Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Wednesday that Iran would release the 15 British sailors and marines captured by the Iranian Coast Guard. The British troops had been conducting a search of vessels when they were seized by the Iranians who claimed the troops had trespassed into Iranians waters, a claim the British government fervently denies. Tensions had been high between Great Britain and Iran over the fate of the captured troops. While Britain and Iran waged a war of words over the incident, the 15 captured service members were repeatedly exploited by the Iranian government.
I can understand the hesitation a world power may feel about using military action. It is a monumental decision with enormous repercussions. However, the men and women who volunteer to serve in the militaries of powerful nations should be able to count on their governments to defend them. While British Prime Minister Tony Blair took a strong public stance against the capture of his troops, he did not back it up. While he was busy talking and wagging his finger at Iran, 15 loyal British troops were being paraded on Arab television as criminals. They were being used as tools of propaganda, they were threatened with a criminal trial and they were humiliated in front of the world. We have no way of knowing how they were treated off camera and we may never know the details of their captivity. What we do know is that Great Britain is not willing to take immediate action to free military members from a foreign government. And I am convinced that our government would take the same stance.
Our troops have volunteered to serve this country and they don’t ask fro much in return. They work long hours, spent months away from their families and put their lives in danger because they know someone has to defend the rights of the many. We should take a lesson from Israel in how to truly give our troops the security of knowing that their country will not leave them behind. Israel takes immediate and decisive action when even one member of heir military is captured. Israeli soldiers have the confidence of knowing that if they are captured, an entire country will go to war to rescue them or avenge them. How many of our service members have that kind of faith in our government? Or in the British government?
Call me a hawk if you like, it wouldn’t be the first time, but our troops fight for us every day, they deserve a government that will fight for them.
General Blog
What a great point. The US would do the same thing if our troops had been captured. Talk, talk, talk while the hostages are used and possibly abused by a foreign government. More action would have ended the issue much faster than all the backdoor politics. Where is the government’s commitment to the troops?