Armed With Only Needle and Thread

HeXp£Øi±

HeXp£Øi±

Well-Known Member
Toward the end of the war, the Vietnamese guards who held us as prisoners of war allowed us to receive modest Red Cross packages that included articles of clothing. Mike Christian, a small town Alabama kid who enlisted in the Navy when he was 17, fashioned a needle out of bamboo, took red and white scraps of cloth from the packages and sewed an American flag onto the inside of his blue prisoner’s shirt.

Every afternoon, before we ate our soup, we could hand Mike’s flag on the wall of our cell and together we’d recite the Pledge of Allegiance. No other event of the day has as much meaning for us.

One afternoon, the guards discovered Mike’s flag and confiscated it. That evening, they came back. As punishment for us as much as him, they beat him severely just outside our cell, puncturing his eardrum and breaking several of his ribs. When they had finished with him, they dragged him bleeding and nearly senseless back into our cell.

We helped Mike crawl to his place on the sleeping platform and cleaned him up as best we could. Then we settled down to try to sleep.

As I was drifting off, I happened to look toward a corner of the room lit by one of the four bulbs that always stayed on. There in the dim light was Mike Christian. He had crawled there after he thought we had all fallen asleep. With eyes nearly swollen shut from the beating, he picked up his needle and thread and began sewing a new flag.

—Senator John McCain. Reader’s Digest, July 2002. P.56
 
HeXp£Øi± said:
Toward the end of the war, the Vietnamese guards who held us as prisoners of war allowed us to receive modest Red Cross packages that included articles of clothing. Mike Christian, a small town Alabama kid who enlisted in the Navy when he was 17, fashioned a needle out of bamboo, took red and white scraps of cloth from the packages and sewed an American flag onto the inside of his blue prisoner’s shirt.

Every afternoon, before we ate our soup, we could hand Mike’s flag on the wall of our cell and together we’d recite the Pledge of Allegiance. No other event of the day has as much meaning for us.

One afternoon, the guards discovered Mike’s flag and confiscated it. That evening, they came back. As punishment for us as much as him, they beat him severely just outside our cell, puncturing his eardrum and breaking several of his ribs. When they had finished with him, they dragged him bleeding and nearly senseless back into our cell.

We helped Mike crawl to his place on the sleeping platform and cleaned him up as best we could. Then we settled down to try to sleep.

As I was drifting off, I happened to look toward a corner of the room lit by one of the four bulbs that always stayed on. There in the dim light was Mike Christian. He had crawled there after he thought we had all fallen asleep. With eyes nearly swollen shut from the beating, he picked up his needle and thread and began sewing a new flag.

—Senator John McCain. Reader’s Digest, July 2002. P.56
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:eek: God knows, I admire that! That was a very touching story. Thank you very much.
 
Mitch, care to clarify?

Here is the complete story btw: http://mccain.senate.gov/mikechristian.htm
 
That was one of the stories in Chicken Soup for the Soul. The first time I heard about that was when I went to a business conference and they were selling audio tapes. I bought a set for the long ride home and after the first story, I was in tears.

I thought it wasn't a very good idea to be listening to those tapes unless you were a passenger. I become a total weepy girl when I read or listen to some of those stories.
 
Look at John McCains voting record for teh last two or three years. He's a dem in disguise.
 
This was the first story I heard on the tape:

Puppies for Sale

A store owner was tacking a sign above his door that read "Puppies For Sale." Signs like that have a way of attracting small children and sure enough, a little boy appeared under the store owner's sign. "How much are you going to sell the puppies for?" he asked.

The store owner replied, "Anywhere from $30 to $50."

The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. "I have $2.37," he said. "Can I please look at them?"

The store owner smiled and whistled and out of the kennel came Lady, who ran down the aisle of his store followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What's wrong with that little dog?"

The store owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame. The little boy became excited. "That is the little puppy that I want to buy."

The store owner said, "No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I'll just give him to you."

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, "I don't want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I'll pay full price. In fact, I'll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for."

The store owner countered, "You really don't want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies."

To this, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the store owner and softly replied, "Well, I don't run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!"


:crying4:
 
"Look at John McCains voting record for the last two or three years. He's a dem in disguise"
I wondered if i was the only one to notice that.
You could even say Powell might fit into that category. Biside rather than within his party that is.
 
Speaking of Powell, why all the excitement about him? He was the main detractor during Desert Storm. Stormin' Norman was the all guts & glory guy. Colin is a good guy but he's not thesecond coming fer christs sake.
 
Well who is the guts and glory? We sure as hell aren't going to put schwartzcov on the ticket.
Like the democrats there are just so few great republicans to look up to right now. Powell just happens to be one of the more trustworty Republicans at this time imo. I must admit however i was very dissapointed with his stance when it came to The Palestinian terrorists. But you already know how i feel about that. There's an old saying, something about how desperate times bring forth great leaders. Well i think this is the beginning of those times and i hope to see some new faces over the next few years because our current leadership although not bad in my view, is something less then inspirational.
 
hex^%$(%(*&^%(*%(*$(*%()whateve the hell it is said:
our current leadership although not bad in my view, is something less then inspirational
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Hear, Hear :toast:

Ever since Truman left office it's been downhill.
 
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