McCain bargained with his Vietnamese captors (Fred Thompson)

In his speech Sept. 2, 2008, to the Republican National Convention, former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., recounted John McCain’s time as a prisoner of war in Vietnam after his Navy plane was shot down in October 1967.

“They took him to the Hanoi Hilton, where he lapsed in and out of consciousness for days,” Thompson said in St. Paul, Minn. “He was offered medical care for his injuries if he would give up military information in return. John McCain said, ‘No.’ “

Thompson compresses details of McCain’s biography to offer the most positive picture of the Republicans’ 2008 standard-bearer. But in doing so he contradicts statements McCain made in his bestselling autobiography, Faith of My Fathers.

Read more

Other Publications You Might Be Interested In

Returned to sender, 40+ years later (Richard Dutton)

A special delivery of long-forgotten letters and photos came from Vietnam to an Air Force widow. The United States and Vietnam are working together to return personal belongings of prisoners of war to their rightful owners; and, a package was delivered today to the family of retired Col. Richard Dutton.

Read More »

Vet has no regrets about Vietnam (Thomas Collins)

Thomas Collins III would like to clarify one point about his bombing missions in Vietnam, and the more than seven years he spent as a prisoner of war: It was not a mistake, not a waste, not a failure. “We needed to stop communism,” says Collins, 74, a retired U.S.

Read More »