Quote:
Originally Posted by Danimal16
Lets see. He was the son of a Navy Admiral.
He was in captivity for five years and refused early release if he cooperated.
He got "SPECIAL TREATMENT" because of his father's status.
He didn't rat his friends out.
He stands on what he believes is the right thing even if his party may not agree with him.
He flew jets into combat.
He puts up with opinions of those that have no clue what special treatment is.
Does that cut it for you.
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If my post tells you that I don't respect and have empathy/sympathy for our fighting men and women, especially for those wounded, killed or captured, that is not true; they have my GREATEST respect!
McCain is one of many who suffered as he did. Some suffered even more, I'm sure and some never came home.
It is the ongoing emphasis on McCain's horrific experience, for political purposes, that doesn’t sit right with me.
Many have served no less honorably and have suffered as much as John McCain did. They are ALL to be honored, respected and thanked from the heart for their service to our country. Some, I'm sure, would employ their experience for political gains and some would not even consider doing so, all for their own reasons, reasons which I do not question or criticize because, while I'm a Viet Nam Vet, I was one of the lucky ones who didn't experience the horrors that McCain and others did.
But the whole concept of "beyond the call of duty" and "heroism" is something I think about. All of our military are instructed on what to do if captured by the enemy, what their "duty" is if captured. Those who end up captured and, to the best of their ability (which is expected of our fighting forces), perform that duty as trained to do, have not, by virtue of that fact alone, gone "beyond" the call of duty. They performed their duty as the pledged and are expected to do. Does this, in and of itself constitute heroism?
The term “hero” should apply to ALL who willingly make the sacrifices that joining the military entails. To single out a soldier as “more” heroic than another soldier is understandable, in my opinion, given circumstances wherein the individual not only sacrifices by answering the call to duty, which all volunteers have, but goes beyond that call.
John McCain went beyond the call of duty when he refused the offer to be released based on the military status of his father. There is no question in my mind as to that fact and that was a heroic act for which he deserves the applause and respect he has received, and continues to receive. He did the honorable thing. Would others in his prison camp have done the honorable thing? I’d like to think that they would have. Would I have done the honorable thing? I’d hope that I would but have NO idea if I’d been able to stand up to what McCain endured without breaking. I readily admit that and hope that I’m never tested as he was.
McCain’s heroism, while I don’t disrespect nor deny it, has nothing to do with the political issues in this choice of President we are about to make. If that offends some people, so be it.
To address your points:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Danimal16
Lets see. He was the son of a Navy Admiral.
My friend was the son of an insurance man.
He was in captivity for five years and refused early release if he cooperated.
Would he not have been court martialed had he cooperated with the enemy?
He got "SPECIAL TREATMENT" because of his father's status.
I don’t doubt that he did. He was sacrificed by the enemy.
He didn't rat his friends out.
Does that make him special? Really?
He stands on what he believes is the right thing even if his party may not agree with him.
He’s not the first and only one to do that. Might be bad for the party, no?
He flew jets into combat.
My friend was an infantryman.
He puts up with opinions of those that have no clue what special treatment is.
I don’t know how to respond to that statement.
Does that cut it for you.
I understand where you are coming from and I hope I’ve been able to explain where I’m coming from.
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