The Flight Jacket and Your Decision
A quiet word to the undecided and the uncertain as you ponder this awesome decision you must make on Tuesday.
As you think about your decision, let me tell you about a Flight Jacket I am literally holding on my knee as I write. And what I think that garment implies for American history. And for you.
It’s pretty much like the ones you’ve seen in the movies — heavy brown tooled leather, fur collar, cloth cinches at the bottom of each sleeve, an emblem at one collar bone, a name tag at the other. A naval aviator’s flight jacket. Interestingly, though heavy, they are not particularly warm. But every time an air service tries to replace them with lighter, warmer, more practical material, the pilots raise hell. That leather Flight Jacket is as much a symbol to them as is a shield to a knight.
The one I am holding was worn a lot. The fur is a worn down at the left collar edge … the heavy zipper sticks a little … there is a ‘fender-bender’ spot on the back of the left sleeve – a slight brush with a bit of fresh paint aboard ship, it looks like. The squadron label is badly worn – made of cloth is has suffered the most – but you can still make out the complex blue and gold coat-of-arms and the two inscriptions – ‘Saints’ at the top, and ‘Attack Squadron 163’ at the bottom. Faded, but still readable is the thick dark leather label with golden naval pilot’s wings and in gold capital letters – ‘JOHN McCAIN JR’ on the top line, and ‘LT CDR USN’ on the bottom.
It’s Oct 26th, 1967 – wearing this flight jacket is 31-year-old Lt Cdr John S. McCain [the name tag should actually read ‘III’ – his father is the ‘Jr’]. He sits in his A-4 Squadron’s ready room aboard the carrier Oriskany off North Vietnam. He and other combat pilots are being briefed on a strike to the heart of the enemy. Downtown Hanoi. It’s to be his 23rd combat mission.
VA-163 has the highest casualty rate of any other aircraft carrier squadron in the Vietnam War. But that's because they are aggressive and accurate bombers. McCain later writes that there is a sort of sadness that overlies their bravado, sometimes. But not over their determination and focus on their job. ...
He didn’t see this flight jacket for 5 ½ years.
You’ve heard the story, but here are some details –
As many know his plane was shot down -- almost torn apart by a telephone pole sized SAM missile, which struck and flicked into a violent spin. John ejected upside down at about 800 feet into the only lake in downtown Hanoi. Or the impact with the ground would have killed him. His whirling plane apparently struck him -- two broken arms, a broken leg – then a nearly destroyed shoulder when a North Vietnamese guard smashed it with a rifle butt, because the insensate trauma-battered pilot was unable to answer questions,
This is not to go over an oft-told dramatic war story, but to illuminate for you, this --
For the next nine months, John McCain spent time in strict isolation. Except for interrogations and attempts to get him to make propaganda films against the war. The North Vietnamese were trying to use their POWs as pain pressure points on the Body American, as leverage to their war effort.
But as horror stories began splashing the American and world press about the brutal treatment of captured Americans -- and sometimes murdered by the enemy – their friends in Europe told them, ‘You better do something about this POW Issue, or not only aren’t the Americans getting out, they will come in after their men'.
After the raid on Son Tay, in which a special American unit raided a prison camp to grab the POWs – unhappily, Hanoi had just moved the prisoners -- the North Vietnamese got scared and began to look for ways to reverse this dark image.
And one of their main opportunities was ‘The Crown Prince’ -- they called him that because his father was not only a four-star admiral, but nine months after John’s capture, Adm. McCain became Commander of all U.S. forces in the Pacific. Including Vietnam. They decided to offer the Prince a humanitarian release because of his injuries -- to show the world that this portrayal of Hanoi as savage and sadistic was infamous slander.
Now, I’ve known this man for 66 years, and I think I can sort of picture John McCain when he got this offer. John is the definition of a gregarious fellow – he loves camaraderie … discussion … entertainment … debate … argument. Except for sessions with a book, or spiritual reflection, this young aviator does not much like being alone. Not by choice anyway.
And here he’s been in isolation for most of nine terribly long months filled with pain and chronic debilitating illness. And comes this ‘offer’!
