Replies

Um, not QUITE the hero you think he is:

"On October 27, 1967, four days after being shot down, McCain called for a North Vietnamese guard. He told the officer, "O.K., I'll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital." -U.S. News and World Report, May 14, 1973 article written by former POW John McCain"

The Code of Conduct was put into effect after Korea when numerous POWs had collabrated with the enemy.

Every Military Member is Required to Memorize This Code During Their Basic Training.

Now, here is the Code of Conduct as it was originally written (it has since been changed in the 1980's to make it more PC):

The Code of Conduct

Article I

I am an American fighting man. I serve in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defence.

Article II

I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command I will never Surrender my men while they still have the means to resist.

Article III

If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

Article IV

If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those oppointed over me and will back them up in every way.

Article V

When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am bound to give only name, rank, service number, and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

Article VI

I will never forget that I am an American fighting man, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

John McCain violated 3 of the 6 BASIC TENETS of being a soldier. He offered (and gave) military information that conceivably could have cost 100s of lives. John McCain is NOT a hero. He was a traitor.

Just a simple question:
Have you ever worn the uniform?
Have you ever been a P.O.W.?
Have you ever talked with one, in person, about what it was like?
Do me a favor before you start criticizing guys who talked in Vietnam .. remember one thing: they ALL talked, every last one of them. Sit down some if you should be so fortunate with someone like ADM Stockdale, a true American hero. I had the distinct pleaseure of meeting the Admiral and he spoke with myself and some others about what is was like behind the walls, and what the vietnamese soldiers did to he and others who were captured. It is horrid and unthinkable, and just hearing about it doesn't seem real. But then you raise your head from the floor and look the man telling the story in the eye, and you see him fight the tears as he talks about what he went through, how he was lucky to survive, and how he still has nightmares, 25 years later, and in his nightmares he can hear the screams of his compatriots, and he knows that some of them will succumb to the pain, that they will give up, and that they will die.

Go rent an old copy of 'The Hanoi Hilton'. Certainly one line was true. A new POW was crying and broken because he felt he was a traitor after talking during a torture session. An older POW, who had been there longer, consoled him by saying words to this effect: "It's not a matter of if you will break, but when. The only thing you can do is go back in and fight it again next time. Every time you go in you hold out as long as you can. That's all you can do."

If you weren't there you don't know, and I thank God that I was not. But I have spoken with many many who were there, who were POWs. And to a man they will tell you that the only ones who didn't talk were the ones who died during torture sessions. There are a lot of things one can say about John McCain, but throwing the Code of Conduct in his face in this situation is not acceptable from where I sit. Because if he is guilty then they are all guilty and therefore not deserving of what little praise america has offered for these men who gave so dearly in the name of their country. In my book they're not guilty of a thing: Heroes every one.