Posted on 04/09/2007 4:51:05 PM PDT by blam
UK captive 'felt like a traitor'
Faye Turney has reportedly struck a six-figure deal
Leading Seaman Faye Turney has told how she "felt like a traitor" when she was forced to write "confession" letters shown on Iranian television. The only woman among the 15-strong Royal Navy crew has also defended her decision to sell her story to ITV1's Trevor Macdonald and the Sun newspaper.
Some of the reported six-figure sum for the interview will go to navy families.
Relatives of soldiers killed in Iraq have criticised the decision allowing the crew to sell their stories.
Lord Heseltine, the former deputy prime minister and defence secretary, has called for an inquiry into the decision to allow the sale of stories.
And Lieutenant Felix Carman, who was among those held, has said he finds it "unsavoury" that his fellow captives are being paid to tell their story. But the Sun newspaper has defended its decision to pay Leading Seaman Turney for her story.
Critical letters
The paper's defence editor, Tom Newton-Dunn, who refused to reveal how much she was being paid, said: "She has a right to do this. We are a free country. Faye has been through the most extraordinary ordeal, which is clearly graphically illustrated."
In an interview broadcast on ITV1's Tonight with Trevor Macdonald, Leading Seaman Turney said she was told she would be charged with spying unless she wrote the letters shown on Iranian television.
In one letter, she criticises the Bush and Blair governments for intervening in Iraq.
"When they wanted me to write what was written about the British and American troops I felt like a traitor to my own country," she says.
Cpt Chris Air and Lt Felix Carman say they do not intend to profit
In the programme, she defended her decision to sell her story and says a percentage of the money will help the crew and families of HMS Cornwall.
"I was offered a hell of a lot of money for my story. I've not taken the biggest offer, I've gone down...because I wanted to speak to yourself and the Sun because I knew my point would be put across.
"I want everyone out there to know my story from my side, see what I went through," she told the programme.
Asked what form her interrogation took, she said: "It took two forms: you had Mr Nice Guy who wanted to be your best mate; he was concerned at the fact that I hadn't been eating.
"And then you've got the guys who were like, 'Do you want to see your daughter again?' And that's the way they use that against you. And that was horrible."
She also described how at times during her two-week ordeal, she cried herself to sleep.
Coffin
In a separate interview with the Sun, Leading Seaman Turney said she feared her Iranian captors were measuring her for a coffin before killing her.
Her captors asked how she felt about dying for her government and never seeing her daughter again, she said.
Leading Seaman Turney, known as Topsy, said her lowest moment came when her captors isolated her from her colleagues and told her they had been sent home.
"All I could think of was how completely alone I was. They could do anything now and nobody would know," she told the Sun.
'Nightmare'
Meanwhile Arthur Batchelor, 20, the youngest of the British sailors to be held captive, told the Daily Mirror about his "nightmare" at the hands of his captors and how he "cried like a baby" in his cell.
He told the newspaper: "A guard kept flicking my neck with his index finger and thumb. I thought the worst, we've all seen the videos. I was frozen in terror and just stared into the darkness of my blindfold."
The crew returned to the UK on Thursday after 13 days in captivity
Both of the officers among the captives have said they do not plan to profit from the story.
Royal Navy Lt Felix Carman said any fee was likely to go to charity.
"I am not interested in making money out of this," the 26-year-old from Swansea told the BBC.
"My main aim is to tell the story. There's some people who might be making money, but that's an individual's decision, that's very private."
Captain Chris Air said that he did not plan to sell his story but insisted his fellow service personnel had the right to.
The MoD said its decision would ensure officials "had sight" of what might be said as well ensuring "proper media support" to the captured crew members.
Sally Veck, whose 19-year-old daughter Eleanor Dlugosz was killed in Iraq, criticised the MoD for letting the sailors and marines profit from their ordeal.
She told the Times: "If you are a member of the military, it is your duty to serve your country.
"You should do your duty and not expect to make money by selling stories."
