American heroes.
The following is a letter to the editor, which was published in the Gaston Gazette on August 1, 2015:
That Sen. John McCain felt no compunction to respond to Donald Trump’s assertion that he is no hero illustrates one of the primary attributes of virtually every hero I have known — humility. Unencumbered by bone spurs, I was proud to serve in the U.S. Army from 1966-72 and in Vietnam in 1968-69. There I was able to observe true heroism firsthand.
As a forward observer, I often saw Navy pilots like Sen. McCain come in hot and low over enemy positions dropping their ordinance and keeping grunts like me alive. A central theme of one of my books involves the downing of a Marine F-4 followed by the brave pilots’ engagement in escape and evasion and their ultimate capture by the North Vietnamese Army.
Every combat pilot taking off from an aircraft carrier or from a land-based operation knows that there is always a chance that they will be shot down or that their aircraft may fail, forcing them to eject into enemy territory. The courage to fire up those engines and fly into harm’s way should never be challenged.
Were it not for those pesky bone spurs that prevented his military service, perhaps Trump could have been a war hero also. We will never know.
Of course, as I said, my experience is that most heroes are humble. That might have been a problem for Trump. Still, I know without doubt that Sen. McCain is a military hero and a great example for many who followed.
Perhaps we should combine our voices and thank Senator McCain and all who have flown combat missions for their heroic service and suggest to Mr. Trump that he refrain from criticizing our heroic military veterans until he puts on a uniform and does what so many of our brave veterans have done.
Michael K. McMahan
Gastonia
