Yes,he *is* a Rat.But that's not what's under discussion here.The matter at hand is how much respect,if any,does McCain's *military record* warrant.My basic opinion is that if he didn't engage in any misconduct or violate any general orders or orders from superiors at the Hanoi Hilton then he deserves enormous respect...particularly given the savage treatment he withstood.
And,of course,the same is true of,most likely,99.9% of the Americans held by the North Vietnamese savages.
McCain was no Bergdahl...that's for *damn* sure.
McCain graduated at exact bottom of his class from war college. McCain had already crashed several fighter planes before his ill fated bombing mission in Vietnam.
Good pilots from Vietnam war routinely evaded SAM’s (surface to air missile) fired at them. McCain obviously did not know how to evade SAM’s. So he gets shot down, and could not elude his captors on ground. McCain was just a bumbling pilot, not even close to being a war HERO.
The discussion is not if he served honorably. Like you said, any one who does not violate any rules of military gets a honorary discharge. But there is a mile wide gap between serving and a war hero.
A war hero has performed extraordinary bravery under fire. Like Audie Murphy. Or he/she has thrown their body on a live enemy grenade to save their comrades. Or a fighter pilot who shoots down a whole bunch of enemy aircraft.
McCain flunks on all of above criteria for a WAR HERO.