In the words of two leaders of successful insurgencies:
Should any soldier be so base and infamous as to injure any [prisoner]. . . I do most earnestly enjoin you to bring him to such severe and exemplary punishment as the enormity of the crime may require. Should it extend to death itself, it will not be disproportional to its guilt at such a time and in such a cause... for by such conduct they bring shame, disgrace and ruin to themselves and their country.
He later continued on:
Treat them with humanity, and let them have no reason to complain of our copying the brutal example of the [occupying] Army in their treatment of our unfortunate brethren who have fallen into their hands.
Another successful insurgent commander on the same topic:
We further our mission of destroying the enemy by propagandizing his troops, by treating his captured soldiers with consideration, and by caring for those of his wounded who fall into our hands. If we fail in these respects, we strengthen the solidarity of our enemy.
Shouldn't be hard to guess who the first man was. The second one might surprise you.
Actually the other way around for me. I recognized the 2nd but not the 1st. Had to look it up, and I was surprised by the answer. For some reason I find it difficult to look at the American Revolution in the same light as more the modern insurgencies.
ReplyDeleteThe first is George Washington, no question.
ReplyDeleteI *think* the second is Ike.
Well, that was pretty stupid of me....Eisenhower didn't command in an insurgency.....I looked it up too. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteGug
The first is definitely George Washington. I used that quote once upon a time. The second I'll guess is Mao, and I'll probably be wrong.
ReplyDeleteWell, what do you know?
ReplyDelete