U.K. Bans Military From Selling Stories

Defense Ministry Reverses Decision After Controversy Over Sailors Cashing In On Iran Capture

(CBS/AP)  Britain on Monday banned all military service members from talking to the media in return for payment in the future, reversing its decision to allow the 15 marines and sailors held captive in Iran to sell their stories.

Defense Secretary Des Browne issued a statement saying the navy faced a "very tough call" over its initial decision to allow the payments, which came under sharp criticism. The new ban will not affect those who already gave accounts, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.

On Monday, in one of the first accounts, Faye Turney, the sole woman in the detained crew, said that she "felt like a traitor" for agreeing to her captors' demands to appear on Iranian TV and that she believed they had measured her for a coffin.

The Sun newspaper also reported that Turney, 25, was told by her captors that her 14 male colleagues had been released while she alone was being held.

Another sailor, Arthur Batchelor, 20, said he was singled out by his captors because he was the youngest of the crew.

The financial arrangements for Turney and Batchelor were not disclosed, but Turney said the offer she accepted was not the largest she had been offered.

"I was offered a hell of a lot of money for this," Turney told Britain's ITN television network.

That may be an understatement, reports CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar, who says Turney was paid almost $200,000 for her story.

Browne said lessons must be learned from a review the Ministry of Defense is now conducting regarding the regulations that affect service members talking with media.

"I want to be sure those charged with these difficult decisions have clear guidance for the future," Browne said. "Until that time, no further service personnel will be allowed to talk to the media about their experiences in return for payment."

The British sailors and marines were searching a merchant ship on March 23 when they and their two inflatable boats were intercepted by Iranian vessels near the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway, U.S. and British officials said. Iran claimed the British had strayed into its territorial waters, a charge that Britain denied.

During the crew's captivity, Britain accused Iran of using the group for propaganda for putting them on Iranian television in appearances in which they "admitted" trespassing in Tehran's waters. They were freed last week by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called their release a gift to Britain.

Turney, who also sold her story to British broadcaster ITV1, told The Sun that she feared at one point that she would be killed.

"One morning, I heard the noise of wood sawing and nails being hammered near my cell. I couldn't work out what it was. Then a woman came into my cell to measure me up from head to toe with a tape," The Sun quoted Turney as saying.

"She shouted the measurements to a man outside. I was convinced they were making my coffin."

Turney said she asked one Iranian official where her male colleagues were.

"He rubbed the top of my head and said with a smile, 'Oh no, they've gone home. Just you now,"' she said.

At another time, Turney said the same official asked her how she felt about dying for country.

By her fifth day in detention, she said she was told that she could be free within two weeks if she confessed that the crew had intruded into Iranian waters.

[zootallures2]

Faye Turney is the only one getting money and oddly the one who was filmed for TV prior to going on the little boat tour into Iranian water.

[stick130]

Why should they not be allowed to make a few bucks off the war? Cheney is making millions off the war. They served they deserve everything they can can out of this War started by Bush's Lies.

[gunnerv1]

toldyouso: E-8 GMCS Gunner's Mate Chief Senior, US Navy 12/9/64-4/31/86

[gaye5]

Why can't they sell their stories and help make up for the horror that they went through, surely if criminals can then these more deserving people should be able too.

[toldyouso21]

Some of the footage, briefly aired on Iran's state-run Arabic satellite TV channel Al-Alam, also showed crew members watching soccer on TV and eating at a long table decorated with flowers. The crew members could be heard laughing and chatting.

At a news conference Friday, Lt. Felix Carman, who was in charge of the crew, said the sailors and marines were allowed to socialize only for the benefit of the Iranian media.

And yet when the cameras rolled they were so relaxed, that they grinned, laughed and chatted easily--ahhhhhh the resilience of youth!!!!! not. They want to be heros not zeros so they are now trying to make up stories--they had a grand ol' time and there are just too many pictures to prove it--you'd think that the smiles would at least look a bit forced or contrived--but they seemed to be enjoying themselves. great actors? maybe. But the question is which part is the act? Now or Then?

[toldyouso21]

SHAME--used as a propaganda tool--BY BOTH COUNTRIES. Better be glad they did not run afoul of us, we would have waterboarded them, did more than flick a neck (maybe electrodes on those genitals or dogs barking in their face while they crouched) put them in stress positions and made them stay awake listening to loud music with bright lights on--and THAT would be on a light day---if we really did not like them, we might let a military contractor kill them or...perhaps send them Ethiopia or elsewhere for some true US LOve--and we would never, ever show them on tv, because we would never admit that we had them. If we ever let them go, we would take them maybe to Wales or the mountains in France and let them find their own way home and then...we would deny everything. (all sarcasm)

If that is the only psychological torture they underwent, then our version is still worse by all accounts.

