Salute!
RIP, John McCain.
Heard the news, walked out on the deck and threw a nickel on the grass .. Gazing west, maybe I would catch a glimpse as he headed to that venue we fighter and attack pilots end up at.
His politics were one thing, but his attitude and spirit in prison cannot be equaled and are the standards expected of warriors in such circumstances. Being of his generation, I have many classmates, fellow pilots, students and bosses that spent time in those places like Heartbreak, Hilton, Plantation, The Zoo, Briarpatch, Hope. They agree that his position of refusing special treatment was an accurate depiction.
So I leave you with a great explanation of the bond that we share, regardless of the cause we fought for:
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I now know why men who have been to war yearn to reunite. Not to tell stories
or look at old pictures. Not to laugh or weep. Comrades gather because they long to be
with the men who once acted at their best, men who suffered and sacrificed, who were
stripped of their humanity. I did not pick these men. They were delivered by fate and the
military. But I know them in a way I know no other men. I have never given anyone
such trust. They were willing to guard something more precious than my life. They
would have carried my reputation, the memory of me. It was part of the bargain we all
made, the reason we were so willing to die for one another. As long as I have memory, I
will think of them all, every day. I am sure that when I leave this world, my last thoughts
will be of my family and my comrades…such good men.......
Gums sends...