

What rights do POWs have?

POWs must be treated humanely in all circumstances. They are protected against any act of violence, as well as against intimidation, insults, and public curiosity. IHL also defines minimum conditions of detention covering such issues as accommodation, food, clothing, hygiene and medical care.

Can you shoot prisoners of war?

2551 Article 42 limits the use of weapons against prisoners of war to extreme cases. Nevertheless, if prisoners succeed in escaping, they become targetable again under the rules on the conduct of hostilities, and the limits imposed by Article 42 no longer apply. 2554 The law on this issue is unsettled.

Are POWs allowed to escape?

A prisoner of war can legitimately try to escape from his captors. It is even considered by some that prisoners of war have a moral obligation to try to escape, and in most cases such attempts are of course motivated by patriotism.

What happens if a soldier gets captured?

Once captured by the enemy, prisoners of war are subject to the laws of the armed force that is holding them. They must act according to the rules and regulations of their captors, and breaking those rules leaves them open to the same trial and punishment as that faced by a member of the detaining military.

The Worst POW Camps You Could be Sent to as a Soldier/Pilot/Sailor in WW2

Do military prisoners still get paid?

Normally, if you're convicted at court-martial and your sentence includes confinement, your pay and allowances are stopped. However, there are situations when military servicemembers confined due to courts-martial can keep receiving pay once their confinement begins.

What happens if a civilian hits a soldier?

18 U.S. Code § 1389 - Prohibition on attacks on United States servicemen on account of service. in the case of a battery, or an assault resulting in bodily injury, be fined under this title in an amount not less than $2500 and imprisoned not less than 6 months nor more than 10 years.

Is it a war crime to escape a POW camp?

Background. A duty to escape is a requirement for service personnel, particularly officers, to attempt to escape back to their own lines if taken prisoner of war by enemy forces.

Who is the most famous POW?

Floyd James Thompson — America's longest-held POW; he spent 9 years in POW camps in Vietnam (1964 — 1973).

What happens if you become a POW?

In particular, Captive or POW status is designated to one who, while engaged in combat under orders of their government, is captured by the armed forces of the enemy. Once POW status is determined, the authority for payment of the Soldiers is moved from the field finance offices to the Secretary of the Treasury.

Why did the Japanese treat POWs so badly?

The reasons for the Japanese behaving as they did were complex. The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) indoctrinated its soldiers to believe that surrender was dishonourable. POWs were therefore thought to be unworthy of respect. The IJA also relied on physical punishment to discipline its own troops.

When can a POW be executed?

Historical Treaties and Documents

If the death penalty is pronounced on a prisoner of war, the sentence shall not be executed before the expiration of a period of at least six months from the date when the Protecting Power receives, at an indicated address, the detailed communication provided for in Article 107 .

What happens to POW after war?

During the conflict prisoners might be repatriated or delivered to a neutral nation for custody. At the end of hostilities all prisoners are to be released and repatriated without delay, except those held for trial or serving sentences imposed by judicial processes.

Can civilians be POWs?

Under the new definition, prisoner-of-war status is no longer reserved exclusively for combatants who are members of the armed forces: it may also be granted to civilians who are members of resistance movements and to participants in popular uprisings.

Can POWs be tried for war crimes?

POWs cannot be tried or punished simply for their participation in the armed conflict, they may be prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity and for common crimes under the laws of the detaining power or international law.

How do you become a POW?

To be entitled to prisoner-of-war status, captured persons must be lawful combatants entitled to combatant's privilege—which gives them immunity from punishment for crimes constituting lawful acts of war such as killing enemy combatants.

Which president was a prisoner of war?

He was in a battle and was later captured by the British, making him the only president to have been a prisoner of war. Jackson was magnetic and charming but with a quick temper that got him into many duels, two of which left bullets in him.

Has the US Army ever lost a war?

US lost five major wars after 1945

However, the US was unable to get any significant victory in its wars abroad. America fought five major wars after 1945 including Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan in addition to some minor wars in Somalia, Yemen, and Libya.

What happens to captured mercenaries?

If, after a regular trial, a captured soldier is found to be a mercenary, then he can expect treatment as a common criminal and may face execution. As mercenary soldiers may not qualify as PoWs, they cannot expect repatriation at war's end.

What happens if a Soldier loses his weapon in combat?

The military will literally shut down an installation to find an errant weapon. There is no stone they will not turn over, no length to which you will not be driven to find that weapon. They will recall everyone who was in your location for the last day, line them up, and read off serial numbers until they find it.

Can the army kick you out after 18 years of service?

Except when discharged pursuant to the approved sentence of a court-martial or for physical disability, any Soldier who has completed 18 or more years of active federal service will not be involuntarily discharged or released from active duty without approval from HQDA.

Can the US military fire on US citizens?

Active duty troops can only be deployed if the situation meets certain criteria including times of domestic violence (as in, violence on U.S. soil rather than the kind of violence between two people in a living situation), insurrection, natural disaster, epidemic, etc.

Where do female military prisoners go?

All female military personnel convicted of felonies serve their sentences at the Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar located at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego, California.

What benefits do POWs get?

Former Prisoners of War Veterans may be eligible for a wide-variety of benefits available to all U.S. military Veterans. VA benefits include disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment, and burial.