What is involved in POW training courses in the military ?

Code of Conduct:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. I will never forget that I am an American fighting for freedom, responsible for my action, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

I think all members of the military get a little training regarding POW status regarding rules and behavior in basic training. There are certain groups that get extensive training. Those are usually the groups that are considered “high risk” to be captured, such as special forces. Here’s a link that gives a little outline about the special training those groups receive.

Survival Training

There are various levels and schools that teach military members how to survive as a POW. The Code of Conduct as has been reprinted above is but a part and basically constitutes guidance as to how an American should conduct themselves if captured. Of course the most important thing is to not be captured in the first place which is why most training is conducted as Survival, Escape, Resistance, and Evasion or SERE for short. There are several levels of this type of training conducted. The more intense versions of the schools are centralized and mostly offered to those of the highest risk group such as pilots (flight crews) and Special Operations personnel (Green Berets, SEALS, etc). Many units also conduct local schools as the command feels it is needed for such thing as a life in captivity course. All personnel receive some initial training in their basic courses (a couple of days worth)but is far from the training received in the higher level SERE courses (sometimes a month long). Focus for the schools are to try and avoid capture as much as possible and then what to do if you are captured.