Confusion abounds over definition of torture

Chronicle Staff

Published: Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

We never thought it would be difficult to define torture as it pertains to military warfare. Just ask former Navy pilot and now U.S. Sen. John McCain what torture is all about. Or you could ask any of the hundreds of American military personnel held prisoner in the 1960s and early 1970s in the North Vietnamese prison camp dubbed the Hanoi Hilton. They were beaten regularly within an inch of their lives and were made to live in filthy conditions like animals. It's a given that captured U.S. military members have always been treated harshly by our enemies, while our government has always tried to operate under Geneva Convention rules as they pertain to traditional warfare and prisoners of war. Available only in the print version of the Custer County Chronicle. To subscribe, call 605-673-2217.