[toldyouso21]

Yes we do make that kind of money, don't belive me just look up Military Pay Scales on the web. I have no reason to lie to you. Don't forget, I was senior enlisted. (juniors aren't doing too bad either)
Posted by gunnerv1 at 01:12 PM : Apr 09, 2007


Senior enlisted what? what exactly was your rank and in what branch?

[toldyouso21]

As for the pictures of her with the other captives, they could have been taken any time within those 2 weeks. One scenario is the pictures were taken when they first were captured then they were split up and a few days into it she was told that she was the only one there now. OR they were taken after she was forced to write the letter. .
Posted by obiquital at 10:35 AM : Apr 09, 2007

the British news released the interview with the troops before they were captured, who admitted that one of their goals was to spy on Iran. How does that fit into the "poor little us, we can't stop grinning with fear" scenario you want to believe?

[toldyouso21]

think it%u2019s good the stories come out as from reading the general publics comments many are unaware of the true details. Posted by stanmc5 at 12:20 PM : Apr 09, 2007



Silly, silly boy. Whatever makes you think you are now getting the "true details"? How do you know you are not just getting great copy to sell a book? We will never know the truth--especially if it involved spying or other things that could embarrass the UK or undermine something they are doing. The crew would never have been allowed to tell their story without special strings attached. The military only let them for propaganda and now have stopped because it BACKFIRED.

[toldyouso21]

She never asked to be captured or mentally abused which she was. If she can make a few bucks off the experience, why not? On the salaries military enlisted make she most likely can use the funds for living expenses.

Keep the above types from making money off their military experiences and then you can crtitize her.
Posted by ramos937 at 09:44 AM : Apr 09, 2007


books AFTER service is through not during...it is bad for morale and encourages soldiers to not follow rules but to do other things just to have a "story" later. maybe do things that would jeopardize their mission or get them or us or someone else killed. THINK!!! It is only painful the first couple of times you do it.

[toldyouso21]

righto. guess the propaganda ploy was NOT working in the favor of the soldiers or the UK government, eh, mates?

[Syndicate]

The story will be told and fortunes made but the people who suffered through the ordeal will get nothing. I would have liked to have seen them negotiate huge sums and donate it to the families of the dead and injured. Perhaps the British government could collect fees for these stories and use it to help their military personel. I just hate to see the studios or book people or tv stations make a fortune and screw the little guy.

[inventagod]

Hmmm, smells like Bu$hflipflop...

[gramto7]

According to the military pay scales a 20-year E-8 would be getting $4,161.30. As a widow of a 21-year USAF MSGT (ret), I am getting the shaft. I get $780 a month, no where near 60% of the $4,161.30 listed. I do realize I only get a percentage of his retiree pay, but retirees in general are getting shafted.

[nishaboston]

I am almost 100% certain these soldiers were in Iranian water and they were treated far better them most hostages. It makes me sick to my stomach that soldiers are dying and being injured fighting in Iraq. Most of them come back home with NOTHING yet these people get to sell their stories for six figures? That is not fair and it is very disgusting. They were not released for less then a week and they already sold their stories once again it is disgusting!!!!

[gunnerv1]

In Case no one knows, The Brit Gov. Revoked permission for them to sell their stories

[gunnerv1]

Yes we do make that kind of money, don't belive me just look up Military Pay Scales on the web. I have no reason to lie to you. Don't forget, I was senior enlisted. (juniors aren't doing too bad either)

[ajaxrose1]

Hey, in case no one knows it, sailors don't make that much money and they sure aren't going to get anything else from all that trauma. They might get some kind of medal from their government, and that's all well and good, but it won't put a kid through college or pay for counseling over the years. If it was me I'd sell my story, too, and to heck and gone with what anybody thought, they weren't there. You KNOW someone is going to write it up and make some kind of movie or something and they'll make $ out of the deal. This way at least the sailors themselves get something out of it and the stories will be more accurate. If the rest of the world doesn't approve, well, that's the rest of the world's problem not the sailors.

[stanmc5]

I think it%u2019s good the stories come out as from reading the general publics comments many are unaware of the true details.
Two of the five Royal Marines did not confess to anything and yet the whole group is tarred with the same brush. The Iranian propaganda machine worked at full speed and now we have the chance to correct the factual errors of this story.

[gunnerv1]

obiquital- Thanks for explaining it to the knukleheads. Also, if I had stayed in the Military for 30 years rather than the 21 years that I did, I would be making right about $70k as a Senior Enlisted and thats not including Housing, Sea pay or Hostile Fire (combat) pay, with that added I would be just under $90k a year. Don't forget that when I enlisted, (1964) an E-2 would be taking home less than $100.00 a month. We've come along way baby, and I belive we deserved every dam* penny too!