POW code of conduct

The Code of Conduct outlines basic responsibilities and obligations of members of the US Armed Forces. All members are expected to measure up to the standards embodied in the Code of Conduct. Although designed for a POW situation, the spirit and intent are applicable to service members subjected to other hostile detention. Such service members should consistently conduct themselves in a manner that avoids discrediting them and their country. There are six articles of the Code of Conduct that address situations and decision areas that, to some degree, may be encountered by all personnel. It includes basic information useful to POWs in their tasks of surviving honorably while resisting their captor’s efforts to exploit them to the enemy’s advantage and their disadvantage. Such survival and resistance require varying degrees of knowledge of what the six articles mean.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower first published the Code of Conduct for members of the Armed Forces of the United States on 17 August 1955. In March 1988, President Ronald W. Reagan amended the code with gender-neutral language.

ARTICLE I.

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

ARTICLE II.

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

ARTICLE III.

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

ARTICLE IV.

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 action 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.

ARTICLE V.

When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give 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.

ARTICLE VI.

I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.