McCain's POW Defense: Devaluing Our Service and His Own

The McCain campaign has spent weeks trying to portray Obama as out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Americans. Today, an interviewer at Politico.com asked McCain how many homes he and his wife owned, to which he responded that he was not sure but would get someone from his staff to answer.

Contrary to what many will tell you, this does not make McCain out of touch with ordinary Americans, as many families today are in trouble with their banks and trying to figure out how many homes they have - zero or one.

Still, it's the campaign's defense we find deeply troubling:

"This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison."

We obviously honor and respect McCain's service and the five-and-a-half years of horror that he went through at the hands of the North Vietnamese; but it's not an excuse for everything. He has already used it to explain away his infidelities in his first marriage. He's used it to defend his healthcare plan. He just the other day used it to deflect accusations of having skirted the rules of the Saddleback forum.

It's time for the Senator to stop cheapening the war experiences of thousands of vets and his fellow POWs, and his own as well, by stretching the boundaries of logic to make his POW status a wild-card rebuttal to all accusations or an answer to all difficult questions.

We are veterans who like John McCain, who served honorably, but and we continue to serve our country honorably by not using our military experiences as unjustifiable necessary shields or stepping stones. John McCain has faced and will continue to face many difficult questions that he does not have an answer for, and problems to which that he will provide no solutions to, in the 70 days between now and the election. When he uses his status as a veteran to deflect legitimate questions and concerns, it devalues not just his service to our country but ours as well.

So today, we ask not as Veterans for Obama, but as Veterans of America that Sen. McCain respect the service of his fellow POWs and combat veterans, and stop cheapening their service by hiding behind his own.

Lt. General Robert G. Gard Jr. (USA, Ret.) is the steering committee chairman of Vets for Obama. Visit their official site or join them on Facebook.

Comments

[substance43]

Thanks for the excellent article and comments: My dad will be 93 years old next month. He is a Tuskegee Airman who has never received any special treatment nor flaunted his status. As a matter of fact, he is extremely modest about his achievements. By the way, he's voting for Obama in November!

[JXJASON]

substance43, Thank your dad for me for his service to our country. God bless him.

Thanks, general for the excellent article. I agree with you.

A Vietnam vet.

OBAMA/BIDEN 08

[substance43]

Thanks JXJASON. Your comments were warm and kind. Will give your message to my dad. Oh yes, he along with other documented original Tuskegee Airman (DOTA) will be honored at the new museum in Alabama this coming October. Also, I appreciate your military service! Have a blessed day.

[myhomeo]

substance43 ,
Wow, your father is real hero.

[RepugsOut08]

substance43, my father was a ball turret gunner on a B-17, and he told me about the Tuskegee airmen when I was just a boy in the 50s.
He made sure I understood the heroism that African-American men like your father displayed, and he taught me about the ugly racism these same brave men faced when they returned home. It was an important lesson for a white kid like me to learn as I matured into manhood during the racially turbulent 60s.
I wish My father was alive today to see this historic election. He would have been so excited to vote for Obama! I'm so glad that your dad will be able to vote for and see Barack Obama sworn in as president in January.

[AlindaFaye2000]

RepugsOut08,

My father faced the same things when he served. I'm really proud of him, your father and all who were not appreciated when they served their country faithfully.

[Scarllatti]

Substance 43,
Give your old man a BIG CHEERS for me. He is my REAL hero. He is one of those who served this country and NEVER asked for anything (including POTUS) in return.

May God bless him.

[CommonSenseBda]

I salute your father and the wonderful legacy he and his fellow airmen did for America and its allies in WWII.

John McCain, although a POW, is at heart a spoiled rich kid who has had evrything handed to him. How does a person graduate 5th from the bottom of his class in Annapolis and winds up getting a plum assignment as a carrier pilot is beyond me.

[amcg50]

A noun, a verb and I was a POW!

rephrasing a quote from Joe Biden about Rudy..

