“Sen. John McCain, who passed away on Saturday, is undeniably the most famous prisoner of war held captive and tortured by the North Vietnamese,” says Ray Nothstine in this week’s Acton Commentary. “McCain was one of 591 Americans returned by North Vietnam over several months during ‘Operation Homecoming’ in 1973. But in our current politicized era, McCain’s fame somewhat overshadows the leadership and lessons of many other great Americans tortured by their Marxist captors.”
McCain often praised fellow prisoners as being “stronger” and “braver” than himself, giving credit to leaders like Medal of Honor recipient Bud Day for saving his life. Sadly, much of the media and our politically obsessed culture are focused more on leveraging McCain’s death for today’s political scoreboard. However, if America wants to right its ills, it must relearn the moral lessons and servant leadership from those tortured in Hỏa Lò Prison – the infamous Hanoi Hilton – and other camps.
The full text of the essay can be found here.
