American Prisoners of War The American military has been engaged in wars from the earliest history of America. The soldiers who have dedicated their lives in support of protecting the country have often found themselves subjected to becoming prisoners or war. Fighting on foreign and domestic soil is a normal practicality of protecting America’s interests and way of life, which has become the example of freedom worldwide. Unfortunately soldiers are captured and held by opposing forces in some of the worst and extremely inhuman ways. The physical and psychological effects of becoming a POW have long been studied to prepare soldiers for the endless possibilities they may be presented with in combat. During the Revolutionary war in1775, British …show more content…
Grant had an exceptional victory in February of 1862 at the battle of Fort Donelson. With this combat victory came the capture of over 5000 Confederate soldiers. Grant was perplexed with what he should do with so many prisoners. After careful examination he determined the best holding area would be a Union Army post in Chicago which was a processing point for Union soldiers known as Fort Douglas. The conversion of Fort Douglas to a POW camp would later be known as “Eighty acres of hell”. The location of Fort Douglas was selected due to the benefits of localized railroad and waterway transportation (Kinght). Though the new POW camp was not designed to accommodate more than 6,000 men, the population quickly grew to over 12,000 POW’s. Poor conditions, lack of adequate sewage and many other complications made Fort Douglas a living nightmare for the prisoners. Disease such as typhoid, dysentery, and small pox devastated the camp, as much as 17 percent of the POW’s died while incarcerated at Fort Douglas …show more content…
The German forces built several POW camps throughout the European theater. POWs’ were usually sent to prison camps known as “Stalag’s”, Many of these camps were poorly build and offered very little protection from the harsh winter weather. The Nazi SS conducted the initial interrogation of POW’s in Germany; they were extremely good at mental and physical torture, while attempting to extract information from POW’s they felt would benefit their war efforts. Although the treatment of POW’s in Germany may have had some brutal treatment of prisoners exposed, the greater evil was on another front of the
Thousands upon thousands of innocent Jews, men, women, and children tortured; over one million people brutally murdered; families ripped apart from the seams, all within Auschwitz, a 40 square kilometer sized concentration camp run by Nazi Germany. Auschwitz is one of the most notorious concentration camps during WWII, where Jews were tortured and killed. Auschwitz was the most extreme concentration camp during World War Two because innumerable amounts of inhumane acts were performed there, over one million people were inexorably massacred, and it was the largest concentration camp of over two thousand across Europe.
PBS’ Frontline film “The Wounded Platoon” reviews the effects the Iraq war has had on soldiers as they return home and transition back into civilian life, focusing particularly on the rise in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among American military members from Fort Carson Army base (Edge, 2010). Incidents of PTSD have risen dramatically in the military since the beginning of the Iraq war and military mental health policies and treatment procedures have adapted to manage this increase (Edge, 2010). In “The Wounded Platoon,” many military personnel discuss how PTSD, and other mental health struggles, have been inadequately treated (if at all) by military mental health services. Reasons and Perdue’s definition of a social problem allows us to see inadequate treatment of PTSD among returning United States military members as a social problem because it is a condition affecting a significant number of people in undesirable ways that can be remedied through collective action (Reasons & Perdue, 1981).
The notorious detention camp, Bergen-Belsen, was constructed in 1940 and “was near Hanover in northwest Germany, located between the villages Bergen and Belsen” (jewishvirtuallibrary.org), hence the name. Originally, the “camp was designed to hold 10,000 prisoners” (jewishvirtuallibrary.org) but, Bergen-Belsen rapidly grew. “In the first eighteen months of existence, there were already five satellite camps.” (holocaustresearchproject.org). Eventually, the “camp had eight sections: detention camp, two camps for women, a special camp, neutrals camp, ‘star camp’, Hungarian Camp, and a tent camp.” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, p.165) It also held prisoners who were too ill/weak to work at the “convalescent camp” (Bauer, Yehuda, p.359)
He supports his claim by giving statistical facts of how many veterans exposed to Agent Orange during their time at war requested examinations and counseling by Veteran Affairs. Scott then states that men of all wars, not just the Vietnam War, struggled to gain support in treatment for war related injuries. He thoroughly supports Spake’s claim of psychological distress within his article by stating that when at war claims of distress were low, but once home, mental and physical anguish intensified. Scott’s purpose is to explain, inform, and describe the mental trials of Agent Orange exposed war veterans in order to make readers aware of the hardships the men faced. Scott creates an informative tone for readers of higher education and an interest in psychological disorders and war
The prisoners were ordered to do many horrific things in this camp. Plaszow was the most common forced labor camp for Jews located in Krakow
Despite the decorated ideals of the military life and duties, the Vietnam War would prove to be far from idealistic for U.S. soldiers. Many of the soldiers who were drafted into the war did not have a choice in the matter and did not want to go. During training camp, the privates were often mistreated and suffered physical and mental punishments. American soldiers committed war crimes repeatedly without any second thought. Because of the brutality that occurred during the Vietnam War, many soldiers suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which frequently led to suicide and depression.
