A friend sent me this story. I’m glad for several reasons.
Although John McCain apparently conducted himself appropriately as a
POW, his recent political career is an affront to our Constitution, to
America and those Americans who prefer a republic rather than a
socialist, elitist oligarchy.
The following story proves to me that even the worst of us sometimes
have something of value to say and from which some Americans have
something to learn.
------
(quote)
From a speech made by Capt. John S. McCain, US,
(Ret) who represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate:
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war
during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the
NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell.
In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large
rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can
imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of
millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles
from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named
Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He
didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted
in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer
Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot
down and captured in 1967.
Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this
country-and our military-provide for people who want to work and want
to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed
some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these
packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing.
Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months,
he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's
shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the
Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day
now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most
important and meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and
discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That
evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of
all us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then,
they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up
as well as we could.
The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we
slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As said,
we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died
down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that
dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo
needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes
almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American
flag.
He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better.
He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to
be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.
So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never
forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made
to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must
remember our duty, our honor, and our country.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
(end quote)
This evening, with little fanfare, I lift my Shiner high and salute Mike Christian.
Although John McCain apparently conducted himself appropriately as a
POW, his recent political career is an affront to our Constitution, to
America and those Americans who prefer a republic rather than a
socialist, elitist oligarchy.
The following story proves to me that even the worst of us sometimes
have something of value to say and from which some Americans have
something to learn.
------
(quote)
From a speech made by Capt. John S. McCain, US,
(Ret) who represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate:
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war
during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the
NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell.
In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large
rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. This was, as you can
imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of
millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles
from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named
Mike Christian. Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He
didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted
in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer
Training School. Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot
down and captured in 1967.
Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this
country-and our military-provide for people who want to work and want
to succeed. As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed
some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these
packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing.
Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months,
he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's
shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the
Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day
now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most
important and meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and
discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That
evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of
all us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then,
they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up
as well as we could.
The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we
slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As said,
we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died
down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that
dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo
needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes
almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American
flag.
He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better.
He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to
be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.
So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never
forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made
to build our nation and promote freedom around the world. You must
remember our duty, our honor, and our country.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
(end quote)
This evening, with little fanfare, I lift my Shiner high and salute Mike Christian.
