- Joined
- Oct 31, 2004
- Messages
- 315
Verified as true...
Subject: Fw: Senator McCain & The Pledge of Allegiance
> John McCain and the Pledge
>
>
> In light of the recent appeals court ruling in California, with
respect to
> t=
> he Pledge of Allegiance, the following recollection from Senator John
> McCain=
> is very appropriate:.
>
> "The Pledge of Allegiance"
>
>
> by Senator John McCain
>
>
> As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war
> during=
> the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept
us
in=
> solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved
us
fr=
> om these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30
to 40
> m=
> en to a room.
>
> This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct
result
of
> the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs
10,000
> miles from home.
>
> One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike
Christian.
> Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair
of
> sh=
> oes until he was 13 years old.
>
>
> At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by
going
to
> Officer Training School Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was
shot
> down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of
the
oppo
> rtunities this country and our military provide for people who want to
work
> and want to succeed.
>
> As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some
prisoners
to
> receive packages from home. In some of these packages were
handkerchiefs,
s
> carves and other items of clothing.
>
> Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months,
he
cr
> eated an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
>
> Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's
shirt
on
> the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.
>
> I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part
of
our
> day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed
the
most
> important and meaningful event.
>
> One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically,
and
disc
> overed Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.
>
> That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the
benefit
> of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of
hours.
Th
> en, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him
up
as
> well as we could.
>
> The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which
we
sle
> pt. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room.
>
> As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the
excitem
> ent died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there
beneath
> that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his
bamboo
> needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his
eyes
a
> lmost shut from the beating he had received, making another American
flag.
H
> e was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better.
He
was
> making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able
to
P
> ledge our allegiance to our flag and country.
>
> So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never
forget
the
> sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build
our
na
> tion and promote freedom around the world.
>
> You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country
>
> "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and
to
the
> republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with
libert
> y and justice for all."
>
>
> PASS THIS ON... and on... and on!
> Thank you, Sharpetoys
Subject: Fw: Senator McCain & The Pledge of Allegiance
> John McCain and the Pledge
>
>
> In light of the recent appeals court ruling in California, with
respect to
> t=
> he Pledge of Allegiance, the following recollection from Senator John
> McCain=
> is very appropriate:.
>
> "The Pledge of Allegiance"
>
>
> by Senator John McCain
>
>
> As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war
> during=
> the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept
us
in=
> solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved
us
fr=
> om these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30
to 40
> m=
> en to a room.
>
> This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct
result
of
> the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs
10,000
> miles from home.
>
> One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike
Christian.
> Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair
of
> sh=
> oes until he was 13 years old.
>
>
> At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by
going
to
> Officer Training School Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was
shot
> down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of
the
oppo
> rtunities this country and our military provide for people who want to
work
> and want to succeed.
>
> As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some
prisoners
to
> receive packages from home. In some of these packages were
handkerchiefs,
s
> carves and other items of clothing.
>
> Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months,
he
cr
> eated an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
>
> Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's
shirt
on
> the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.
>
> I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part
of
our
> day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed
the
most
> important and meaningful event.
>
> One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically,
and
disc
> overed Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.
>
> That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the
benefit
> of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of
hours.
Th
> en, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him
up
as
> well as we could.
>
> The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which
we
sle
> pt. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room.
>
> As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the
excitem
> ent died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there
beneath
> that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his
bamboo
> needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his
eyes
a
> lmost shut from the beating he had received, making another American
flag.
H
> e was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better.
He
was
> making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able
to
P
> ledge our allegiance to our flag and country.
>
> So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never
forget
the
> sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build
our
na
> tion and promote freedom around the world.
>
> You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country
>
> "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and
to
the
> republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with
libert
> y and justice for all."
>
>
> PASS THIS ON... and on... and on!
> Thank you, Sharpetoys
