McCain and the POW Cover-Up (Flashback to 2010)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com ^ | July 1, 2010 | Sydney Schanberg

[NKP_Vet]

John McCain, who has risen to political prominence on his image as a Vietnam POW war hero, has, inexplicably, worked very hard to hide from the public stunning information about American prisoners in Vietnam who, unlike him, didn’t return home. Throughout his Senate career, McCain has quietly sponsored and pushed into federal law a set of prohibitions that keep the most revealing information about these men buried as classified documents. Thus the war hero who people would logically imagine as a determined crusader for the interests of POWs and their families became instead the strange champion of hiding the evidence and closing the books.

Almost as striking is the manner in which the mainstream press has shied from reporting the POW story and McCain’s role in it, even as the Republican Party has made McCain’s military service the focus of his presidential campaign. Reporters who had covered the Vietnam War turned their heads and walked in other directions. McCain doesn’t talk about the missing men, and the press never asks him about them.

The sum of the secrets McCain has sought to hide is not small. There exists a telling mass of official documents, radio intercepts, witness depositions, satellite photos of rescue symbols that pilots were trained to use, electronic messages from the ground containing the individual code numbers given to airmen, a rescue mission by a special forces unit that was aborted twice by Washington—and even sworn testimony by two Defense secretaries that “men were left behind.” This imposing body of evidence suggests that a large number—the documents indicate probably hundreds—of the U.S. prisoners held by Vietnam were not returned when the peace treaty was signed in January 1973 and Hanoi released 591 men, among them Navy combat pilot John S. McCain.

[Bookshelf]

Before the arrival of DJTrump the military budget under BJObama just limped along. I do not recall that famed POW and ring knocker screamed bloody murder. As a Navy man I do not recall him complaining as the number of naval ships was reduced year after year. (Nor do I recall he complained on the massive cost overruns on naval shipbuilding.)

[Jrabbit]

Thank you! I too watched those hearings. Kerry and McCain were the perfect tag team against POW/MIA families. At the time, I was told they wanted to get rid of the issue so trade with Vietnam would open up. Juan’s wifes family and Kerry/Heinz wanted it. I have despised McCain-Kerry ever since. I wish there was some way to make those hearings available for all to watch even this many years later. I was in tears watching them.....

[ronnie raygun]

The problem here is no one wants to read beyond a news headline anymore. And the fact that how dare you say anything about a hero we put on a pedestal to idolize when just a few years back the liberal scumedia were calling him a Nazi and a fascist

[School of Rational Thought]

The question is what is to be done about it?

Repeal those laws?

When?

[Paladin2]

Davis is quite the speedy talker, giving Ben Shapiro a run at times...

Likes to high cadence filibuster callers who don’t quite agree with him.

[DoughtyOne]

Hard to imagine a guy more pro U. S. Military than John McCain, advocating Obama arm and fund at least three major terrorist groups.

Muslim Brotherhood
al Qaeda (on the good al Qaeda of course)
ISIS, obtained arms and funds in North Eastern Syria under the plan to arm and finance al Qaeda there.

The man was a menace. He fought like hell for Vietnam’s MFN designation trashing the representatives of MIA Families mercilessly, and overriding veterans groups to favor his former captors.

As for Lebanan, our military allowing a truck to roll up to the front door of the baracks there, is hardly a vindication of John McCain, but it would be just like him to claim it was.

As for the Keating Five incident, the investigation into it prompted McCain to come forward and admit he got favors from Keating, and didn’t report them for over seven years, as require by law.

He also got over $100,000.00 due to Keating’s efforts, by far the largest monetary gifts of any of the Keating Five.

Keating was in serious trouble and McCain knew it. Did he cover forward and push for an investigation? No. He didn’t help prevent one either as far as we know, but that’s hardly a claim to purity, when more families were sucked into Keating’s spider web and lost their fortunes, while John kept his hands folded in his lap.

This white wash of the man is disgusting.

He made 17 or 18 propaganda broadcasts for North Vietnam.

Look, some of this stuff I’d be willing to overlook, but with them all but declaring him a saint, it’s time folks saw him for what he was.

He was a despicable human being, from childhood to death.

[equaviator]

Yeah, but why should any of their names be mentioned here on FReep?