But more, as a human being, you worry about those injuries … the shattered limbs … the poorly set bones … the smashed teeth … the myriad of miseries and sores and sicknesses that occur in jungle confinement without even soap and water, much less clean clothes, a minimal diet, and no medical care.
How crippled are you going to be? How chronic will be your illnesses? You want to get back to the miracles of American medicine. And here is this chance!
But John told them ‘No’ -- that it was his duty to stay with his fellows … to not accept release until they were also released … and then only under orders from their civilian commanders. When he uttered that final no on July 4th, 1968, he says in his first book, “Faith of My Fathers”, he then heard the menacing – “Now things will get very bad for you, Mac Kane”. And they did. Torture, beatings, endless interrogations, near starvation. Still, he stood on his honor, his duty to his country and to his fellow prisoners.
Now that’s not just courage unimaginable, it’s CHARACTER.
And when that proverbial phone rings at 3 in the morning, that’s who you want to answer it … that’s who you need to answer it.
I ran across something years ago in that struck me.
When General Sherman was once asked to define the essence of Ulysses S. Grant, he thought a moment and said – “He had ‘four-in-the-morning’ courage.” Asked what that meant, Sherman said -- “In the deepest part of the night, when suddenly all hell is breaking loose … the enemy is in your rear… your lines are breaking down … you could wake Grant, and he came up off the cot cool, calm, and ready to make decisions, ready to issue commands. That’s what I mean by ‘four-in-the-morning’ courage. He was the coolest man under fire I ever saw.”
I think most of us know that this country is headed for more challenging times -- both within and without. From economic cracking … from our enemies overseas… and most importantly, horrors will come at us from directions and places we cannot possibly imagine as I write this with a glance at that Flight Jacket.
But as a student of history, I’m not too terribly afraid. We’ve been there before – a seven-year war for Independence … the bloodiest civil war in world history … two catastrophic world wars … some 5 or 6 major economic crashes, depending on which economic historian you read.
Here’s the important thing -- how well we ride the storm, how well we come out of it depends on who is the Captain of the Ship of State. Whose hand is at the helm.
There are so many crucial moments for a President – to act … or not to act. Mind-blowing, horrific maelstroms that some Presidents shy away from, or try to finesse, or hope they will just pass away … and which only a few are capable of facing and dealing with directly -- without fear … without guile. There are going to be many, many hard turns to make. Inexpedient … at first perhaps not understood by the public or the press … at first glance unpopular and unpolitic. But crucial, and seminal.
These are the times for John McCain as President.
When that phone rings at 3 AM … or at 3 PM … After lunch, or during the Super Bowl … the person you want picking up that phone is John McCain.
Sometimes it’s not terribly important whom we select as President. Either the issues are not that different -- times are good, and even the campaign spinmeisters have to try to create issues. Or one incumbent candidate has such a heavy advantage that he is going to get elected anyway.
But this is one time every single person reading this can make history! Each Person! By persuading others that when times are dark, they need the same man of Character who made the hard decision in the painful loneliness of an infested prison cell. The Oval Office will suit him perfectly to make The Nation's decisions.
Oh, and if anyone happens to run into Osama bin Laden, or any of his ilk – those who murdered nearly 3,000 Americans just trying to get in a day’s work or fly to the West Coast – you tell them there will be no place to hide from John McCain! He will avenge the 2,955 souls floating in The Ether awaiting justice. He was said so publicly, and he will do it
In fact, I think since 9/11, there has been a tear in the National Fabric we haven’t repaired. John McCain is The Mender.
One other image – back to the Flight Jacket on my knee. I wish I could show it to you. Look at it again in your imagination. An honorable, courageous man wore this, and made a terrible decision in the dark – no press, no pollsters, no focus groups. He made that decision alone. And he made it for American citizens of the past, the present and the future.
You think of that Flight Jacket and you go out and tell all Americans this is the man we need to make the hard decisions in dark times. And if you think this is useful, forward to everyone you know. History turns one way or the other on Tuesday!
Thumbs up for John McCain. Let’s launch him into history to make the tough decisions for all Americans.
