John McCain, ‘maverick’ of the Senate and former POW, dies at 81

Considering the history of North Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh, I laugh at your use of the word independence. He was a Communist dictator who had no intentions of holding elections to unite Vietnam and instead invaded his neighbor because he knew his political views would never win a free election, just like "free elections" never take place in socialist/communist countries.

A final statement from Sen. John McCain, who died Saturday at 81

My fellow Americans, whom I have gratefully served for 60 years, and especially my fellow Arizonians, thank you for the privilege of serving you and for the rewarding life that service in uniform and in public office has allowed me to lead. I've tried to serve our country honorably. I've made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against them. I've often observed that I am the luckiest person on Earth. I feel that way even now as I prepare for the end of my life. I've loved my life, all of it.

I've had experiences, adventures, friendships enough for ten satisfying lives and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have regrets but I would not trade a day of my life in good or bad times for the best day of anybody else's. I owe the satisfaction to the love of my family. One man has never had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I am of mine. And I owe it to America to be connected with America's causes, liberty, equal justice, respect for the dignity of all people brings happiness more sublime that life's fleeting pleasures. Our identities and sense of worth are not circumscribed but are enlarged by serving good causes bigger than ourselves.

Fellow Americans, that association has meant more to me than any other. I lived and died a proud American. We are citizens of the world's greatest republic. A nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have acquired great wealth and power in the progress. We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been. We are 325 million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates.


But, we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country, we'll get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do. Ten years ago, I had the privilege to concede defeat in the election for president. I want to end my farewell to you with heartfelt faith in Americans that I felt so powerfully that evening. I feel it powerfully still. Do not despair of our present difficulties, we believe always in the promise and greatness of America because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit, we never surrender, we never hide from history, we make history. Farewell fellow Americans. God bless you and god bless America.

It's his farewell.

McCain was a Navy pilot, he didn't "carpet bomb" anyone.

The NVA and the Viet Cong were responsible for about a million dead South Vietnamese--as well as atrocities such as the torture, rape and murder of women and girl children, the better to instill the proper attitude among villagers. Was that "genocide?"

Of course, you don't have a clue what you're talking about.

Your ignorance is astounding. Eisenhower knew that some 80 to 90 % of the people of Vietnam would vote for Ho so the US scuttled planned elections. That included the people of the south.

Ho said he would be any political stripe if it meant the independence of his country. All one has to do is look at the evil of the USA in SE Asia to know that independence and freedom are not what the US ever brings to any country.

Cambodia, a million slaughter by the war criminals Nixon and Kissinger and all the other military personnel, US, Australian, ... who helped. Laos, 750,000 slaughtered, Indonesia, over a million, from US planned, funded and run death squads. Korea, over three million US deaths from planned saturation bombing of civilians, the same evil thing McCain did.

Now that's freedom, ain't it, Baldimo??!!!

The same for Latin America from way way back. US dictatorships, or US governors, and the rape and pillage of their lands.

Wrong. You have zero proof of such a claim that 80-90% of the people

Such an expansion of communist influence in Southeast Asia was unacceptable to America – even if, as President Eisenhower had pointed out, 80% of those in South Vietnam supported Ho Chi Minh and the Communists in the North.

https://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/vietnam-war/americas-involvement-in-vietnam/