European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 11, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes tuesday february 11, 1969 letters to the editor commander Bucher and the code of conduct awkward position i wonder How Many Ameri can fighting men would give their lives in order to comply with the code of conduct or How Many commanders would jeopardize the lives of their men rather than mar the integrity of the United states if Bucher had refused to Sig the alleged confession and his men had been tortured or executed would he now be called a hero would the Berkele Campus offer five minutes of silent prayer would they erect statues in Harlem or Watts would Russia red China an North Korea be awed by our idealism would it instigate the final cease fire in Vietnam or Start a National trend toward veracity i think not. I consider the life of an american to be Worth any piece of paper on Earth regardless of its Content. If by Cher s signature was obtained by a Bluff then we lost a very Small  like those expressed in the code of conduct have started and prolonged too Many wars to be cherished by anyplace Loving nation. Sgt. Phil Wallace Ramstein Germany the human element the code does t consider the human element. All men Aren t made of the same Stern stuffs the men who wrote the code. We can t expect a sensitive Man like Bucher to take the Chance of seeing his men killed life comes first once imprisoned Bucher was faced with a decision that one cannot possibly make until heis faced with it. This Man had the lives of 82 men upon his shoulders. Bucher has proven human life should come first even when it Means breaking the sacred code of conduct. He would have Given his life for his men but before he would have them perish be cause of his refusal to sign a statement he broke the cod and preserved their lives. By doing so he has renewed the value of each and every one of us. Ct3 Ronald k. Ball Kar Mursel Turkey for the Sake of a code that immorally and legally wrong. By Cher did not feel like playing god with the lives of his men. If i had been in Bucher place i would have thought twice before letting Thos Young men die after i had begged for military support to deaf ears. After All the admirals in Japan had More than three hours to get help to the Pueblo. Sgt. Omer e. Fannin Birkenfeld Germany Hasty unjust i think some americans Are being Hasty and unjust in accusing Bucher of violating the code when he signed a false confession to save the lives of his Crew. Paragraph in of the co estates i will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. Pfc. John r. Mallernee Span Dahlem Germany Good common sense the code of conduct was brought about due to the indifference and failure of Korea War prisoners to resist their captors and the Complete Lac of discipline by prisoners who informed on their shipmates for their own Benefit. I Don t be Lieve you can compare Bucherer his Crew with that kind of  now if Bucher or an of his Crew has released any in formation of military value to their captors then let them be court Martiale. Bucher use very Good common sense in signing that statement. Possibly the state department will not agree with this but remember we Are military men not diplomats and another thing propaganda information has never caused any damage tothe . Miliary. The men who served aboard the Pueblo Are the reflection of the idealism they serve not sinking idealism. If you have not seen the photo of these me making obscene gestures then you Shou d because that picture shows the contempt they held for their captors. Also to Means to most her military men it symbolizes the resistance they maintained. Those men must have known that the would be beaten when the koreans realized what they had done in the photograph. How Ever those men knowing the pictures were to be used for propaganda purposes wanted to show the rest of the world that they had not Given up but were trying to resist the enemy. Unless something of a derogatory nature comes out of the Board of inquiry it can Only be surmised that All of this Crew suffered one even died serv ing the highest traditions and principles of America. Co Lewis Branin Rota Spain he is guilty Bucher is guilty that is fact. He is guilty of being a human being who is tired of senseless death and destruction and of exhibiting far More courage than any of us will have to show in a lifetime. Fortis act of courage he will have to face his conscience forthe rest of his life it. Robert j. Burling Schaffenburg Germany no idea. One has no idea of what goes through one s mind under circumstances such As by Cher a. A. Sgt. Vinc 6 e. Howard Bremerhaven Germany would he be a hero of Man there Are Many ways making a Man do things through psychology. Human be Havior has for the most part the Blessing of reason. There Isno code written that can morally condemn a Man who covers grenade with his body to save his , i can t reject a Man who in his reasoning Withan atrociously