Being captured during war, especially when the captors don’t prescribe to any parts of the Geneva Convention such as Iran, can be one of life’s most horrible experiences.

The Iranians used the recent event of the 15 British military personnel to promote an agenda and humiliate the British government and the prisoners. How did the prisoners respond and were their actions proper?

”They did exactly as they should have done from start to finish and we are proud of them,” said Air Chief Marshal Jock Stirrup, the head of Britain’s armed forces.

However, thinking back into history, John McCain may be used as one example of long-term captivity, and following military rules for captivity, which led to years of torture beyond imagination. “Prisoner of War” is a term that can’t be used in the case of the Brits since they are not officially at war with Iran.

”The seized personnel lost no time in admitting to having trespassed and in apologizing for their mistake. The old military practice of giving name, rank and number, and no more, has obviously been abandoned,” the Daily Telegraph editorialized.

Easy for the anti-war mainstream media to lash out from their ivory towers while individuals set to higher standards don’t meet the standards of the press. It makes us think of Abu Ghraib and how quick the MSM was to condemn the U.S. Military. Are two standards being set for the military and the enemy?

The Code of the U.S. Fighting Force says captured soldiers must resist participating in propaganda broadcasts or furnishing self-criticism of any kind.

Discussing the Brits Thomas Donnelly, an analyst at the American Enterprise Institute. stated,

”Those were transparently cooked-up confessions. It would be wrong to criticize those people, and besides they were not betraying anything to put anyone at risk.”

Royal Marine Capt. Chris Air, had said in an interview three weeks ago that the team was gathering intelligence on Iran during its patrols. Why would someone in the military provide the media with information concerning intelligence gathering, which provides Iran with an excuse for taking foreign personnel into custody?

We understand the Brits were in Iraqi waters and don’t trust Iran to provide facts and the truth concerning the incident. However, there is no excuse to discuss intelligence operations outside of a very close circle to protect the operation and the individuals involved; it’s common sense and now the British military is going to review their procedures.

It’s not my position to question military persons who are serving admirably for their country, especially during times of war. This writer has utmost respect for soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines and support them unconditionally for their service.

To me the Brits behavior is questionable to a point, smiling, chatting and shaking hands with terrorist president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. What we do put in their position? We can’t really say.

Explanations and debriefing have taken place and now a very disturbing fact is in the news. The headline reads:

The 15 British sailors and marines held by Iran for nearly two weeks were granted permission to sell their stories to the media, the Ministry of Defense said Sunday.

The move is a change from the military’s usual policy of blocking serving personnel from entering into financial arrangements with media organizations. A Defense Ministry spokeswoman said the situation of the former captives is unique and deserved special consideration.

Unique and deserves special consideration? We think not as it can only become a precedence and serve no positive purpose for the military in harms way. The only woman in the group, 26-year-old Leading Seaman Faye Turney, could earn as much as $300,000 from deals with a broadcaster and a newspaper.

“Many people who shared the anxiety of the hostages’ abduction will feel that selling their stories is somewhat undignified and falls below the very high standards we have come to expect from our servicemen and women,” said opposition lawmaker and defense critic Liam Fox.

We couldn’t agree more. Future military personnel who are captured may face very dire consequences and may, in fact, cooperate with the enemy in hopes of “cashing in” in the future.

A government official said the decision was made because of the exceptional demand for interviews with the crew, and also so the Defense Ministry could support the sailors and marines in handling the media.

That is a foolish reason at best and with the British government preparing to leave Iraq it places an added burden on the thousands of U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East in harms way.

Thousands have paid the ultimate price and will never receive pay for their military sacrifices. One former British commander saying the released hostages were behaving like reality TV contestants.

Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon Gentle was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra in Iraq, said the MoD should not allow the servicemen to sell their stories.

“This is wrong and I don’t think it should be allowed by the MoD. None of the parents who have lost loved ones in Iraq have sold their stories,” she said.

John Tindell, the father of captured Brit Joe Tindell, claimed the marines were planning to sell on eBay the vases given to them in their “goody bags” by the Iranians.

Colonel Bob Stewart, a commander of British UN forces in Bosnia, said:

“I am appalled the MoD is encouraging them to profit from a military disaster.”

We won’t condone the spectacle of playing into the hands of Iran, it would reduce the sacrifice of the thousands who have been tortured, imprisoned for years and killed. Promoting the incident for money is a disgrace.

Playing into the hands of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad under pressure may or may not be judged as wrong, but cashing in now is an insult to “The Few, The Proud, The Marines” and the other outstanding individuals who are serving or served and follow their military codes with honor and distinction.

Semper Fidelis should not be reduced to a book deal and eBay!

The 15 Brits have given a new meaning to “Soldier of Fortune.”

Fred Thompson has more say about Iran at RedState