maintain personal hygiene and sanitation and to care for the sick and wounded. All  United  States  officers  and  noncommis- sioned officers should continue to carry out their responsibilities  and  exercise  their  authority  if  cap- tured.  The  senior  line  officer  or  noncommissioned officer  within  the  group  of  prisoners  assumes command according to rank or date of rank, without regard to his or her branch of service. That person is the lawful superior of all lower ranking personnel. If the senior officer or non- commissioned  officer  is  incapacitated  or  unable to command for any reason, the next senior per- son  will  assume  command. Article I of the  Code of Conduct  says “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. ” These are perhaps the  most  important  words  of  the  Code,  because they  signify  the  faith  and  confidence  of  Americans in their government, their country, and their service.  From  the  time  John  Paul  Jones  made  his defiant reply “I have not yet begun to fight” to the  present,  Americans  have  traditionally  fought wherever the enemy was and with whatever weapons were available. When captured, the Americans have continued the battle in a new arena. When facing an enemy interrogator, they have  been  under  fire  just  as  though  bullets and  shell  fragments  were  flying  around  them. Disarmed,  POWs  have  fought  back  with  mind and spirit, remaining faithful to their fellow POWs, yielding no military information, and resisting  every  attempt  of  indoctrination.  Each  of us  has  the  responsibility  to  honor  these  traditions by carefully adhering to the meaning of each article  of  the  Code  of  Conduct.  The  many Americans  who  have  accepted  that  responsibil- ity are heroes in the finest sense of the word. One  such  hero  was  Lieutenant  (Junior  Grade) Dieter  Dengler,  USNR.  In  February  1966  LTJG Dengler was on a bombing mission over North Vietnam  when  his  aircraft  was  badly  damaged  by ground  fire.  LTJG  Dengler  crash-landed  his  air- craft  in  nearby  Laos  and  attempted  to  evade  cap- ture. After successfully evading the enemy for 1 day, he was captured and led to a village where he was interrogated and told to sign a Communist propaganda statement condemning the United States.  LTJG  Dengler’s  repeated  refusal  to  give more than his name, rank, service number, date of birth, or to sign any statements resulted in severe  beatings. When he continued to refuse to answer ques- tions,  he  was  tied  behind  a  water  buffalo  and dragged through the brush. The interrogations and beatings continued for 3 days, but LTJG Dengler  refused  to  give  in.  Later  he  escaped  from his  guards  but  was  recaptured  and  again  severely beaten.  After  6  months  in  captivity,  LTJG Dengler successfully escaped, killing several guards in the process. On the 17th day, a pilot who escaped with him was killed, and LTJG Dengler  had  to  continue  alone.  Although  suffer- ing from malnutrition, jaundice, fatigue, and badly  cut  and  swollen  feet,  LTJG  Dengler  refused to give up. Finally, on the 22nd day after his escape, he managed to lay out a crude SOS on a bed of rocks, which attracted the attention of a  United  States  Air  Force  aircraft.  Later,  a  rescue helicopter ended his ordeal by plucking him to safety. The  stories  of  personnel  who  steadfastly followed both the spirit and letter of the  Code  of Conduct are numerous. Full compliance with the laws of armed con- flict is not always easy, especially when you are a  POW.  For  instance,  you  might  be  extremely angry  and  upset  because  you  were  taken  prisoner. But you should NEVER engage in reprisals or acts of revenge that violate the  Code  of  Conduct, AT  SEA Survival  at  sea  depends  upon  your  knowledge, your  equipment,  your  self-control,  and  your  train- ing. Basic Military Requirements  provides a good review of survival equipment, abandoning ship procedures,  and  at-sea  survival  hints. Think  of  the  vastness  of  both  military  and commercial operations at sea. Then you can realize  the  dangers  the  crews  and  passengers  face under  such  a  wide  range  of  environmental conditions. As the senior person in an at-sea survival situa- tion,  your  responsibilities  are  great.  First  you  must make sure your group is afloat and safe. Then you  must  know  how  to  operate  the  equipment available to you and ration food and water. Take charge of the situation and remain calm—that  will  greatly  increase  your  chance  for survival. Talk to your people; do your best to keep morale  up  by  singing,  praying,  joking,  or  telling stories.  Keep  the  others  involved.  Remember,  as long as you are alive, the chance for rescue is excellent. Don’t sell short the value of group support. Many  survival  experiences  have  proven  that  stick- ing together as a group may make the difference in  surviving  an  ordeal. 6-19