“Concentration camps (Konzentrationslager; abbreviated as KL or KZ) were an integral feature of the regime in Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945. The term concentration camp refers to a camp in which people are detained or confined, usually under harsh conditions and without regard to legal norms of arrest and imprisonment that are acceptable in a constitutional democracy” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The living conditions in these camps were absolutely horrible. The amount of people being kept in one space, amongst being unsanitary, was harsh on the body. “A typical concentration camp consisted of barracks that were secured from escape by barbed wire, watchtowers and guards.
The former POW who escaped or was released by their captors is also a veteran of war, but also a veteran of experiences totally different from their typical veteran counterparts. The POWs battle was not only one of daily survival, but also never ending battle against psychological intimidation, physical suffering, boredom, degradation, feelings of vulnerability, and sometimes depression. Also another noteworthy effect from being a POW was the “hero” recognition by the public and or Military community upon their honorable return from their capture followed by the attention they would received in the years following the return. The reintegration process back in to “normal...
Belief perseverance is defined by Meyers as "Persistence of one's initial conceptions, as when the basis for one's belief is discredited but an explanation of why the belief might be true survives." This phenomenon is readily observable and at many times throughout the film Prisoners of Silence. It can be observed in the man who discovered facilitated language, parents of autistic children, teachers, facilitators and even in the view of the film.
The United States military continues to engage in one of the longest periods of combat operations in our nation’s history. One of the results is an increase in the amount of persons suffering Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA) (2000), a precursor to PTSD is the experience of an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury to self or others. Grossman (2009) argues that an additional factor, the emotional and spiritual response to killing another human being, also takes a tremendous toll on the mental health of returning soldiers. Forty-eight to sixty–five percent of soldiers returning from Operation Enduring Freedom have reported killing an enemy combatant, while 14–28% have reported killing a noncombatant (Hoge, Castro, Messer, McGurk, Cotting, & Koffman, 2004). This paper will discuss Grossman’s (2009) views on the psychological cost of killing others in combat.
Our soldiers not only risked life and limb for our country while serving in the Vietnam War, but they continue to suffer immensely. Americans as well as Vietnamese troops and civilians suffered great losses when it comes to casualties. Witnessing first-hand the pain and death of strangers and allies, isn’t something one is likely to forget. Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been one of the many repercussions of witnessing these gruesome events (Mental Health America). Veterans, their families, and the government have come together in combat in attempts to address the detrimental effects of PTSD.
Since the September 11, 2001, 2.7 million soldiers have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Over 970,000 of these veterans currently suffer from the aftermath of this conflict. Soldiers who have faced combat have higher rates of suicides, mild to severe forms of psychosis, addiction to drugs and alcohol, automobile accidents, and deprivation of suitably safe and secure living places (Watson Institute International & Public Affairs Brown University, 2017). Although combat veterans have tried to overcome the effects of PTSD through various treatment programs, they still face extraordinary challenges, relational issues, and aggressiveness.
What has our society classified as a prisoner of war? A prisoner of war is someone who is a member of regular or irregular armed forces of a nation at war held by the enemy. After two years of war with the Middle East our society wonders what happens to the prisoners in jail. The other conflicts of prisoners of war is how they are treated in jail, also what did they do to be detained as a prisoner of war? In most situations, there is a legitimate reason why these people are taken captive. So many might ask what is happening to the Iraqis detained under Coalition forces custody, and do the prisons comply with standards set fourth in the Geneva Conventions? This subject is very controversial to the U.S and other nations. The controversial part of this subject is the alleged abuse of prisoners in jail in custody of U.S soldiers. There are many cases of prisoners dying in prison but is it because of abuse by American soldiers. This subject of abuse upon prisoners of war has reach all over the world especially to the United States. Our president George W. Bush, along with Congress, has arranged investigations on the events that happen inside the prisons. He has addressed to the nation that such things have not occurred, but what a U.S soldier knows may be a little different. This kind of action toward prisoners of war is illegal according to US law, which is dictated by the Geneva Conventions. If a soldier is found guilty of abuse, or other forms of mistreatment, that soldier will be recommended for court-martial. The other issue about this subject is that there are so many different opinions on this matter. One opinion is that U.S personnel really did cause the death of many prisoners of war. The other question i...
Throughout history there have been records of soldiers experiencing ‘shell shock,’ ‘battle fatigue,’ ‘gross stress reaction,’ and ‘soldier’s heart.’ The soldiers who suffered from these combat induced physiological traumas were branded as cowards, and removed from positions, reprimanded and even court marshaled. Vietnam veterans began to experience similar ailments immediately following the war. This new surge of afflicted soldiers forced the public as well as medical professionals and government officials to take notice of what is now ...
American Veterans experienced war-related trauma in Vietnam.(Friedman, 1998) The war traumas included being on frequent or prolonged combat missions in enemy territory, encountering ambushes and...