[Chode]

may he rot in hell...

from my homepage

MIA 13-December-1968

DONAHUE, MORGAN JEFFERSON
Name: Morgan Jefferson Donahue
Rank/Branch: Major/US Air Force

Unit: 606th Special Operations Squadron,
56th Special Operations Wing
Nakhon Phanom, Thailand
Date of Birth: 02 May 1944
Home of Record: Alexandria, VA
Date of Loss: 13 December 1968
Country of Loss: Laos

Loss Coordinates: 170100N 1055900E (XD055824) Click coordinates to view (4) maps

Status in 1973: Missing In Action

Category: 2

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C123K "Provider"

Other Personnel in Incident: Thomas M. Turner (rescued); Douglas V. Dailey; John S. Albright; Joseph P. Fanning; Samuel F. Walker, Jr.; and Fred L. Clarke (all missing);

RKS: MID AIR COL-1 PARA OBS

SYNOPSIS: Though it had been declared obsolete in 1956, the Fairchild C123 Provider was was one of the mainstays of tactical airlift in the Vietnam War. In 1962 the Provider was fitted with special equipment to spray defoliants. Later, it was modified with a pair of J-85 jet engines which increased its payload carrying capability by nearly one third. The first of these modified C123s arrived at Tan Son Nhut on 25 April 1967, and this venerable old aircraft proved to be among the hardest working aircraft throughout Southeast Asia. The C123K differed from other C123 models in that it had the addition of auxiliary turbojet engines mounted in underwing pods. While this addition did little to increase the speed of the "Provider", it added greater power for quicker climbing on takeoff, and power for maintaining altitude.

On 13 December 1968, 1st Lt. Thomas M. Turner, pilot; 1st Lt. Joseph P. Fanning, co-pilot; 1st Lt. John S. Albright, II, navigator; then 1st Lt. Morgan J. Donahue, navigator; SSgt. Douglas V. Dailey, flight engineer; TSgt. Fred L. Clarke, loadmaster and SSgt. Samuel F. Walker, Jr., loadmaster; comprised the crew of a C123K aircraft, call sign "Candlestick 44." Their night Forward Air Control (FAC) mission was to guide several B57B bombers onto a convoy of enemy trucks traveling along Routes 911 and 912. These routes were cut through the rugged jungle covered mountains approximately 2 miles north of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), 14 miles northwest of Ban Namm, 18 miles southwest of Ban Loboy, 35 miles northwest of Muang Xepon and 26 miles southwest of the Lao/North Vietnamese border, Savannakhet Province, Laos. Additional data places the loss approximately 47 kilometers northwest of Xepon, 3 kilometers east of Ban Kok Nak and Route 411, and 1 kilometer southeast of Ban Pa Dong.

This area of eastern Laos was considered a major artery of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. When North Vietnam began to increase its military strength in South Vietnam, NVA and Viet Cong troops again intruded on neutral Laos for sanctuary, as the Viet Minh had done during the war with the French some years before. This border road was used by the Communists to transport weapons, supplies and troops from North Vietnam into South Vietnam, and was frequently no more than a path cut through the jungle covered mountains. US forces used all assets available to them to stop this flow of men and supplies from moving south into the war zone.

Flying at an altitude of no more than 2000-3000 feet, the Provider crew's mission was to spot enemy truck convoys traveling along the trail, then to drop flares to illuminate the area for the accompanying bombers to attack. As the navigator responsible for monitoring the infrared detection device, Morgan Donahue laid on his stomach in the underbelly of the Provider to observe the situation through an open hatch. Weather conditions at the time were clear with a half moon, ground fog, no wind and no cloud ceiling. At 0300 hours, as the crew of the C123K guided a B57B, call sign "Yellowbird 72," onto an enemy convoy, the FAC was jolted by a blow to the top of their aircraft in the aft section by the overhead bomber as it approached the target. Major Thomas W. Dugan, pilot; and Major Francis J. McGouldrick, co-pilot; comprised the crew of Yellowbird 72. 1st Lt. Turner, stunned by a blow to the head and lost consciousness as his aircraft lost power. Because of its glider configuration, the C123K did not fall straight to the ground, but drifted lazily in a slow flat spin that lasted several minutes.

During his post-rescue debriefing, Thomas Turner reported: "Yellowbird 72 made either one or two passes over the target and received no ground fire while Candlestick 44 maintained position in our quadrant at altitude. While the bomber conducted its strikes, I began a run to our left in order to stay in our own quadrant, yet be able to scope to clear the previous strike (to observe the bomber's attack pass and its pull off of the target). Just as we rolled out straight and level, I looked out the window and saw the strike area. The next moment there was an explosion and the aircraft was out of control. I was knocked unconscious for several moments. When I came to, I turned in my seat and could see the co-pilot's seat was empty and fire was coming into the cockpit from the fuselage area. I turned to the left and opened the window, then unbuckled by seatbelt. I looked out at the wing tip and could see the wing tip and that the left engine was still running. The next minute I was out and clear of the aircraft. I pulled the "D" ring when clear to deploy my parachute. On my descent I saw another parachute below me and 2 or 3 fires on the ground. At that time I was unaware of the other aircraft's fall, and didn't know if it was one of the fires on the ground or not." 1st Lt. Turner went on to say: "I landed safely in a treetop where I remained until search and rescue (SAR) personnel rescued me at dawn. I did not hear any of the other crewmen come up on the radio, and I understand that the only beeper the SAR aircraft heard was mine."

