REMEMBERING JOHN MCCAIN

 

                       John McCain Remembered

 If you live long enough, many things from your past will greatly help in    understanding the present. Specifically, the late Senator McCain’s POW experience in the “Hanoi Hilton” comes into a sharper focus as I recall the three personal discussions I have had with former American POWs. One of the WWII POWs was imprisoned in Germany and the other survived the Bataan Death March. The Vietnam War POW was a “guest” of the North Vietnamese. I have no words to adequately describe their physical and emotional terrors. Hopefully, what follows honors his wartime experience and attempts to describe his sometimes confusing role in the U.S. Senate:

1.  John McCain was the son of a U.S. Navy Admiral and a grandson of yet another U.S. Navy Admiral. No doubt there were a lot of expectations placed on his young shoulders. Nevertheless, the choice was ultimately his to not run to Canada and to enter the U.S. Naval Academy. His four years at Annapolis, coupled with rigorous flight training, especially, flying an A-4 jet aircraft off of the aircraft carrier Forrestal into hostile skies over North Vietnam surely places him on the doorstep of hero status. (I leave to readers to sort through the supposed reports of an alleged nickname for naval pilot McCain--- “Johnny Wet Start”--- and the tragic fire aboard the Forrestal that claimed 134 lives.)

2.                       Life in the “Hanoi Hilton” is well documented in Admiral Denton’s revealing     account—“When Hell Was In Season.” The five plus years as a POW and torture surely earns the accolade of “Hero” for John McCain. Seldom mentioned, but well documented, is the fact John McCain made recordings while he was a POW expressing an apology to the North Vietnamese.  (AZCentral.com). While this is a clear violation of the U.S. Code of Conduct, there is some consensus this action was coerced.

3.  John McCain. Senior Republican U.S. Senator from Arizona seemed to relish    the “Maverick” description given to him by the print and electronic media. Over the course of his long political career, he had about an 87% record of supporting Republican positions; however, his rating with the American Conservative Union at times dipped to 50% on their rating scale. He will always be remembered for his thumbs down vote on scraping Obama Care. (fivethirtyeight.com).

     Glenn <><