Posted on 08/19/2008 1:47:22 PM PDT by flyfree
After a brief conversation with Col. Bud Day, I can confirm that Col. Day is most likely the toughest man alive in addition to being the most decorated Air Force veteran in history. Some of the details Day shared with the McCain Report are too gory to reproduce here, but he did confirm that "not long after we all got back together [in the camp]," McCain told him the story of the prison guard who drew a cross in the dirt one Christmas.
"We were bringing each other up to date, he was telling me how he [McCain] had been tortured," Day said. The guards had "busted his arm," and "John was complaining that they'd treated him like an animal." Day said "the only friendly thing the [guards] ever did was hit me on the leg instead of on the head." But, according to Day, McCain wouldn't condemn them all, telling the other men of the occasional act of decency he'd witnessed from his captors. Day says McCain told him how one of those guards had "made a cross with his foot and wiped it out."
Andrew Sullivan is sure that McCain is lying--and that the other men who served with him are lying as well--because McCain didn't tell this story to an appropriate media outlet at a time and place of Sullivan's choosing. But just imagine what Sullivan's response might look like if some right-wing blogger was challenging an element of Obama's biography, an element that could never be definitively proven or disproved, and which there was no reason to doubt beyond this or that circumstantial detail and an absence of irrefutable evidence to the contrary.
Bud Day's Medal of Honor citation at link
(Excerpt) Read more at johnmccain.com ...
Yep. I’m with you.
Bud Day is a Stud, a Patriot, and a well spoken guy to boot. God Bless that man. If the media hates him, all the more reason to be on his side, not like there was any doubt there.
I wonder if John McCain has ever apologized to Bud Day, and the rest of the Swift Boat Veterans and POW’s for Truth for calling them dishonest and dishonorable?
ping
I met Bud in 1980 while working at Eglin AFB FL - saw him this past Saturday for the time in at least 20 years at a Celebrate America Rally in Robertsdale AL....we talked again after a lot of years - it was great....after his speech about John McCain I left there being 100% behind McC and voting FOR him rather than AGAINST Obama. Yes, Bud is a true American hero and I’ve always been honored to have spent time in his company - both now and the first time - 28 years ago....I was in awe then; I’m still in awe now!
How refreshing, Vets for a candidate for president.......if Bud Day says it happened, it happened.
He has no reason to lie.
My dad (a 26 yr AF vet) proudly displays his bumper sticker Veterans for McCain.....
Yeah, that still bothers me. I wonder if McCain voted for Kerry in '04 or if it just was that one of his senate buddies was being pilloried as he should have been.
I considered flaming you. Your homepage changed my mind. Strange brew.
btt
Scr*w the effete media wonks...
Thanks for staying your hand. I’m one of those guys who’re still stinging from when McCain said that. He’ll need to address it for me to forgive and forget, though I don’t helieve that he’ll ever do that in public as lots of Rat heads would explode (I don’t see the problem myself). :) I’m sure he and Day have smoothed it over.
I have the honor of knowing another Vietnam POW, LTC Digger O’Dell, who is also supporting John McCain. We are lucky to have such men.
Interestingly, these MoH citations never have any paragraph breaks.
DAY, GEORGE E.
Rank and organization: Colonel (then Major), U.S. Air Force, Forward Air Controller Pilot of an F-100 aircraft. Place and date: North Vietnam, 26 August 1967. Entered service at: Sioux City, Iowa. Born: 24 February 1925, Sioux City, Iowa. Citation: On 26 August 1967, Col. Day was forced to eject from his aircraft over North Vietnam when it was hit by ground fire. His right arm was broken in 3 places, and his left knee was badly sprained. He was immediately captured by hostile forces and taken to a prison camp where he was interrogated and severely tortured. After causing the guards to relax their vigilance, Col. Day escaped into the jungle and began the trek toward South Vietnam. Despite injuries inflicted by fragments of a bomb or rocket, he continued southward surviving only on a few berries and uncooked frogs. He successfully evaded enemy patrols and reached the Ben Hai River, where he encountered U.S. artillery barrages. With the aid of a bamboo log float, Col. Day swam across the river and entered the demilitarized zone. Due to delirium, he lost his sense of direction and wandered aimlessly for several days. After several unsuccessful attempts to signal U.S. aircraft, he was ambushed and recaptured by the Viet Cong, sustaining gunshot wounds to his left hand and thigh. He was returned to the prison from which he had escaped and later was moved to Hanoi after giving his captors false information to questions put before him. Physically, Col. Day was totally debilitated and unable to perform even the simplest task for himself. Despite his many injuries, he continued to offer maximum resistance. His personal bravery in the face of deadly enemy pressure was significant in saving the lives of fellow aviators who were still flying against the enemy. Col. Day's conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Air Force and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Armed Forces.
Of course he’s tough. Day was a Marine.
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