HERO!!McCain ain’t heroic??? Flying A-10’s into AA fire isn’t heroic? You have to volunteer for that duty! How about turning down early release from Vnam hell-hole so the N. Vietnamese don’t get a propaganda advantage against his country? Doesn’t that count?
A-10s were not in service at that time, and don’t operate off a carrier in any case. McQueeg flew A-4 Skyhawks.
No. Flying into the flak is not heroic; it is duty. It is doing the job required of you by the oath you swore when you joined the Armed Forces.
Heroic is Colin Kelly staying the pilot’s seat of his burning B-17 and holding it steady so that his crew could bail out.
We need to keep these things in pespective.
Likewise, refusing the “early release” is likewise required, per the Code of Conduct that all members of the Armed Forces are expected to server under: “I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.”
It isn’t heroism, it is duty.
One of the saddest things I’ve observed as I grow older that our nation now seems to mistake duty for heroism.
A-10’s????
I agree with you. But it comes down to semantics. I had this discussion with several active duty military guys who insisted that McCain's refusal to accept early release was simply his duty. It does not rise to the level of heroism. Either way, I honor and respect him for his service. But not, by the way, for anything else.
HERO!!