“John McCain is a fellow serviceman, I commend him for that. But a hero, I don’t think so.”
Well, I don’t think he’s a hero because he was shit down and he has stated that many times. He was a victim of what combat pilots refer to as the “magic BB”. However, I do think he deserves accolades for how he handled himself as POW, especially for refusing an offer to be released early because of his father and grandfather being Admirals.
You got the last half wrong - he collaborated with the enemy and received special treatment. The limp he carried out of their was his own fault when he bailed out of his airplane. The enemy treated him very well and kept him away from the others - some of whom including the senior Colonel - called him a traitor and wrote him up. McShame had his service record sealed as a result and because of his family connections people kept quiet. Now what “hero” has his record sealed?
He was a "victim" of disobeying orders and flying too low.