Letter to the Editor
After reading Mr. Hodges’ letter to the editor regarding the experience of John Mc Cain, I feel compelled to offer a few comments.
Mr. Hodges seems very impressed by the basket of medals the Senator bagged upon his release from captivity. And, on the surface, I can understand why such a gaggle of tin might impress the uninformed. But, upon closer examination, those with a military background are more likely to shake their heads.
Mr. Hodges also makes reference to Mc Cain’s “military combat command.” I’d like to know what he is referring to. Certainly NOT John McCain, since he has no military combat “command” experience.
I am, frankly, appalled that so many people buy into the “hero” status of Senator Mc Cain. I am particularly mystified that so many veterans think Mc Cain a worthy candidate. Ever since McCain got into politics, he has touted his “POW” status as being, somehow, relevant to the issues of the day. Nonsense! The very notion of the POW as “hero” is something the media came up with after the fall of Saigon. After spending years trashing the troops as “baby-killers” and “war criminals” it was the media who decided to crown the returning POW’s “Heroes.”
I don’t deny the terrible treatment and horrific conditions these men had to endure, but laying the mantle of “hero” on POW’s, while denying the same status to those who stayed in the fight, is the height of ignorance.
I find it ironic that McCain, who has frequently stated that “we don’t consider ourselves heroes”, has made his entire career based on his time as a POW.
Not to mention the unrelenting self-aggrandizing “Great American Hero” shtick he seems to find comfort in.
I spent two years in Vietnam. My first tour was as a grunt in the 5th Marines. I know, personally, dozens of real heroes. Men who spent month after month in combat, many returning to fight after being wounded. Many of these truly brave men got nothing in the way of medals and they were ten times the “hero” McCain ever thought of being.
Am I the only one who sees something very wrong with this picture?
Vote for McCain? Never! I’ll vote for Hillary or Obama first.
Richard Montgomery,
Florida