Members of other aircrews provided additional information about this loss incident. One witness stated he saw a steady stream of enemy anti-aircraft artillery fire aimed in the direction of the aircraft just before the large explosion caused by the collision. Several other witnesses reported there was a large explosion that broke the aircraft into three parts shortly after the initial explosion.

After plucking Thomas Turner out of the tree, aerial SAR personnel continued to search for the other crewman in the rugged jungle covered mountains. Because this area was under total enemy control, no ground search was possible. At 0900 hours on 15 December, the formal SAR effort was terminated when no trace of the remaining crew could be found. At that time John Albright, Morgan Donahue, Douglas Dailey, Joseph Fanning Fred Clarke and Samuel Walker were listed Missing in Action. Likewise, no trace of the B57B crew was found and they were also declared Missing in Action at the same time.

Over the years numerous reports filtered through the intelligence community regarding the crew of the Provider including National Security Agency (NSA) intercepted enemy radio communications correlated to at least 3 of the missing men. In 1974 a Laotian refugee who escaped reported having observed an American prisoner thought to have been a member of this aircrew who had been moved to the caves near Tchepone where he was held during the 1968 to 1970 timeframe. This American was later transferred to another location unknown to the refugee. Another intelligence report received shortly after the loss incident indicated that Morgan Donahue suffered a broken leg in the mishap and was believed to have been taken to a communist holding area near Tchepone after capture. Several reports referring to "Moe-gan" or "Mr. Moe-gan" have been received by military intelligence since the end of the war. Frequently this prisoner is referred to as "the animal doctor" because he is being used as a veterinarian to treat sick and injured animals. These reports have come directly from refugees to the Donahue family as well as through US government agencies.

From 1981 to 1984, the Special Forces Detachment, Korea (SFDK) was charged by President Reagan with the responsibility of collecting live POW information throughout Southeast Asia. SFDK was commanded by Major Mark Smith, himself a returned POW from the Vietnam War. Through his efforts, and those of team Intelligence Sergeant Mel McIntire, an agent net of 50 agents was established, specifically in Laos. This intelligence net resulted in Major Smith compiling a list of some 26 American POWs by name and captivity location with Morgan Donahue being one of them. In April 1984, Major Smith received a message from one of his agents specifying that on 11 May three US Prisoners of War would be brought to a given location on the Lao/Thai border. The only prerequisite was that an American be on the Thailand side of the border to receive the men. When this information was reported up his chain of command, Major Smith's team was ordered not to leave Korea, to destroy all documents pertaining to LIVE POWs and they were sent back to the United States 6 months early. According to Major Smith and SFC McIntire, they believe Morgan Donahue was one of those three Prisoners who could have been returned on 11 May 1984. This documented information was provided to the United States Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in sworn testimony on 28 January 1986.

In June 1987 and again in August of that year, the Donahue family was given intelligence reports tracking their youngest son's movements from a POW camp in Kham Kuet, Khammouane Province, Laos in the spring of 1987, then to another camp in the Boualapha District of the same province that August. These reports were only a few weeks old at the time the USG obtained them, yet intelligence personnel marked them "routine" and made no effort to act upon the information. One of these reports stated that the POW had been a crewman aboard a C123K aircraft and gave its serial number. When government analysts finally evaluated the report, they discovered that the aircraft number was actually the missing navigator's father's home zip code instead of the aircraft's number. The Donahue family believes this is clearly a message from Morgan Donahue.

The crew of the C123K are among the nearly 600 Americans who disappeared in Laos. Like this aircrew, many of these men were known to be alive on the ground. The Laotians admitted holding "tens of tens" of American Prisoners of War, but these men were never negotiated for either by direct negotiations between our countries or through the Paris Peace Accords which ended the Vietnam War since the Laotians were not a party to that agreement.

Since the end of the Vietnam War well over 21,000 reports of American prisoners, missing and otherwise unaccounted for have been received by our government. Many of these reports document LIVE American POWs remaining captive throughout Southeast Asia TODAY.

Aircrews in Vietnam and Laos were called upon to fly in many dangerous circumstances, and they were prepared to be wounded, killed or captured. It probably never occurred to them that they could be abandoned by the country they so proudly served.
Morgan J. Donahue graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1967.

[Flaming Conservative]

I do not in any way support McCain. He was a totally corrupt senator.

[piroque]

Marked,,, only a few of us old grunts remember,,,,

SONGBIRD was a piece of shit. along with john kerry......

[Bommer]

And Mark Davis (WBAP talk show host, sometimes sub for Rush) was wanting to give McJuan a Congressional Medal of Honor today.

Trump should. Make out of chocolate and see how fast Megan eats it.

[Paladin2]

My bad, it’s not WBAP, its AM 660, KSKY

[CincyRichieRich]

Any truth to McCain’s mom being Rothschilds twin sister?

