There has been an old internet falsity being recirculated that claims that John McCain pickled off the Zuni rocket that started the fire on Forrestal that killed 164. Snopes has the info, and it was manufactured to discredit McCain because of his opposition to Trump. I have been aware of John McCain for most of my adult life. I was a Naval Aviator, as he was, and we were in the service at the same time. I served on USS Forrestal for three years. The aviation community in the navy is relatively small in comparison to the blackshoe navy, and McCain was a name that was familiar from my first squadron in 1964. By association, navy pilots knew who his father and grandfather, both admirals, were as well. It is no great revelation that he was not a popular person in the navy. I know three different people who were in squadrons with him, and he was known as arrogant and short-tempered. He was an instructor in the jet pipeline, known as a 'screamer', and students dreaded having him in the back seat for flights. Suffice it to say that my admiration of him does not arise from his personality, but from his patriotism and sense of what is right. The principal reason that I cannot abide Donald Trump is because he does not love America like I do; or as John McCain did. The leader of our country should espouse the values and ideals that we hold dear as Americans. Honesty, love of country, respect for all people, adherence to the rule of law, and dedication to something greater than ourselves. John McCain spoke clearly and in the highest forums about these things, and urged his colleagues in congress (and all Americans) to cling to them as closely as their honor. For that he deserves our deepest respect and gratitude. I long for someone to arise who articulates those values as well as he did. I pray that it happens before it is too late. Winter is coming....
