THE GULF WAR: The Battle Front : POW Issues: Jewish Soldiers

The military lists up to 1,500 U.S. Jewish soldiers in the Gulf, and although some Jewish war veterans worry that Jewish prisoners of war may be SINGLED OUT FOR HARSH TREATMENT, the Pentagon has not offered special counseling. “The religion of the servicemen has not been used to give the servicemen any special instructions,” said Lt. Cmdr. Edward Lundquist, a Pentagon spokesman. According to author Mitchell Bard, Jewish-American soldiers captured by the Nazis in World War II suffered isolated instances of abuse; in many cases, other Allied captives protected the identity of Jews. In the Middle East, captured Israelis have been tortured. The Iraqis have not been involved in previous front-line battles with Israel.