McCain’s one-time jailer pays respects

Vietnamese honour man who was prisoner, later peacemaker in country

Sen. John McCain’s Vietnamese jailer said he respected his former inmate and felt sad about his death, as others in Vietnam paid their respects to the former U.S. navy pilot who became a prisoner of war and later was instrumental in bringing the wartime foes together. McCain’s Skyhawk dive bomber was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and he was taken prisoner and held in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison for more than five years. Former Col. Tran Trong Duyet, who ran the prison at the time, said he met with McCain many times while he was confined there.

“At that time I liked him personally for his toughness and strong stance,” he told the newspaper Vietnam News.

“Later on when he became a U.S. senator, he and Sen. John Kerry greatly contributed to promote Vietnam-U. S. relations so I was very fond of him.”

“When I learned about his death early this morning, I feel very sad. I would like to send condolences to his family. I think it’s the same feeling for all Vietnamese people as he has greatly contributed to the development of Vietnam-U. S. relations,” Duyet was quoted as saying.

Duyet could not be reached for comment on Monday. McCain died of brain cancer on Saturday at age 81 in his home state of Arizona.

Meanwhile, scores of people in Hanoi paid their respects to McCain at the U.S. Embassy.

McCain and former Sen. Kerry played important roles in the normalization of bilateral relations in 1995. The Vietnam News Agency said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan sent messages of condolence to McCain’s family and U.S. Senate leaders, while Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh paid respects to McCain at the embassy.

The U.S. Embassy announced it will launch a McCain/Kerry Fellowship in which a young Vietnamese leader committed to public service will be chosen each year to travel to the U.S. on a study tour to deepen ties between the two peoples.