[spyda]

YESSSSSSSSSSS!! Keep it coming this is what I have been waiting for! Get us some answers that we want on how is it that being a former POW qualifies you for POTUS!! I can't wait to hear how they spin this one. Heck we can't even get the war records and he has the nerve to try and scare the american people against Obama like he has all the national security credentials. LOL Yeah right!! Wake up and vote these thugs out of office and stop another one from breaking in! OBAMA'08

[Quitcherbichin]

You sound like a broken record. I am going to try to explain this one more time. Please turn off the IPod and video games and repeat after me. John McCain is running for POTUS based on his experience and service to the country, both militarily and in the Senate. Mr. McCain has never stated that the sole qualification for the office is being a former POW. However; given the choice between a former POW, and someone who has never served in the military, the decision is a no brainer. McCain 08.

[UtahLady]

Hey, Quit -- You're apparently describing a different McCain (clearly not the one who is the presumptive nominee and who uses "I was a POW" at the drop of a hat, both to promote his candidacy and to cover up the paucity of his policies and proposals),

Given the major deficiencies in the conduct of John-McCai­n-the-cand­idate while in captivity, the idea of his trying to rank himself with the brave men who endured their captivity with courage and honor is unconscionable. Tthe thought of him acting as Comander in Chief quite frankly frightens me. By his votes he's already proved that he doesn't gave a rat's behind about service people. By his rhetoric, he's already proved that he won't be satisfied until this country is at war for generations to come. The country is in a bad enough condition now; having him in charge would make things infinitely worse.

[StillAmused]

"given the choice between a former POW, and someone who has never served in the military, the decision is a no brainer. McCain 08."

You're right about one thing... your adolescent, knee-jerk reasoning is a no-brainer.

[DarkWitch]

If he's running on his Senate record, he better hang it up. On the rare occasion that he is even there, he's voting for big business and against America's best interests. Unless of course one thinks economic recession and imperialistic wars are in American's best interests. Then I guess he's doing great.

[SurrealPumpkin]

That would be more persuasive if McCain used his experience in Senate as his shield.

[omahkohkiaayo]

Right on Generals Gard and Clark. They are both telling the truth that most veterans (as I am) know but non-veterans (whether Chickenhawks or Liberals) are afraid to touch because of their own vulnerabilities (How dare you who have not 'served' in the military and/or combat dare to criticize in any way someone who has served in the military and/or combat and/or military service itself?") and/or other cognitive dissonance issues.

Why not take it all the way? The only thing "honorable" about "service" in the Vietnam War, like Iraq, founded on lies, phony/contrived pretexts, cherry-picked intelligence that undermined instead of enhanced long-term U.S. national security, is if one kept faith to his/her fellow troops, obeyed UCMJ and the Code of Conduct. The Vietnam War was in no way in national security interests of the U.S. nor in service to the Vietnamese People. Should the Germans say "thank you for your service" to those who served in World War II irrespective of the actual cause for which they fought? And saying one "thought" the cause was just does not cut it.

In McCaine's case, serially trading on his military/POW experience (he was not thrown out of a helicopter at 3,000 feet over the South China Sea as were many Vietnamese), then let's have all of it including transcripts of the 34 radio broadcasts for his captors (violates Code of Conduct) and adultery which is a violation of UCMJ.

[newpantaloons]

Wow! Right on!

[AlindaFaye2000]

Lt. Gen. Gard,

Thanks for this report. My father never used his 22 year military service as an accuse for anything he did. He retired with an honorable discharge and at one point, he made bad choices that could have ended his career. I think of his military funeral and everytime I hear taps a pain is in my heart. There are many men and women who have come home to stay with the spouse they waved good bye to when they left to serve their country. To me he spits on the honor of these brave men, women and the service of my father everytime he plays the POW card.

[tbirdalum]

To: omahkohkiaayo and AlindaFaye2000 I thank you for your comments and to the service you and your families gave to this country. I'm a 6yr veteran who did not serve overseas but I served with the USAF Thunderbirds and I saw many people accross this country when I served late 50s to early 60s who were very proud of our military veterans. Again I say thank you.



