Trump’s right: McCain wasn’t in the line of fire
Donald Trump has rightly questioned Sen. John McCain’s label as hero.
Sen. McCain did what he was trained to do, give name, rank and serial number and resist all attempts to gain other critical information.
What makes him a hero compared with any other military prisoner doing a job they were trained for? McCain was treated better than prisoners in past wars. He was not required to take any death marches, subjected to slave labor, starved to death or beaten to death.
Granted, all our prisoners of war deserve a great deal of respect, but do they meet past standards of heroism? Compared with day-to-day combat in Vietnam, Sen. McCain was in a much safer place. Our infantry soldiers, special operations soldiers, naval and Air Force pilots and our helicopter crews faced death every day, even in their base camps.
Many served two tours in Vietnam. More than 50,000 military personnel paid the ultimate price. Thousands more were wounded, lost limbs or suffered mental disabilities.
How can Sen. McCain be put in the same category? He wasn’t in the line of fire. Most of our heroes in Vietnam came home wounded or in a box.
Mr. Trump is correct. Those who engage in battle are our heroes. Sen. McCain has been made a hero for political purposes only. He is in the same wannabe hero class as John Kerry and Hillary Clinton.
Garry Rogers, Fresno
This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 7:01 AM with the headline "Trump’s right: McCain wasn’t in the line of fire."