[MR] Fw: John McCain on the Pledge

[Stan Harmon]

In your service
Lord Galen Storm

The secret to fencing consists of two things: to give and to not 
receive....Moliere [Jean Baptiste Poquelin] (1622-1673), French...





>
>>
>>  I received this from my brother who lives in CA back in April.  Means 
>>more
>>today than it did then.  Amy
>>
>>Subject: FW: John McCain on the Pledge
>>
>>
>>
>>In light of the recent appeals court ruling in California, with respect to
>>the Pledge of Allegiance, the following recollection from Senator John
>>McCain is very appropriate:.
>>
>>"The Pledge of Allegiance" - 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
>>from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 
>>40
>>men 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
>>shoes 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
>>opportunities 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,
>>scarves and other items of clothing.
>>
>>Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he
>>created 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
>>discovered 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.
>>Then, 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
>>slept. 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
>>excitement 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 almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American
>>flag. He 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 Pledge 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
>>nation 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 liberty and justice for all."
>>
>>
>>PASS THIS ON... and on... and on!
>>
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