Obama 08

[omahkohkiaayo]

To tbirdalum,

Thank you for your service and I say that not only as a veteran (U.S. Army 1963-66) but also as a pilot over 40 years and someone who has seen the Thunderbirds fly many times and have admired their skill in the air and support on the ground.

No one chooses in the military their MOS, where they serve, or whether in combat, combat support, overseas or domestic. But all jobs are vital, and none can be done if others on which they depend are also not done. But the bottom line is that all who serve on active duty especially, but also in Reserves and Guard, literally give up some basic civil and Constitutional rights (speech, association, assembly, protest etc) supposedly to protect those same rights and the U.S. Constiution that protects them for others.

Those who employ their military service for various uses, political office, media experts, etc, are then on the hook for all of it--no cherrypicking the good and refusing to discuss the problematic (that is how we got into and stayed in most of our illegal wars). Any question about military service to a veteran can come from a non-veteran because the issue is the legitimacy of the question not who is asking it. And we cannot separate the cause (legality of a given war) from the service in it; otherwise the Germans should thank their former SS for their "service" to the "Fatherland" in World War II..

[AlindaFaye2000]

tbirdalum,

Thank you for your service. My father was in from 1945 to 1967. He was an EOD man. As my mom would say he could take a bomb apart and put it together with his hands tied behind his back; but, he couldn't drive a nail straight. That's just how much he loved his job. Again, thanks for your service.

[scooperss]

And if mccain and his handlers are going to bandy around POW all through the campaign as an excuse for everything, then his records, ALL his military records and all paperwork pertaining to his military experiences, should be released, in full, NOW.

[harmil2]

Noun + verb + Hanoi Hilton...h­mm, If being a war hero was all we had to know about a candidate, then Randy "Duke" Cunningham would be the VP choice rather than doing time in a federal prison. Courage is shown in many ways including military service, but tells us little about judgement and moral values. Courage is certainly necessary but not sufficient.

McCain's treatment of his first wife, his involvement in the Keating 5 debacle, selling out almost all of his firm political stands of year 2000, being unable to count the number of homes his wife has bought him, and his choice of lobbiests as campaign advisors tells me more. Not that I woud vote for a GOP presidential candidate even if they they were allowed to buy our votes. George Bush has not only destroyed the GOP brand, he has seriously damaged the Evangelical Christian brand as well. Both will survive but they need to rethink what they are doing to this country and ask for forgiveness first.

[jackie2]

What heroism did McCain display that was in any way greater than that of every man & woman who served in Vietnam?-He wasn't to blame for getting captured, but I don't see why it was all that heroic-I think of a hero as somebody who jumps into a river to save a person who's drowning or rushes into a burning building to save a child or throws himself onto a grenade to save his fellow soldiers-I always thought a heroic deed had to be intentional, a deliberate choice, a decision to act in an extraordinary way that saved the life of someone else-Why does everyone on cnn, msnbc, fox, pbs, newspapers, magazines, etc,. keep calling McMcain a hero as though he did something so special that it should elevate him above the fifty-eight thousand Americans who died in that war & the many, many more who also served?-What exceptional thing did he do that makes us label him a hero?

[Quitcherbichin]

He served his country in the military..­.period. Have you?

[JAYFRTTT]

Sir:
With all respect...­...
Senator McCain said that when he got back from Vietnam his wife was not the same as he had remembered her. He admitted that he had roving eyes and a strong libedo.
He never said his five year stay at the "Hilton" weakened him. He was no saint(which he admitts to) in his youth and his hormones were still strong when he got home from Nam. I'll bet (no, I'm sure of it) that he wishes that his horrible five years would have deadened his desires, but they did not. He admitts this is his greatest shortfalling and I would not be surprised if that for years he had dueling nightmares - ones over the pains caused to him and ones that focused on the pains he caused his family. He knew he was weak in his decisions, heck, even President Reagan was all over him for his shortcomings. He left one very good woman who loved,prayed and waited for him. Now he has another very good woman who looks up to him and holds him in total respect.
Just look at the quality of the people he associates with......­.want to compare the people that Senator McCain has been associated with over the years with those whom Senator Obama has befriended.
I doubt if terrorists or cursers of this Country are among the friends of John McCain.