'Backlash' fear
The sailors and Royal Marines were held after Iran accused them of entering its waters, a claim they denied.
The MoD has said experiences of the navy crew amounted to "exceptional circumstances" that allowed its usual ban on such payments to be lifted.
Maj Gen Patrick Cordingley, who led the Desert Rats in the first Gulf War, said he was "depressed" by the decision to sell stories as they had "not overplayed their experiences" in the press conference which took place when they returned to the UK.
He said the Ministry of Defence or the government seems to be "manipulating this whole particular process" for propaganda purposes.
She should trust her feelings.
Her feelings were dead on.
Silly question. Does anyone know what the British Code of Conduct is, for captured soldiers?
The US Code states that they are to give name, rank, birth date and service number. They are not to cooperate with their captors, and are under duty to escape and/or aid the escape of fellow captured soldiers.
Do the British have the same guidelines, or are they encouraged to give the enemy anything they want/need in order to ensure their safe return?
If you give away information to the enemy or allow the enemy to use you in a fashion favorable to their side, you are helping the enemy and hurting “your” side. In every sense, you then become a traitor to your cause.
If that “lady” had any regrets at all, she wouldn’t be accepting any money at all for her failures.
Not that it’s a contest, but the biggest traitor is whoever gave the order to surrender.
At last the Brass has reached out to them and at least demanded they say the right things.
They are all descended from Sir Robin:
Brave Sir Robin ran away.
Bravely ran away away.
When danger reared it’s ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.
Bravely taking to his feet,
He beat a very brave retreat.
Bravest of the braaaave, Sir Robin!
Oh Jeez. Just what you want Makkhhmoodinijad to hear.
Well, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...
BUMP that.
Given what I saw (and didn’t see) they *all* looked like traitors.
You are absolutely wrong. They never should have cooperated with the Iranians, they never should have made videotaped confessions, appologies, or admissions, but they did the right thing in surrendering in the face of overwheming opposing forces and not being at a state of war with Iran at the time.
Rub it with money and feel much better. /s
No kidding. The Iranians have shown the world that Great Britain is run by a bunch pu$$ies from top to bottom. I fear our leaders are in that category, too.
I can comfortably condemn pedophilia having never had the desires that they have. I'm OK with that.
I can also shake my head in disgust at members of the military who do not act in an honorable manner when taken prisoner.
Ah, a woman's intution ...
Ah, a woman's intuition ...
Have you ever been in the military? Are you at all familiar with any of the methods that our guys staying at the Hanoi Hilton used to communicate to the world (and their commanders) the message "I'm not doing this of my own free will" ?
I recall at least some of these methods (the tone of voice used,the cadence of their speech,body language,etc) and I didn't see *anything* with these British sailors that indicated anything other than that they were having a wonderful visit with their gracious hosts in Tehran.
A womans intuition is never wrong.
Bravo Sierra. The western world is in a new Cold War with Iran, and the British Navy should have been on a proper war footing for just such an occasion. It's not like this hasn't happened before. This whole episode should never have been allowed to happen.
If a dozen or so American sailors had been captured by Iranian forces, there would be calls for everyone's head from the C.O. to the President.
I feel that way about all of them. Unfortunately, there are many here who would rather have seen them murdered than to live to fight another day.
I don’t know what the UK calls it, but they didn’t go through it.
I would never have an abortion but I can't fault others if they decide to have one.
Basically surrender was a "standing order". The Admiral at the head of the UK Navy said on TV, a couple of days after the hostages were grabbed:
"basically our rules of engagement in this situation are decided de-escalatory"!
I rethought my original assessment which mirrored your. I now wonder if I would have done differently. We all wish we would act in the mold of the brave Hollywood style hero, but when the reality of brutality is faced....
I don't know about you but I haven't the foggiest idea under what standing orders or orders specific to that mission the sailors might have been operating.It seems possible that the commander of that vessel was obeying orders by surrendering.
It's their behavior *during captivity* that troubles me.
