Was he heroic icon?

I know I will take some heat on what I am about to write, but the doting media have gone overboard on their admiration for John McCain. I think one of the problems is that so many people mistake courage for heroism. By definition, heroism consists of putting others first, even at one’s own peril. John McCain was shot down and captured. He was severely injured, received less than adequate medical attention, and spent years as a POW. That does not make him a hero. That just means he was terribly unlucky.

There were hundreds of other airmen that languished in Hanoi, but there were even more that died from enemy anti-aircraft fire. I lost almost all of my closest friends during that 10-year war. McCain was given accolades for refusing to be repatriated early. That was not heroism; he was simply following the instructions from the American Fighting Man’s Code of Conduct. It states that when a POW you will not accept parole or special favors from the enemy. I have no doubt that McCain suffered, but he did not die as did two pilots I knew who were beaten to death.

Upon his repatriation he found that his beautiful wife, Carol, had been horribly injured three years before his release. As per his close friends, McCain began to “play around” almost immediately. He divorced Carol and married pretty and rich Cindy (18 years his junior) one month after the divorce. Real class act!

Does anyone remember the “Keating Five” and the savings and loan debacle? Five politicians were accused of accepting illegal gratuities from Charles Keating, head of Lincoln Savings and Loan, John McCain being one of them. By the evidence shown, I believe all five were guilty; however, McCain got a pass from the Democratic Congress. Since that time, his voting record came closer to mirroring that of John Kerry than that of his fellow Republicans.

So, was John McCain the heroic and patriotic icon being painted by the media? You make your own conclusion.

ROBERT W. BEST Greers Ferry