I thought long and hard before writing this but decided I had to. As a native in this country, I want to point out that our people have long honored our vets – even since before the US was born. We honored our vets who fought for our peoples against other Native nations, we honored vets who fought in the Revolutionary War against the Americans, we honored our vets who fought in the French-American conflict, we honored our vets who fought in the Civil War, we honored our vets who defended our homelands against US forces and vigilantes, and we have continued to honor our vets who fought in World Wars I and II, in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, and both Gulf Wars including Afghanistan.

My brothers were Vietnam vets – two were Seals and one was Marine Recon. One thing about them –they never spoke much about their service and would have never allowed someone to call them a “hero.” They preferred the term “survivor” or “veteran.”

All my bros received Purple Hearts and two received multiple medals for injuries received. One made medical history by having the ribs that supported his heart blown out of his chest. He survived, brushed the sand off his still-connected heart, tucked it up underneath his shirt, stood up under fire and carried the wounded soldier next to him back 100 yards under fire to safety. Yet he would never have put up with someone saying he was a hero. That was his job. He signed up for it. He was only a “survivor,” a veteran.

My other brother was forced to lie down, after being shot and bayoneted, on a huge ant hill and let the ants crawl in and out of his nose mouth and ears to convince the VC he was dead so they didn’t execute him after his unit was overrun. The next time he was shot twice behind enemy lines and had to wait three days for rescue. The copter that came for him was shot down at 200 feet and he was the only one who crawled out the flames alive. It took another four days for the ROCS to come get him out. Seven days with two bullets in his side and a helicopter crash to boot. But he too would never tolerate the word “hero” and didn’t like to talk about his service.

Now, John McCain, who I once respected for his service, seems to be basing his whole qualification for being president on his “hero” status and his “war record.”

Let’s look at that record. John Sidney McCain lost five – count ‘em, five – military aircraft in his career. The first was lost while he was practicing his landings in 1958; the second when flying too low and getting tangled in power lines in the Mediterranean; the third in a “flame out’ after coming back in a trainer from an Army-Navy game; the fourth occurred while he was waiting for takeoff on the USS Forestall, where he was hit by a friendly errant missile; and the fifth during only his 23rd combat mission when he was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Tru Bac Lake near Hanoi.

According to his own testimony he broke down after four days without medical treatment and revealed complete details of his mission and what he knew of American operations to come. After they found out he was an admiral’s son he was sent to a hospital not available to normal American POWS. He gave at least one interview broadcast by Hanoi saying he bombed civilian targets and had received exemplary medical treatment.

McCain served only 20 total hours in combat in his entire career in Vietnam. He received 28 medals –about a medal and half for every hour of combat. One of my brothers had over 8,000 hours of combat and the other had nearly 14,000.

My brothers also had a creed – never be taken alive. For John McCain to be enjoying hero status, and being considered for the highest office simply because he endured captivity only cheapens their memory and their sacrifices.

James BlueWolf lives in Nice.

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