Unfourtunately there are some here that have no idea how many more Western miltary will die because of the timidity shown by the British Navy toward an illegal Iranian boarding in Iraqi waters.
How many are you personally willing to cosign to the fate of those who died at the hands of Iran the 243 KIA at Marine Barraks in Beruit; 444 days of captivity for our diplomats; 18 dead at Kobar towers; 17 killed on the Cole; 180 (est) US troops KIA from shaped charge IED's from Iran in Iraq.
Want to give me a number......or are you unwilling to draw a line.
“If that “lady” had any regrets at all, she wouldn’t be accepting any money at all for her failures.”
Perhaps it is the “regrets” that is causing her to speak out. BTW, some of the money is going to charity.
Something absolutely HAS to be done about Iran. No doubt about it. But I’m one of those who believes that it should be at a time of our choosing, not Iran’s. If the hostages had decided to basically commit suicide by fighting back at the time of their capture, it is not unlikely that all hell would have broken loose. I’d prefer for all hell to break loose when we’re darn good ‘n ready.
“They are all descended from Sir Robin...”
What a horrid thing to say! And to think that you are an “allie”! “All” is pretty inclusive, and I don’t think the brave British troops that have given their lives in this war (or any other) were cowards. Would you make that same assessment of our troops?
“Ah. a woman’s intuition...”
This means that yours must be male arrogance.
Given the behavior they just displayed, what in the world makes you think these people would actually choose to fight when "another day" rolls around? Methinks they'd choose to capitulate.
“Sure, maybe we’d have both failed the test and sang like canaries too, but that wouldn’t have keep what we did from being traitorous.”
Doesn’t traitorous actions have something to do with forethought? BTW, funny how there are so few bashing Iran’s actions? Hmmm. Where’s that thread...
Damn Honey,if you didn’t want to feel that way,you could have ripped that scarf thing of your head,threw it in their face and tell them to kiss your ass.
They didn’t look like military members, but like a young soccer team or a high school field trip.
There adaptation to duress is one thing, but they could have shown by bearing that coercion had been involved as was said above and they were aware of their status.
.....and “LEADING SEAMAN” ?!?!?!?!?
Given what I saw (and didn’t see) they *all* looked like traitors.
How about the 3 on the right? And maybe the hidden guy in the back?
“I feel that way about all of them. Unfortunately, there are many here who would rather have seen them murdered than to live to fight another day”
They did’nt put up a fight in the first place. So to assume they would ever fight is nil.
I am not going to second guess the decision to surrender or how the British government got them released, since I don’t know the details.
However, these clowns who made statements like that after being imprisoned for like a week should be court martialed. I could understand if someone cracked under torture, but this is ridiculous.
The officers particularly were among the worst collaborators. I am sure their careers are ruined for just getting captured, but they should be held accountable for this.
This girl is certainly not an advertisement for putting women in these situations.
Blinking Morse Code (SOS) was a most famous case of communication that, “I am not stating this of my free will”.
LLS
I like your mindset.
LLS
I never said that. These fifteen however allowed themselves to be paraded about like clowns. I don't care what nation they are from. If they were Americans I'd say the same thing.
The point was based on the statement that “all” British military are like Sir Robin.
I don’t think so. If you do something you feel significantly harms your country while in service to protect it, for what ever personal reason, it’s traitorous.
Yes, it is supposed to be name, rank, and serial number. (I’m a vet.) All I am saying, is that perhaps how we think that we will react in those circumstances, and reality are not always the same no matter how we would wish it.
Not all of them are selling their stories. But the ones that are have made it clear that they donating proceeds to charity. Don’t you want to know the ordeal that they went thru straight from them, rather than the twisted half true version that the media has given?
“Not that it’s a contest, but the biggest traitor is whoever gave the order to surrender.”
I would nominate those who put them in harms way with no back up and a limited means to fight back.
I would hope that if it was our people in this situation that there would be a way to give them a large amount of firepower as backup in a hurry.
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