John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account – Part VI
All through this period, the “gooks” were bombarding us with antiwar quotes from people in high places back in Washington. This was the most effective propaganda they had to use against us—speeches and statements by men who were generally respected in the United States. They used Senator Fulbright a great deal, and Senator Brooke. Ted [...]
John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account – Part V
My younger brother, Joe, was very active in the National League of Families of American Prisoners of War and Missing in Action in Southeast Asia. That was the umbrella for all the POW family groups. So he has filled me in on why the North Vietnamese attitude toward the American prisoners changed, and given me [...]
John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account – Part IV
They wanted a statement saying that I was sorry for the crimes that I had committed against North Vietnamese people and that I was grateful for the treatment that I had received from them. This was the paradox—so many guys were so mistreated to get them to say they were grateful. But this is the [...]
John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account – Part III
Communication Was Vital “for Survival” As far as this business of solitary confinement goes—the most important thing for survival is communication with someone, even if it’s only a wave or a wink, a tap on the wall, or to have a guy put his thumb up. It makes all the difference. It’s vital to keep [...]
John McCain, Prisoner of War: A First-Person Account – Part II
I woke up a couple of times in the next three or four days. Plasma and blood were being put into me. I became fairly lucid. I was in a room which was not particularly small—about 15 by 15 feet—but it was filthy dirty and at a lower level, so that every time it rained, [...]
