I disagree with those that say we should not put any conditions on who we're going to "save" if they become a POW, and here's why.
Case one - the person is a deserter. He/she willingly abandons their post and intentionally walks into the hands of the enemy.
Case two - the person is taken prisoner while fighting in battle.
Now we have not one, but two prisoners. We're trying to strike a deal for their release. Let us for the sake of this scenario forget about who or what we're willing to give up. Fact is we'll give up something or someone that the enemy wants. We agree to give it up and the enemy says, OK, we'll show up with one of the prisoners. We agree to make the deal for one.
Here is the 64 dollar question for those of you who say we should not put any conditions on this. Do you care which one the enemy gives back? By your standards, frankly the existing standards as they are today, we should not care at all which one is given back, the deserter or the one who was taken prisoner while fighting. We got one of our people back. Period. End of discussion.
Anyone with a shred of honesty wants the guy who went down fighting to be the one they give back.That is why I cannot support this idea that we bring'em back regardless, without any condition whatsoever. It's disgraces those who go down in battle to have a policy that views a coward and those who fight as equals.