This is Jocco Podcast number 63 with Echo Charles and me, Jocco Willink. Good evening, echo. Good evening.

I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender my men while they still have the means to resist.

If I am captured, I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

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 actions 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.

When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war? I am bound to give only 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.

I will never forget that I am an American fighting man responsible for my actions and dedicated to the principles which made my country free.

I will trust in God and in the United States of America.

That is the 1955 version of the Code of Conduct for the Armed Forces of the United States.

It was written in response to the brutal treatment of the 7,190 Americans captured by the enemy during the Korean War, prisoners who were subjected to torture, indoctrination, brainwashing and forced confessions.

That version of the Code that I just read is almost exactly the same as the one that I learned in the military when I joined in 1990.

They did make some changes to it, they changed it to include men and women and they changed two words to give some flexibility to increase survivability and psychological recovery from torture.

The little changes that were made, it changed from the prisoner being bound to give only name, rank and service number and date of birth to the prisoner being required to give name, rank, service number and date of birth.

Small changes. But the spirit of the Code didn't change at all.

That code is what we as military fighting men and women were and are expected to uphold.

Should we ever be captured and held as prisoners by the enemy?

The Code of Conduct is simple and clear and straightforward.

But the Code of Conduct gets tested unlike any other document in the world.

When our American servicemen and women are somehow captured and as prisoners of war face absolutely ruthless levels of torture, pain, suffering, disease, starvation, humiliation and perhaps the most devastating hopelessness.

And tonight it is my absolute honor to have one of these men here.

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