I have to preface this post, as most have about this subject, with the disclaimer that I am not sure how I would have responded if placed in a similar situation. I would hope that if I was being paraded before the press I would maintain a degree of dignity that would not embarrass myself or my country.
What I found most frustrating about the whole affair from the meet and greet with the Iranian president to the bags of parting gifts is the lack of military decorum that the sailors displayed. In the above picture, as the crowd stood waving and smiling for the camera like a bunch of school kids leaving on holiday, we see three of the marines standing somewhat apart and subdued. The second from the right is Capt. Cris Air of the Royal Marines. As senior officer it would seem to be his duty to take charge. It just makes you wish he would step forward and call the group to attention in typical Marine Corp fashion.
It may be that prisoner of war training is no longer a part of the syllabus but at the least the Ministry of Defence should require that all officers sit through a showing of Sir Alec Guiness in
"The Bridge Over the River Kwai."
What I found most frustrating about the whole affair from the meet and greet with the Iranian president to the bags of parting gifts is the lack of military decorum that the sailors displayed. In the above picture, as the crowd stood waving and smiling for the camera like a bunch of school kids leaving on holiday, we see three of the marines standing somewhat apart and subdued. The second from the right is Capt. Cris Air of the Royal Marines. As senior officer it would seem to be his duty to take charge. It just makes you wish he would step forward and call the group to attention in typical Marine Corp fashion.
It may be that prisoner of war training is no longer a part of the syllabus but at the least the Ministry of Defence should require that all officers sit through a showing of Sir Alec Guiness in
"The Bridge Over the River Kwai."
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