[PHM]

WOW...you are really creepy...

[jhink465]

Sir with all respect...­.

Charles Keating, Donald Diamond, Ralph Reed, Abramoff, are all people McCain had as monkey business associates. I wouldn't call these crooks who McCain embraced as his friends fine pillars of the community. Crawl back under the rock you came out of.

[gage]

McCian's senate investigations LED TO THE INCARCERATION OF ABRAMOFF,
and the embarrassment of Reed. And he was exonerated on the Keating 5.

Rezko, Auchi, Ayers, Blackwell, etc...

[pros54]

Like the people Jesus Christ associated with compared to those the pharisees associated with. Your words bear your own lie particularly if you call yourself a Christian unless you do not read the Bible. Your words are classical guilt by association and hyppocrisy.

[rizzo3039]

Pros54 that reply was dead on. I'm sick of tired of the "holy than thou chrisitans" rewriting the bible when it fits them - especially politically!!

[RichardWalden]

JAYFRTTT

McCain's self-description over 2 decades is that he was a red Corvette-driving hot shot child and grandchild of 2 admirals who was near the bottom of his Naval Academy class. He had an easy ride during his military career until he was shot down while bombing villagers in an illegal war. Until 1999, he never said he was tortured; that started as he prepared for the 2000 presidential primaries. All of a sudden, the guy who was injured bailing out of his jet and treated at a Russian hospital in Hanoi after only a few days in captivity, became another Solzhenitzin character. He only this week said he had had no idea the War would last another 3 years when he turned down an early release because such releases are prohibited under our military's POW guidelines.

POW life is hell...jus­t ask the people at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. Guards are more often than not goons. 5 1/2 years is a long time and the Post Traumatic Stress disorders which flow from that should give one pause when selecting a President--If Sen Tom Eagleton's one-time-only electric shock therapy made him unfit to run as George McGovern's VP, imagine what McCain's psychological profile looks like to a mental health professional. Want his finger on the button???

I do not respect McCain's military service or his captivity as a POW. I do respect most others who made that decision because most had few other options.

[gage]

"Until 1999, he never said he was tortured; that started as he prepared for the 2000 presidential primaries.­"

Completely false, as is most of the rest of your comment. There is an abundance of material from McCain and his fellow POWs dating from 1969 that prove your statements false.

[LightningJoe]

Jayfrttt: (with all due respect...­)

The portrait you paint of Senator McCain is of a man who could never rise above his bad experiences in the "Hilton."

Now, don't get me wrong, I know it's not the kind of thing one "gets over." I have no answer for what I myself might be like, had I the same experience, the same choices taken. The less-critical circumstances I've endured have left me, in some important ways, quite unable to handle such responsibilities as McCain is trying to take on. So I'm not approaching my critique self-righteously, here. But...

I don't believe McCain can rise above his background well enough to bring an un-warlike perspective to the office of Commander in Chief. Perhaps the single thing we need LEAST in this world and country, is more wars. We need men and women of peaceful inclination, who can nevertheless admit, if push comes to shove, that war may indeed be the only viable option.

Lest you think I'm an ideological never-fight pacifist, I'll tell you I'm a service brat (I never served), and was ENTIRELY ready to support IMMEDIATE mobilization in support of Georgia. One MUST back one's allies, expecially in cases as egregious as the Russian invasion of Georgia.

BTW - lay off the "associated with" meme, re: Obama vs McCain. You don't want to go there. Your guy is far from blame-free.

---
Kill your tv.

[AlindaFaye2000]

LightningJoe,

I thought I was the only military brat out here. I feel better knowing there is at least another one.

