is John McCain a hero? Yes. Is he a war hero? No.

I consider anyone who is willing to put their lives on the line to fight for their country to be a hero. However, the term War Hero is not the same. It has always been reserved for people who went above and beyond the call of duty.

Sammy L. Davis is an example of a War Hero. He risked his own life to man a machine gun to, purposely drawing enemy fire to himself, to give his unit time to fire mortar rounds to take out enemy artillary. He then manned a howitzer, despite having taken several injuries, to give his unit time to retreat. He carried three soldiers accross a river to safety. He got a Medal of Honor, and was the basis for Forrest Gump's military service in the movie.

John McCain's military career was pretty average, aside from being taken prisoner. He was not the only POW, however, and most POW's are not considered War Heros. There are plenty of POW's who were basically treated like (*)(*)(*)(*) when they got back. So, how does John McCain's mediocre service records, and stint as a POW make him a War Hero, when there were people who did just as much time as POW's, and did more in their military service, who are not.

 

I think most people here agree that the term "hero" is thrown around too often.

 

I guess I would say anyone who signs into Military is a hero. And anyone that has been to war is a hero. Anyone that has protected society is a hero IMO.

Trying to use that hero halo when in power can take a dirty turn. Just because you were a Hero in A, doesn't mean you know jack about B.

Take Ted Nugent for example.

Awesome at music. Crapped his pants for weeks to avoid war (which drove down his self esteem). He's been threatening to point guns in the faces of his own Americans since to regain that confidence he lost.

 

McCain served in the military, he was a POW, he suffered severely, he showed courage and determination and loyalty, but he didn't stand out from his peers.

The only exceptional act was that McCain was offered an early release by the North Vietnamese after less than 1 year as a POW, and he turned it down. That took some guts and he deserves a lot of respect for that, but I wouldn't say that makes him a hero.

 

IMO, part a commanding officer's duty is to make sure their men get home safe. McCain did his duty by staying with his men. He was not the officer to make that choice, and others who made it have not been called war heros. So, I would not call it an exceptional act on his part. He did what he should have done as an officer.

 

I don't buy that story at all. He was marched into the kommandant's office and told that he can leave because his dad is a bigwig, but he decided to stay? That's just not believable.

I'm guessing they tried bribing his dad for release of his son, and his own father said to hell with him.

 

Trump has everyone bamboozled. He's playing you like a fiddle. Did anyone care last week about John McCain's war record? There are real problems that need addressing, and here we are arguing about something that means absolutely nothing to anyone, including John McCain.

 

Trump is a Draft Dodging coward.

 

I went to war and do not consider myself a hero. I had no idea that I would go to war when I signed up, I just didn't know what to do after high school. I cheated death only a hand full of times, always by luck. I went on patrols and stood on bridges. I guarded detainees. I engaged in a little "incentive" interrogation under orders and came out of it all with a mostly clear conscious and PTSD free. I do not consider myself a hero.

I also consider it deeply insulting that this is even a subject of conversation because I lost friends who had the exact same experiences that I did, but they did not cheat death, also by luck. They went on the same patrols and stood on the same bridges. Guarded the same detainees. Some of them came home and can never be comfortable in a crowd again, some of them never came home. To imply that only those who stood out by ability or valor are heroes cheapens the sacrifice of those who suffered for their country or the families who suffered for them.

 

Well put. Refer to my post about McCain, one of the least heroic.

 

Trump has bamboozled a few, but most of us realize he is a dispicable clown. McCain rode his status as a POW to gain sympathy and votes in every election. He is as bad as Trump.

 

In my opinion, yes Sen. McCain exhibited courage and bravery while under fire....what many might call heroism.
While everyone has a right to their own opinion, to those of us who served in the military aviation community, the DFC is the oldest and one of the most prestigious awards that can be earned. The armchair warriors can call him names, but consider the source on that.

 

I think we need a new word, for heroes that go above and beyond and do really heroic things, that might end the confusion

 

some want to put this hero in prison

"EXCLUSIVE: War Veteran with PTSD Faces Life in Prison for Pot, His Wife Calls for Help"

http://truthinmedia.com/exclusive-w...fe-in-prison-for-pot-his-wife-calls-for-help/

 

Sure it does. If they offered to release you, would YOU turn it down? That is what separates you from him. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. He knew he would likely be tortured. Anyone who sees combat is a hero unless they run away or was a traitor like Bergdahl. Now Bergdahl is NOT a war hero.

 

I guess the day I personally walk out of a prisoner of war camp after 5 years is the day I will feel qualified to discredit McCain's status as a war hero.
McCain spent five years as a POW. Fact.
McCain did not weasel out of serving his country. Fact
McCain can't raise his arms much above his shoulders. Fact.

I certainly won't look at those facts and declare McCain doesn't deserve my respect for his service.

 

You know nothing about me, so making this personal simply degrades your post.

A hero is someone who stands out above his peers, someone who goes far beyond what is expected. A soldiers job description is combat, he understands that is his job and he is expected to perform his job. Just doing your job and what is expected of all others does not make a person a hero.

 

You forgot to mention that according to his fellow survivors he was instrumental in helping them keep the faith.

 

That is your opinion of course, but turning down an early release and increasing the morale of his fellow soldiers to stay alive while knowing you might never leave that place alive certainly does make him a hero in my book. I challenge any conservative to go through what he did and then mock him for it like that pathetic Trumptard did.

I despise a lot of McCain's politics but I have always respected his service, especially his actions as a POW.

 

Could not have said it better.

 

There are no amount of semantic gymnastics that will allow Trump to evade the consequences of what he said. This was not merely text from a tweet or something...we have video of it. We all know what he meant.

He insulted and demeaned not only McCain, but all POWs in general. There is no way he will get away with that as a Republican. Democrats may not care about that stuff, but most Republicans are very pro-military, and will take these comments seriously.

 

There were people who spent more time than McCain as POW's, and receive much worse injuries during the war, and who did much more than him during combat, who were not considered War Heros.

McCain deserves respect for his service, and what he went through as a POW, but it was no different than what thousands of other soldiers went through, and the vast majority of them are not considered War Heros.

 

I am not defending trump, I am calling out all of the hypocrites who call McCain a war hero while overlooking all of the people who did as much, or more than he did during th war who are considered unworthy of that title.

 

Nice post.

 

Jeez I didn't mean to strike a nerve. I just asked you if the enemy was going to release you, would you go. If you say yes, then McCain is a hero. If you say no, then both of you are heroes. It's as simple as that.