McCAIN a WAR HEREO NOT A WUSS LIKE OBAMA
On October 26, 1967, McCain's A-4 Skyhawk was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, landing in North Vietnam's Truc Bach Lake, near Hanoi. McCain broke both arms and a leg after ejecting from his plane.[9] After he regained consciousness, a mob gathered around him, spat on him, kicked him and stripped him of his clothing. He was then tortured by soldiers from North Vietnam, who crushed his shoulder with the butt of a rifle and bayoneted him in his left foot and abdominal area. He was then transported to the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton.[10][9] There he shared a cell with Bud Day, a highly decorated POW who helped nurse McCain.[11]
Once McCain arrived at the prison, he was placed in a cell and interrogated daily. When McCain refused to provide any information to his captors, he was beaten until he lost consciousness.[12]
When it was discovered his father was the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command, (CINCPAC), commander of all U.S. forces in Vietnam, he was offered a chance to return home. McCain turned down the offer of repatriation due to his belief in the principle of "first in, first out": he would only accept the offer if every man taken in before him was released as well.[13]
Interview with McCain on April 24, 1974, after his return home.McCain signed an anti-American propaganda message as a result of vigorous torture methods, which to this day have left him incapable of raising his arms above his head.[14] His captors tried to force him to sign a second statement, and this time he refused. He received two to three beatings per week because of his continued refusal.[15]
McCain was held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years, mostly in the Hanoi Hilton, and was finally released from captivity in 1973, having been a POW for almost an extra five years due to his earlier refusal to accept an out-of-sequence repatriation offer.[16] McCain was reinstated to flight status and became Commanding Officer of the VA-174 Hellrazors, the East Coast A-7 Corsair II Navy training squadron.[17]
In 1976 he became the Navy's liaison to the Senate.[18] He retired from the Navy in 1981 as a captain.[19] During his military career, he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, and a Distinguished Flying Cross.[20]
McCain is one of five veterans from the Vietnam War currently serving in the United States Senate; the others are Thomas Carper (D-DE), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), John Kerry (D-MA) and Jim Webb (D-VA).[21]
A television film entitled Faith Of My Fathers, based on McCain's memoir of his experiences as a POW, aired on Memorial Day, 2005 on A&E.[22]
