“Yes, it was a nightmare, - - but, in a way, I’m lucky - - I’m here!  There were lots of folks who had it worse than me.”

These words were the response of Louis Bachleder, personal friend and survivor of The Bataan Death March, to my attempt to extend to him my heartfelt sympathy for his devastatingly de-humanizing experience.  His was typical of EVERY ONE of the dozen or so ex-pows, including a Santo Tomas survivor, I’ve known and met in some thirty years, starting in ‘41, experience with Our military. Not one attempted to solicit sympathy for, or leverage such sympathy for personal gain - - - until Mr McCain systematically leveraged such sympathy into our Senate and now, a run for the presidency!

I, and all with whom I’ve discussed it, do not see much heroic or presidentially qualifying  about getting shot down and captured - - even when we feel great sympathy for such victims. Victimhood does not necessarily equate to heroism  and a shoot down may be more closely associated with, marginal performance. Also, a survived shoot down is usually occasion for a Review Board hearing to attempt to discover possible operator/procedural errors or mechanical/tactical failures to attempt to improve future performance. Did John MacCain ever attend such a review?

In The Daily Sentinel’s 700- word epistle to McCain’s sainthood, carefully avoiding any possibility of imperfection, you provided a demonstration of contribution to many of our major problems - - failure of our news media to provide all information available on all sides of all questions, without bias, to the Citizens, thereby providing them with basis to make the very best decisions possible in the booth.

I feel that, in providing us with such information at this critical time, our prime news sources should be investigating such items as the claims on the Internet regarding Obamas qualifications - - his birth certificate - - his momma’s citizenship at his birth time - - the effect of The Brotherhood Of Officers (the international, inter-service custom for the acceptance of deference to officers in all circumstances) on McCain’s career including the waver of the normal two grade point average (2GPA) requirement for entry into Annapolis  - -it’s possible effect on his not being washed out (fifth from the bottom of a class of hundreds despite repeated foul-ups) - - his selection for flight school, then squadron commander - - his stay in The Hanoi Hilton (compared with that of any 10, long -term, ENLISTED residents).

RAY LASHLEY
Grand Junction

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