cruel situation considers suicide the signing of a statement and the suffer ing through which Buche went for the welfare of his  s actions May or May not have been in the tradition of the military that will be for the Board of inquiry to de cide but they were certainly in the tradition of Man. It. Alvin Brook Schweinfurt Germany out of Date it is obvious with drugs person can be made to sign anything. This shows that the code of conduct is out of Date and should be revised. There fore Bucher should not be held responsible for his  course Bucher May not have been drugged. Still i fee the code is unreasonable be cause under extreme emotional Strain any Man would have snapped. Chris Wood Heidelberg More important a Man s Honor May be More important to him than his own life but is his Honor More important than the lives of those for whom he is responsible it seems that his Honor would be of secondary concern especially from the viewpoints of those whose lives were involved. Sgt. Michael r. Best Hahn Germany regard for life in our society Man is taught from birth to have a High re Gard for human life. Could Buber be expected to cast aside the Trust placed in him by his men and allow them to be killed one by one some May condone his actions others May not. To approach the situation objectively place yourself in his position. Spec. 4 James Ronnyn Hohenfels Germany responsible in my opinion if we charge convict or berate Bucher or his Crew for a breach of Mili tary conduct prior to and Dur ing his capture then we must also charge convict and be rate the people of America forgot Only Bucher s crimes but for dereliction of duty As  were the people responsible for this crisis not Bucherer his Crew. Spec. 5 to l. Brockmeyer Wiesbaden i would like to comment on the letter written by it. Kanias a Jan. 25 cmdr. Bucher was placed in an extremely awkward Posi Tion. Not Only did he have to worry about his life but also the lives of his men. Should he have made martyrs of his men our nation was also placed in a position without  did not Rush in to save Bucher and his men. Would he have been any better off hav ing his men killed from what i have rend it seems As though Bucher acted not for himself but for his men the sign of a True . Michael Gonczaruk Pir Masens Germany cannot be applied it seems As if another round of letters is about to begin Over the honorable or dishonourable behaviour of Bucher. And i am sure that in Many of these let ters the code will be referred to As the Means by which this Man should be judged. May i suggest that the mean by which this beleaguered Man be judged should be the cod of human or Christian conduct. Can we condemn so easily inthe perennial armchair or Mon Day morning quarterback Atti tude his supposed failure in re sisting the North koreans has any of us really consid ered what would have happened if the Pueblo had sunk the North korean ships does the average Man not feel that Russia has the same sort of human emotion in a situation such As Buche was in even the greatest heroes would have experience fear and society must accept this human  think that a human life is More precious than anything else in the world. Spec. 4 Rafael Torres Nuernberg Germany acted right from what is and otherness Media have reported thus far in the Case of cmdr. By Cher i feel he did what any other commander in the Sam situation might have done. A. Sgt. Wilford j. Robbins Kae Fertal Germany involvement in the defense of North Korea that it has in North Vietnam if a sea Battle had ensued Between forces of the United states Navy an those of North Korea Are there any among us who could state infallibly that a confrontation with Russia would not have possibly resulted we should also consider that the Pueblo was not equipped to fight. Two 50 Cal. Machine gun cannot be called adequate Means of defense for the needs of her Crew in the Light of modern warfare thus How cancer commander be condemned for surrendering when adequate Means to resist were denied to him. Obviously the Pueblo was built to be sacrificed if the need arose and this is what was done not by her commander As it appears on the surface but by the United states in general. The code cannot be applied in this Case As an adequate Means of condemning Bucher if condemning needs be done. The code written by a Man cannot be asserted As being an inflexible set of guidelines when the ten commandments written by god and stated to be inflexible Are Bent and twisted every Day in order for men to accomplish what they desire. Rather than condemn this Man for his behaviour let us put ourselves in his place. What could or would we have done in the same Case with the same consequences facing our decision and the same Factor limiting that decision let him without sin cast the first Stone. Spec. 4 p. M. Stultz Frankfurt european edition it. Col. P. 8. Michael jr., u8af editor in chief Mert Proctor managing editor Elmer o. 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