[vipersdad]

In addition to his repeated cheapening of his POW experience, Senator McCain made a comment a few weeks back that he "knows how to win wars." In spite of the fact that during the bulk of his service, then Lieutenant­-Commander McCain's duties were essentially to follow orders and execute his mission. I understand that it's common for a footsoldier to question the wisdom of the general officers, and if you read McCain's bio, he and his fellow aviators reported being frustrated by a war that seemed to be waged by politicians in Washington.

But there have been highly trained and decorated military minds in charge of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. McCain's assertion that he somehow knows more than they do about how to "win" a war like this flies in the face of any concrete background he has in Military strategies or tactics.

Frankly, it's a slap in the face to those highly trained senior officers who have poured blood, sweat, and tears in to getting us this far in Iraq.

McCain's comments sound eerily reminiscent of those made by Conrad Burns during his senate campaign against John Tester in 2006. As Many Huffposters recall, Conrad Burns held up a folder and claimed it was a secret plan to "win" the war in Iraq..... I'm glad the Montana voters saw that for the nonsense it was. I am hoping the American People see through McCain's silly claims.

[gage]

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/21/mccain-turns-bush-on-iraq-war-surge/

[biglover]

Notice the trolls disappear when it comes to discussing McCain's service to his country.

[gage]

His record speaks for itself.

[scooperss]

How do you know? Seen it have you? Didn't think so.

[395spoons]

"...or an answer to all difficult questions".

The troubling fact is that the "housing" question was NOT a difficult one! It had just not been "rehearsed"!!

[PHM]

And that, dear Watson, is the point...

[libdemannie]

Thanks General Gard! I hope that you can get some main stream visibility in making your points about McCain's incessant playing of the POW card. The more veterans of all ranks, but certainly high ranking vets who can get people to stop and listen to them, need access to mainstream media to make the case for Obama. We cannot just wish that the McCain campaign will stop slamming Obama on national security judgement and experience. Obama and his high visibility supporters have to make the case for him and SLAM MCCAIN. MAKE HIM HURT!!!

[Artos]

libdemannie,

The only vets that will get any media time are the higher rankers who are retired. Lower rankers very rarely get listened to because they only do the real fighting so why ask them. Those on active duty will only get time on air because they are bound to the active duty military and their tongues are controlled. Were they to say the wrong thing then there would probably be consequences. So you will only hear just exactly what the Leadership wants put out there for our edification. Pure propaganda at it's best.

[Xenopus]

That picture of McCain lying in bed as a POW is in every ad he puts out. McCain was one of over 600 POW's, some were prisoners much longer. Few were given as much leeway as John McCain due to his father and grandfather being Admirals. He says he opted not to leave early. True, but if he had left early he would have been deeply disgraced, so that really wasn't a real choice. McCain says he doesn't like to talk about that time in his life, oh really? Almost every response or stump speech McCain gives somehow, somewhere mentions his POW status 40 years ago. He has cheapened his experience, and worse, he has cheapened it for people who haven't used their POW status to make people feel guilty and give them special considerations, as has John McCain.

[ScooterTwo]

What is the truth behind the stories of his adventures on the USS Forrestal? Is it true that he nearly sank the ship with his "wet start" on the carrier deck? If true, why have we not heard anything about it. After all, 130 sailors died because of that fire. If untrue, then should we not hear about it? It seems like a fact that he was there and that he was transferred off. Might be interesting balance to his POW experience­...

[biglover]

You will never hear about it. Just like we never got the goods on Bush's AWOL status. The corporate media is not liberal.. It is a myth. They will never allow such a story to be aired nor will they allow any guests on their talking heads shows to bring it up.

It ain't gonna happen folks. Voter turnout = voter turnout - voter turnout - and in particular = the youth vote. At no time have the youth held such power in their hands.

