And in doing so, the Arizona Senator and GOP presidential nominee has beaten the time taken by John Kerry to release his full records by over four years!

From his five years in a North Vietnamese prison camp to his tenure as the NavyÂ’s liaison to the Senate, John McCainÂ’s Navy record boils down to a series of unadorned paragraphs that bestow upon him some of the nationÂ’s top military honors.

The Navy recently released McCain’s military record — most of it citations for medals during his Navy career — after a Freedom of Information Act request by The Associated Press.

McCain was awarded a Silver Star Medal for resisting “extreme mental and physical cruelties” inflicted upon him by his captors from late October to early December 1967, the early months of his captivity, according to the citation. The North Vietnamese, according to the Navy, ignored international agreements and tortured McCain “in an attempt to obtain military information and false confessions for propaganda purposes.”

McCain, now the Republican PartyÂ’s likely presidential nominee, was taken prisoner in October 1967 after he was shot down while on a mission over Hanoi. He wasnÂ’t freed until March 1973, after the United States signed peace agreements with the North Vietnamese. His captors tortured him and held him in solitary confinement. Still, he declined an offer of early release until those who had been at the prison longer than him were let go.

That decision earned McCain a Navy Commendation Medal. Although McCain was “crippled from serious and ill-treated injuries,” he steadfastly refused offers of freedom from those holding him prisoner. “His selfless action served as an example to others and his forthright refusal, by giving emphasis to the insidious nature of such releases, may have prevented a possibly chaotic deterioration in prisoner discipline,” the citation says.

McCain attended the U.S. Naval Academy from 1954 to 1958, and was commissioned as an ensign in June of that year. He retired in April 1981 with the rank of captain. In that time he received 17 awards and decorations. Besides the Silver Star Medal, McCain also received the Legion of Merit with a combat “V” and one gold star, a Distinguished Flying Cross and a Bronze Art Medal with a combat “V” and two gold stars.

WhatÂ’s more, his record is not tainted by seditious activities upon his return from Vietnam, but is instead marked by an exemplary effort to return to duty despite the severe injuries he suffered at the hands of the captors to whom John Kerry and his fellow anti-war activists gave aid and comfort while our nation was at war.

Compare this record to the records of John McCainÂ’s Democrat opponents. One has left a slime-trail of lies, deceit, and borderline criminal activity behind her. The other has taken a preacher of anti-American racial hatred as his spiritual leader, an corrupt businessman as his real estate partner, and an unrepentant terrorist as a political associate. Which one of these three has consistently displayed the judgment and integrity necessary for greatness in office? Only John McCain.

Posted by: Greg at 12:07 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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