Joe McCain
A quiet word to the undecided and the uncertain as you ponder this awesome decision you must make on Tuesday.
As you think about your decision, let me tell you about a Flight Jacket I am literally holding on my knee as I write. And what I think that garment implies for American history. And for you.
It’s pretty much like the ones you’ve seen in the movies — heavy brown tooled leather, fur collar, cloth cinches at the bottom of each sleeve, an emblem at one collar bone, a name tag at the other. A naval aviator’s flight jacket. Interestingly, though heavy, they are not particularly warm. But every time an air service tries to replace them with lighter, warmer, more practical material, the pilots raise hell. That leather Flight Jacket is as much a symbol to them as is a shield to a knight.
The one I am holding was worn a lot. The fur is a worn down at the left collar edge … the heavy zipper sticks a little … there is a ‘fender-bender’ spot on the back of the left sleeve – a slight brush with a bit of fresh paint aboard ship, it looks like. The squadron label is badly worn – made of cloth is has suffered the most – but you can still make out the complex blue and gold coat-of-arms and the two inscriptions – ‘Saints’ at the top, and ‘Attack Squadron 163’ at the bottom. Faded, but still readable is the thick dark leather label with golden naval pilot’s wings and in gold capital letters – ‘JOHN McCAIN JR’ on the top line, and ‘LT CDR USN’ on the bottom.
It’s Oct 26th, 1967 – wearing this flight jacket is 31-year-old Lt Cdr John S. McCain [the name tag should actually read ‘III’ – his father is the ‘Jr’]. He sits in his A-4 Squadron’s ready room aboard the carrier Oriskany off North Vietnam. He and other combat pilots are being briefed on a strike to the heart of the enemy. Downtown Hanoi. It’s to be his 23rd combat mission.
VA-163 has the highest casualty rate of any other aircraft carrier squadron in the Vietnam War. But that's because they are aggressive and accurate bombers. McCain later writes that there is a sort of sadness that overlies their bravado, sometimes. But not over their determination and focus on their job. ...
He didn’t see this flight jacket for 5 ½ years.
You’ve heard the story, but here are some details –
As many know his plane was shot down -- almost torn apart by a telephone pole sized SAM missile, which struck and flicked into a violent spin. John ejected upside down at about 800 feet into the only lake in downtown Hanoi. Or the impact with the ground would have killed him. His whirling plane apparently struck him -- two broken arms, a broken leg – then a nearly destroyed shoulder when a North Vietnamese guard smashed it with a rifle butt, because the insensate trauma-battered pilot was unable to answer questions,
This is not to go over an oft-told dramatic war story, but to illuminate for you, this --
For the next nine months, John McCain spent time in strict isolation. Except for interrogations and attempts to get him to make propaganda films against the war. The North Vietnamese were trying to use their POWs as pain pressure points on the Body American, as leverage to their war effort.
But as horror stories began splashing the American and world press about the brutal treatment of captured Americans -- and sometimes murdered by the enemy – their friends in Europe told them, ‘You better do something about this POW Issue, or not only aren’t the Americans getting out, they will come in after their men'.
After the raid on Son Tay, in which a special American unit raided a prison camp to grab the POWs – unhappily, Hanoi had just moved the prisoners -- the North Vietnamese got scared and began to look for ways to reverse this dark image.
And one of their main opportunities was ‘The Crown Prince’ -- they called him that because his father was not only a four-star admiral, but nine months after John’s capture, Adm. McCain became Commander of all U.S. forces in the Pacific. Including Vietnam. They decided to offer the Prince a humanitarian release because of his injuries -- to show the world that this portrayal of Hanoi as savage and sadistic was infamous slander.
Now, I’ve known this man for 66 years, and I think I can sort of picture John McCain when he got this offer. John is the definition of a gregarious fellow – he loves camaraderie … discussion … entertainment … debate … argument. Except for sessions with a book, or spiritual reflection, this young aviator does not much like being alone. Not by choice anyway.
And here he’s been in isolation for most of nine terribly long months filled with pain and chronic debilitating illness. And comes this ‘offer’!