Would explain quite a bit.

[poconopundit]

Both Kerry and McShame had an interest in being recognized as the only public heroes of the Vietnam War.

They figured to praise anyone else was to lower McShame and Kerry's stature.

It unbelievable that among the worst people who fought that war are the ones who became the most visible in the public's eye.

Grateful in this thread to read the real truth about McCain.

The arrogance of this man was incredible: McCain truly thought he was God's gift to America. But why is it the God-fearing people of this country hated his guts while the God-less praise him today.

Answer? The destroyers of the Republic love this man for one reason: he fought Donald Trump. Were it not for that fact, the Fake News and Dems couldn't care less.

[elpadre]

There is so much conflicting information. It is difficult to know what to believe. I was searching around looking for valid information about McCain and came across the following. Is there anyway to confirm what is said??

“EXCERPTS: “on March 25, 1999, two of his fellow POWs, Ted Guy and Gordon “Swede” Larson told the Phoenix New Times that, while they could not guarantee that McCain was not physically harmed, they doubted it. As Larson said, “My only contention with the McCain deal is that while he was at The Plantation, to the best of my knowledge and Ted’s knowledge, he was not physically abused in any way. No one was in that camp. It was the camp that people were released from.”Guy and Larson’s claims are given credence by McCain’s vehement opposition to releasing the government’s debriefings of Vietnam War POWs. McCain gave Michael Isikoff a peek at his debriefs, and Isikoff declared there was “nothing incriminating” in them, apart from the redactions.

McCain had a unique POW experience. Initially, he was taken to the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison camp, where he was interrogated. By McCain’s own account, after three or four days, he cracked. He promised his Vietnamese captors, “I’ll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital.”His Vietnamese capturers soon realized their POW, John Sidney McCain III, came from a well-bred line of American military elites. McCain’s father, John Jr., and grandfather, John Sr., were both full Admirals. A destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, is named after both of them. While his son was held captive in Hanoi, John McCain Jr., from 1968 to 1972, was the Commander-in-Chief of U.S. Pacific Command; Admiral McCain was in charge of all US forces in the Pacific including those fighting in Vietnam. ..The Admiral’s bad boy was used to special treatment and his captors knew that. They were working him.For his part, McCain acknowledges that the Vietnamese rushed him to a hospital, but denies he was given any “special medical treatment.” However….two weeks into his stay at the Vietnamese hospital, the Hanoi press began quoting him. It was not “name rank and serial number, or kill me,” as specified by the military code of conduct. McCain divulged specific military information: he gave the name of the aircraft carrier on which he was based, the number of US pilots that had been lost, the number of aircraft in his flight formation, as well as information about the location of rescue ships…

On the other hand, according to one source, McCain’s collaboration may have had very real consequences. Retired Army Colonel Earl Hopper, a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, contends that the information that McCain divulged classified information North Vietnam used to hone their air defense system…McCain told his North Vietnamese captors, “highly classified information, the most important of which was the package routes, which were routes used to bomb North Vietnam. He gave in detail the altitude they were flying, the direction, if they made a turn… he gave them what primary targets the United States was interested in.” Hopper contends that the information McCain provided allowed the North Vietnamese to adjust their air-defenses. As result, Hopper claims, the US lost sixty percent more aircraft and in 1968, “called off the bombing of North Vietnam, because of the information McCain had given to them.”” If these are true, the public has had the wool pulled over our eyes.

[treetopsandroofs]

I recall John Kerry’s buddies saying what a great soldier he was, too.

Perhaps someone here can re-post the link to how much of a “war hero” Ace McCain actually was?

[Huaynero]

“The guy uses 500 words when only 10 are necessary. Insufferable.”

Same guy started out at a Washington, DC station about 25-30 years ago or so. Overly impressed with himself, he committed an on-air “I’m a bro too” faux paux. Setting some land speed record, he outran the rail trimmed up forthwith for his departure party.
Unfortunately, he ended up in Texas and relations between Washington, DC and Texas haven’t been the same since.
After a few years, I’d hear him guest hosting Rush’s program. I reckon even the best organization have examples of poor screening by personnel.
I also turned off his insufferable self.

[bgill]

Songbird.

[blu]

Read the article. In it you will find the truth about how No Name abandoned around 1,000 military personal by making sure that there would be no efforts made to look for them. AND, if they were spotted, No Name had plenty of excuses not to delve into it. And he does even more..read the whole article.

[wmileo]

Thank you. I read the entire article. I still maintain that the only way to have this verified is for the documents being held by various Government agencies (CIA NSA, DOD, State Dept.) be unclassified and released. The POTUS can do that. It has been 45 years since our involvement in the Vietnam War ended. If there is anybody still alive who was involved with this coverup, they deserve to be at the very leased exposed.