Recreation

Evidence shows that soldiers held in captivity, when they have no tasks or goals, show far greater instances of mental illness like depression and suicide. Because of the impact of masculinity rules and most militaries’ rules regarding honor in captivity, many soldiers tend to struggle to manage their affect. This can be plain mischief making but as has been seen, murder can sometimes be the outcome of even mischief. In other words, soldiers looked for trouble if they were not entertained and the Americans worked hard to avoid that in a variety of ways. The American camp system created a rich and wide-ranging recreation program as one effort to fulfill the requirements of the Geneva Convention, reduce violence, and hopefully assuage the onset of mental illness. This chapter explores the myriad of ways that soldiers could fill their time through recreation and often benefit long-term from the options.