But more, as a human being, you worry about those injuries … the shattered limbs … the poorly set bones … the smashed teeth … the myriad of miseries and sores and sicknesses that occur in jungle confinement without even soap and water, much less clean clothes, a minimal diet, and no medical care.
How crippled are you going to be? How chronic will be your illnesses? You want to get back to the miracles of American medicine. And here is this chance!
But John told them ‘No’ -- that it was his duty to stay with his fellows … to not accept release until they were also released … and then only under orders from their civilian commanders. When he uttered that final no on July 4th, 1968, he says in his first book, “Faith of My Fathers”, he then heard the menacing – “Now things will get very bad for you, Mac Kane”. And they did. Torture, beatings, endless interrogations, near starvation. Still, he stood on his honor, his duty to his country and to his fellow prisoners.
Now that’s not just courage unimaginable, it’s CHARACTER.
And when that proverbial phone rings at 3 in the morning, that’s who you want to answer it … that’s who you need to answer it.
I ran across something years ago in that struck me.
When General Sherman was once asked to define the essence of Ulysses S. Grant, he thought a moment and said – “He had ‘four-in-the-morning’ courage.” Asked what that meant, Sherman said -- “In the deepest part of the night, when suddenly all hell is breaking loose … the enemy is in your rear… your lines are breaking down … you could wake Grant, and he came up off the cot cool, calm, and ready to make decisions, ready to issue commands. That’s what I mean by ‘four-in-the-morning’ courage. He was the coolest man under fire I ever saw.”
I think most of us know that this country is headed for more challenging times -- both within and without. From economic cracking … from our enemies overseas… and most importantly, horrors will come at us from directions and places we cannot possibly imagine as I write this with a glance at that Flight Jacket.
But as a student of history, I’m not too terribly afraid. We’ve been there before – a seven-year war for Independence … the bloodiest civil war in world history … two catastrophic world wars … some 5 or 6 major economic crashes, depending on which economic historian you read.
Here’s the important thing -- how well we ride the storm, how well we come out of it depends on who is the Captain of the Ship of State. Whose hand is at the helm.
There are so many crucial moments for a President – to act … or not to act. Mind-blowing, horrific maelstroms that some Presidents shy away from, or try to finesse, or hope they will just pass away … and which only a few are capable of facing and dealing with directly -- without fear … without guile. There are going to be many, many hard turns to make. Inexpedient … at first perhaps not understood by the public or the press … at first glance unpopular and unpolitic. But crucial, and seminal.
These are the times for John McCain as President.
When that phone rings at 3 AM … or at 3 PM … After lunch, or during the Super Bowl … the person you want picking up that phone is John McCain.
Sometimes it’s not terribly important whom we select as President. Either the issues are not that different -- times are good, and even the campaign spinmeisters have to try to create issues. Or one incumbent candidate has such a heavy advantage that he is going to get elected anyway.
But this is one time every single person reading this can make history! Each Person! By persuading others that when times are dark, they need the same man of Character who made the hard decision in the painful loneliness of an infested prison cell. The Oval Office will suit him perfectly to make The Nation's decisions.
Oh, and if anyone happens to run into Osama bin Laden, or any of his ilk – those who murdered nearly 3,000 Americans just trying to get in a day’s work or fly to the West Coast – you tell them there will be no place to hide from John McCain! He will avenge the 2,955 souls floating in The Ether awaiting justice. He was said so publicly, and he will do it
In fact, I think since 9/11, there has been a tear in the National Fabric we haven’t repaired. John McCain is The Mender.
One other image – back to the Flight Jacket on my knee. I wish I could show it to you. Look at it again in your imagination. An honorable, courageous man wore this, and made a terrible decision in the dark – no press, no pollsters, no focus groups. He made that decision alone. And he made it for American citizens of the past, the present and the future.
You think of that Flight Jacket and you go out and tell all Americans this is the man we need to make the hard decisions in dark times. And if you think this is useful, forward to everyone you know. History turns one way or the other on Tuesday!
Thumbs up for John McCain. Let’s launch him into history to make the tough decisions for all Americans.
Joe McCain