# Torture by US military **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 31, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915 "2003-01-31T18:16:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/1 "2003-01-31T18:16:53Z")
Okay, maybe my rose-colored glasses are on, but I can’t imagine US military ever subjecting anyone to torture for information. We were watching _24_, the previews, where it looks like They’re getting ready to electrocute Roger and I pooh-poohed the idea to Ivylad. Ivylad was in the Navy. He wouldn’t tell me anything, but hinted quite strongly that the US military has used torture. What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Engywook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Engywook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engywook)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/2 "2003-01-31T19:33:03Z")
Depends on what you mean by torture. Which of the following are not torture? Locking somebody in a room without food? Holding somebody’s hand over a candle flame? Sleep deprivation? Bizarre games where a prisoner is made to believe that he has to cooperate, or else his comrade will be burned alive in the next room? I don’t think the military uses thumbscrews, and I believe (hope) our boys stick to the Geneva convention. I wouldn’t doubt, though, that they use some interrogation techniques that Amnesty International wouldn’t exactly love. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/3 "2003-01-31T20:16:20Z")
What did ivylad do in the Navy? I’m in the Navy, and I have no idea where he’s coming from. Maybe we _have_ used torture, but we don’t now, and I can tell you there’s no policy for it and no tolerance for it in the high levels of the services. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/4 "2003-01-31T21:22:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by flyboy88 \* > \*\*What did ivylad do in the Navy? I’m in the Navy, and I have no idea where he’s coming from. Maybe we _have_ used torture, but we don’t now, and I can tell you there’s no policy for it and no tolerance for it in the high levels of the services. \*\* He was a submariner. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/5 "2003-01-31T21:30:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ivylass \* > \*\*Okay, maybe my rose-colored glasses are on, but I can’t imagine US military ever subjecting anyone to torture for information. > > We were watching _24_, the previews, where it looks like They’re getting ready to electrocute Roger and I pooh-poohed the idea to Ivylad. > > Ivylad was in the Navy. > > He wouldn’t tell me anything, but hinted quite strongly that the US military has used torture. > > What do you think? \*\* I’ve never seen _24_ but isn’t there a nuclear bomb set to go off in LA or something? I wouldn’t be surprised if the US military used torture to get that information from someone they knew had it. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/6 "2003-02-01T00:42:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ivylass \* > \*\*He was a submariner. \*\* Since when are submariners experts on interrogation techniques? Isn’t that kinda like asking an IT guy if the accountants at his company secretly cook the books? ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/7 "2003-02-01T02:53:17Z")
I was a submariner. Unless he’s got some _strange_ background in service, he’s yankin’ ya. He wouldn’t even have access to the kinds of situations where you _might_ hear such things, unless, just _maybe_ he had a SEAL Det on his boat at one point or another, in which case… _maybe_. But I doubt it. The SEALS don’t discuss those sorts of things, I’m sure. They might, however, have a bit of fun feeding some credulous sailor a cock-n-bull story. There are much better ways to extract info in a timely manner, and a body under torture will tell you _anything_ to stop the torture. Even if it’s a complete fabrication. Chemical interrogation, however, _works_. And it doesn’t leave a crippled person behind. Disclaimer: I have no direct or indirect knowledge of any US armed forces personnel actually conducting chemical interrogation. ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/8 "2003-02-01T03:09:05Z")
I heard that high-carbohydrate diets make people more susceptible to interrogation- guess it makes them sluggish or lethargic. Brings up some funny scenarios. Interrogator: Still won’t talk, eh? Bring in another bowl of linguine! PRisoner: No, really, I can’t eat another bite… Interrogator: Full, eh? BRING ON THE COMFY PILLOWS! ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/9 "2003-02-01T05:41:20Z")
[ul]😛**[sup]Being a submariner is torture.[/sup][/ul]** ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/10 "2003-02-01T09:09:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tranquilis \* > \*\*Chemical interrogation, however, _works_. And it doesn’t leave a crippled person behind. > > Disclaimer: I have no direct or indirect knowledge of any US armed forces personnel actually conducting chemical interrogation. \*\* Reminds me of that quote from _Ronin_… Vincent: How did they finally get to you? Sam: They gave me a grasshopper. Spence: What’s that? Sam: Lessee, two parts gin, one part brandy, one part Creme de Menthe… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/torture-by-us-military/151915/11 "2003-02-02T00:59:25Z")
There is no real use for physical torture. The person will tell you anything, they will contradict themselves, you can’t believe a word they say. They may not even know what you want to find out.