Beech Tree News Network

No doubt many of you followed the account of the death and the funeral services on TV, regarding the passing of Senator John McCain.  

We pick-up his story while on a bombing run in his jet fighter-bomber over North Vietnam—Hanoi to be exact.

His plane was hit and no longer flyable—to the point he had to eject.  No sooner than hitting the ground he was captured and taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese, where he remained in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison for the next five and a-half years.

John was injured bailing out of his crippled plane: a broken leg and serious injuries to both shoulders.   All his injuries were made worse by the torture and beatings by his brutal Vietnamese captors, this before any of his hurts were treated…from some of his injuries he never recovered.  Until his death he never could raise his arms high enough to comb his own hair.  This was from having his arms and shoulders trussed-up from behind, over his head for long periods of time.  

This, to me, brings one of the most moving happenings during John’s captivity. 

One night his captors trussed John up in a horribly painful position and left him there to spend the night.  About midnight a prison guard came in, untied his ropes, and ministered to his injuries.  

Around sun-up the same guard came back in, re-tied John’s ropes—although not as tight—and left.  This re-tying was to deceive the morning guards nothing had been amiss. 

This puzzled John, until one day this (good) guard walked up beside John outside on the exercise ground.  Saying nothing, not even looking at John, the guard drew something in the dirt with his toe.  After he moved on, John looked down at what the guard had drawn in the dust.  It was a CHRISTIAN CROSS.

John said to himself, “Wonder of wonders God.  You are everywhere; You are even here in this place.” 

Kindest regards…