[NOSMAVAN]

We are sooo ready to bandy the term "hero" about: Baseball hero, basketball hero, etc. etc.
It kind of cheapens it for the real heroes, such as Firemen& women, Policemen & women,
ordinary passers-by who see someone in crisis or in danger and jumps in.

These are heroes. Let's ask ourselves if spending 5 years in a POW camp after having been shot down over a country where you were dropping bombs on enemy soldiers as well as civilians really qualifies as heroism.

If you ask the North- Vietnamese, they would give you another term - and it ain't hero.
As to wondering about not hearing anything concerning McCain's pre-POW carreer, the answer is simple; his father was the Admiral in charge of the region he was serving in. Do you really think any officer would risk his carreer?
Nosmavan

[Quitcherbichin]

And what branch of the military did you serve in sir?

[gage]

"Is it true that he nearly sank the ship with his "wet start" on the carrier deck?"

No. that's a conspiracy theory started by nuts on the far right.

The incident is on film, and it's one of the most studied accidents in naval history. Everyone who serves on a ship has to be trained on that incident, and they will all tell you that the nutter site you got that from is full of bs.

[suntzu]

The truth of what happened on the Forrestal will never be known. Those who know are either dead or not talking. The detailed camera study of the event neither proved nor disproved the "wet start" hyposthesis. It will be an open question forever. The one person who knows whether he indeed make a "wet start" is not talking.

For those who do not know, "wet starting" is a way of starting a jet that results in tongue of flame shooting out the exhaust of the jet. Smartass pilots in the Navy used to do this as a prank to scare the guy in the plane behind. The theory is that a wet start caused the conflagaration on the Forrestal. The plane that was in the takeoff position when it happened was McCain's.

[demfriend]

Thank you sir for your service and your statements about the using POW status. Many have been POWs and for a time between the MIA list the POW list is Vietnam was confusing and as many as 600-700 were POW with MIA questions. I rmember people choosing to wear with pride the POW and MIA bracelets with the name and rank on them. I was in high school and several guys I went to school with were drafted as soon as they were old enough and their number came up a few died over there. I remember the emotions that ran high with those who resisted the draft and those who hought service was duty. The era was fraught with emotions many have either forgotten or are too young to have been around then but it isn't a time we should forget but neither should the incredible amount of issues that happened and those who suffered be so causually used to excuse infidelities or memory loss and anything else so trivial, Too many died and others lost themselves and part of their minds then as now in Iraq.

[BeltwayBette]

It is a touching post you put up and I thank you. At the Vietnam memorial in Washingon, heartbreaking notes,letters and small gifts are left every day at the foot of the wall section that holds the name of a beloved family member who gave theirl life for our country. They are stored not thrown out. Volunteers who help visitors make tracings of their loved ones names on the wall take ar of them respectfully.
This week, Sen. McCain, in response to a female townhall visitor, agreed that we need to reinstate the draft if we were really to "chase Osama Bin Laden to the gates of hell."
He has said this several times during this year. It is true that our volunteer army is overstretched. If BoomBoom McCain wants to invade Iran and perhaps even the big guys, Russia, he will as president reinstate the military draft.
In fact, it is reported that when Newt Gingrich publicly told McCain that this Middle East mess is like a prelude to WWIII, McCain agreed with him.
McCin is a warmongerer who needs more cannon fodder. It's time we stop letting crinkly white haired retro dudes sending our children to die for their rabid ambitions. Enough.

[gage]

"This week, Sen. McCain, in response to a female townhall visitor, agreed that we need to reinstate the draft "

No. He didn't.

[Artos]

BeltwayBette,

I did my service in Vietnam and am now 56 years old, but I would serve again if and only if McCain promises that he will lead us in the front lines. I want our leaders who like to start wars to be right at the forefront leading us into battle just as they used to prior to the 1900s. I want to see these men who like war so much lead by example and stop hiding like George Bush or fighting up in the air where you stand a much better chance of surviving like McCain did. I would like to ask McCain how many enlisted men were captured by the V.C. or NVA ever made it into a prison camp much less made it back home.