Posted on Jul 20, 2015
Should Prisoners of War (POWs) be treated as heroes?
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The linked article is in response to Donald Trump's comment about McCain "He’s not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured."
Should we as a general rule treat POWs as heroes? What do you think?
Should we as a general rule treat POWs as heroes? What do you think?
POW/MIA
Heroes
Politics
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 19
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LCDR (Join to see)
Capt (Join to see) Exactly. A blanket statement isn't necessarily good either way.
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LTC Ed Ross
From the responses to his post, it's obvious that different people have different perspectives on what makes a hero. I look at it this way. Too often heroes are portrayed as fearless men and women who do what must be done for God, country, and their fellow man. This is myth. True heroes are afraid. World War I fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient, Eddie Rickenbacker, said it best. "Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage without fear.” True heroes are those that overcome their fear to do what is necessary. This definition includes those who joint the military knowing it they will go in harms way but who overcome that fear to serve their country. POWs who overcame their fear of torture and held out as long as possible are also heroes.
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SFC (Join to see)
Kudos to Montel for his response. Montel doesn't even agree with Sen. McCain's politics, but he's vehemently supporting Sen. McCain's integrity and service. Mr. Trump does have the "right" to "besmirch" Sen. McCain as preserved by the 1st Amendment, and ironically as happens every day, Sen. McCain and all those in uniform defend the rights of those like Mr. Trump to attack them. That's what made this country great in the first place. We take the high road. If for whatever reason Mr. Trump is elected Commander-in-Chief, I hope he will appreciate those in uniform in action as much as he has stated he supports veterans.
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Not everyone who puts on the uniform or is a POW is a war hero. We tend to throw that description around too carelessly these days. John McCain most certainly was a war hero; and Trump made a fool out of himself for saying otherwise.
http://ewross.com/John_McCain.html
http://ewross.com/John_McCain.html
I sat apprehensively in John McCain’s office that September day in 1992, waiting for the senator. In my briefcase were a stack of recently-obtained glossy black and white photographs of dead American flyers missing in action from the Vietnam War.
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