Abstract
The Gulf War POW experience confronts us once again with a gap between conduct dictated by the Armed Forces Code of Conduct and actual experience. In the 1990s the differences among the popular lore surrounding POW conduct, expectations written into the Code of Conduct, and POW experiences could not be more pronounced. Many now accept that the Code of Conduct is, at best, "not enough" for POWs. The policy on POW conduct in the United States Armed Forces needs a fresh look. The U.S. should bring its POW policies into line with conduct that it condones. Otherwise it is left to American POWs suffering in some distant prison to decide for themselves that the Code of Conduct is irrelevant.
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