Amen.

Phil.


K0NX
The Zenith Tube
www.RedWhiteAndBlue.org




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Anthony Vece" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 11:11 AM
Subject: Fw: Worth Reading: Pledge of Allegiance by John McCain


> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bob Tinney" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: "Bob Tinney" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2008 4:08 PM
> Subject: Worth Reading: Pledge of Allegiance by John McCain
>
>
> > I've seen this before, but it's worth reading again!
> > Bob, [log in to unmask], K8LR
> > Skype name:  bobtinn
> > Live Long and Prosper!
> >
> >
> > 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' - by 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, was 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 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 it 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.
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
> > and 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 Ameri ca 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! You can even send it back to me, I
don't
> > mind,
> > because its worth reading again!
> >
> >
> >
>
>