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It was interesting to me, because I lived overseas in Japan and the Philippines as a Navy dependent during most of the Vietnam war, and was completely tied in to the POW issue.

As kids, we wore bracelets that had the names of POW’s on them (I think I had Denton’s, who I kind of idolized in a way because he somehow reminded me of my dad...probably just the hair or something) and mine just corroded on my wrist, turning greener and greener until it just fell apart.

So, when I got to my training squadron (VA-174) McCain was the CO, and while many of the guys didn’t know much about him, I sure did. It could be my memory, but I recall he actually did fly the planes...I somehow had the impression years later that they wouldn’t have allowed him to fly due to his physical condition, but my memory says he did.

There was one odd thing about him that stands out in my memory. In the upper floor of the giant hanger that VA-174 had all to itself (where the administrative offices and Ready Room were) there was a looong hallway that ran from one end of the hangar to the other.

I went upstairs for something one day, and when I entered that long, dimly lit hallway (seems like it was only lit by the windows at each end?) I could see there was someone bent over the scuttlebutt that was about dead center in the corridor. As I approached and got closer, the person didn’t move. Just stood there, half bent over as if to take a drink, but not drinking or moving.

I realized it was Commander McCain. I was probably about ten feet away when he straightened up and walked away into a room without taking a drink. It looked like the whole time I walked down that corridor, he was just mesmerized by the flow of water from the scuttlebutt. When I think of it now, I often wonder if it was some thing from being a POW, and not being able to have cold water any time you wanted it...and now, as a free man...here it was for the asking.

It was just a strange thing I have often pondered.