Wars have essentially been the backbone of history. A war can make or break a country. As a result of a war, a country can lose or gain territory and a war has a direct impact on a country's economy. When we learn about wars in schools, we are usually taught when they start, the major events/battles, and when they end. It would take a year or two to cover a war if we could know everything. One thing that is often overlooked and taken for granted is prisoners of war. Most people think of concentration camps and the millions of Jews who suffered when prisoners and war are mentioned in the same sentence. Yes, what happened in World War II was terrible, but what about our troops who were captured and potentially tortured while trying to save the Jews? How did they suffer? Being captured as a prisoner of war is just a workplace hazard. In this article I will explain what POWs experienced and how it changes between countries, and I will only scratch the surface. Taking prisoners of war has been a combat tactic for ages. Capturing an enemy troop can be done for many reasons. Most enemy soldiers are captured to be interrogated for unknown information about the enemy. There were usually common rules and procedures for taking a prisoner of war, whether they were followed or not really depended on the country. In 1929, a document was being prepared which set out rules regarding prisoners of war. More than 40 countries came together to sign and agree on this new set of rules (“Life” 11). The signing of the Geneva Convention took place in Geneva, Switzerland. This document of ninety-seven articles defined a prisoner of war as a member of a regular military unit, wearing a uniform (spies were therefore excluded). The Convention declared...... middle of paper ...... Red Cross and learning the facts about the brutality, General Eisenhower stopped sending prisoners of war to the French. (Tarczal)Works CitedBowman, Michael. “WWII Prisoner of War Camps – Encyclopedia of Arkansas.” The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. October 29, 2009. The web. March 23, 2015..Hutchinson, Daniel. We . . . Are the Luckiest Prisoners: The Experience of Axis Prisoners of War at Camp Opelika during World War II. Publication. Alabama Review, 2011. Print.Tarczal, Bela. Hungarian prisoner of war in French captivity. Publication. Trans. Eva B. Bessenyey. Printed. “World War II – Japanese Prisoner of War Camps.” WWII Web, March 23, 2015. .Wukovits, John F. Life as a Prisoner of War San Diego, California: Lucent, 2000..