Col. Bud Day, Vietnam War Hero, Dies at 88

[alp227]

Source: New York Times

Col. Bud Day, an Air Force fighter pilot who was shot down in the Vietnam War, imprisoned with John McCain in the notorious “Hanoi Hilton,” and defiantly endured more than five years of brutality without divulging sensitive information to his captors, earning him the Medal of Honor, died Saturday in Shalimar, Fla. He was 88.

His death was announced by his wife, Doris, The Associated Press reported.

Colonel Day was among America’s most highly decorated servicemen, having received nearly 70 medals and awards, more than 50 for combat exploits. In addition to the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, he was awarded the Air Force Cross, the highest combat award specifically for airmen.

In a post on Twitter on Sunday, Senator McCain called Colonel Day “my friend, my leader, my inspiration.”

...

Colonel Day represented military retirees in a federal court case aimed at securing what they said were health benefits once promised by their recruiters. He campaigned for Senator McCain when he challenged George W. Bush for the 2000 Republican presidential nomination. When President Bush sought re-election in 2004, Colonel Day worked with the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth organization in sharply attacking Mr. Bush’s Democratic opponent, Senator John Kerry, a decorated Vietnam veteran, over his antiwar activities after coming home. Colonel Day backed Senator McCain’s presidential bid in 2008.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/29/us/col-bud-day-vietnam-war-hero-dies-at-88.html

---

Bud Day and Jane Fonda also once crossed paths in Omaha.

[pkdu]

1. Swift Boater and anti-Islam bigot.. Fuck him. Nt

[former9thward]

3. Where is your "anti-Islam bigot" slander coming from?

[pkdu]

4. Five references on his wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Day

"the Muslims have said either we kneel, or they're going to kill us."[13][14][15][16][17]

Hundreds more via "the google"

[former9thward]

7. Five references to the same 13 words.

I could put your name with "attack Muslims" and get a thousand hits. That is how google works. I knew it was slander, just wanted to see what bs you would come up with.

[pkdu]

9. Slander , from an interview quote?...really

...and for the record, Fuck Him for Swiftboating ....any comment ? No ?...didn't think so.

[former9thward]

11. I don't agree with his politics but that doesn't mean I slander him.

If I had access to everything you have ever said in your life I could make you look like a bigot. Its not hard when you have an agenda. I think he served his country and should be respected for that. For the record how many medals have you been awarded? Oh that's right, none.

[pkdu]

13. "His politics" .....nice gloss over /non response , I refer you to post #6

Btw. John Kerry's medals meant nothing to this man, why should his mean anything to me?

[former9thward]

15. I respect anyone who has served this country honorably.

You don't, I get that.

[pkdu]

17. I despise those who helped Bush get elected ....you don't , I get that. Nt

[karynnj]

25. Nor OBVIOUSLY did Bud Day --- For example in attacking a man with a silver and bronze star

As he clearly did not himself view someone who served as someone he should not slander, why should we not consider what he did with swiftboating something that makes us think him a despicable person - albeit a despicable person who was also a war hero? That's fairer than what he did to Kerry.

[OmahaBlueDog]

2. I vehemently disagreed with his politics, but he served this nation with honor and distinction

The OBD family sends condolences to his widow, Doris, and his family.

R.I.P. Colonel

[awoke_in_2003]

6. Yeah, he served his country well...

by lying about Kerry and getting Bush elected. Fuck him.

[JackRiddler]

5. Bombers of defenseless nations are not "heroes."

Those who refused to serve in the American invasion of Vietnam, who refused orders and deserted - they might be heroes.

[Gregorian]

8. Thank you.

Sometimes I wonder what forum I'm on.

My neighbor was the first air force pilot in Vietnam to turn CO. I have no idea how you can pull that off, but he did it.

[lastlib]

16. I would go as far as to say.....

...that any officer who served in that war and didn't resign his/her commission forfeited any right to be called a "hero".

[heaven05]

10. swift boater?

no hero in my book. May he RIP. I mean that, one vet to another.

[Paladin]

12. If he was part of the Swift Boat campaign, I have no use for him. (nt)

[lastlib]

14. If he was part of that, he forfeited his honor, IMHO.

Bury him with his medals and be done with him.

[Paladin]

18. I agree.

We must never, ever forget just how ugly the whole Swift Boat movement was. Genuinely stomach-turning.

[cstanleytech]

24. Agreed. nt

[warrant46]

30. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign

That Day would politicize Vietnam in his defense of McCain is not surprising. During the 2004 campaign, he said of Kerry: "My view is he basically will go down in history sometime as the Benedict Arnold of 1971." And after appearing in a national advertisement for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign, Day formed the Vietnam Veterans Legacy Foundation, an extension of the Swift Boat effort.

Asked to compare the attacks he helped launched against Kerry in 2004 to those being waged at McCain today, Day said the defining issue was truthfulness.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/30/mccain-uses-swift-boat-ve_n_110003.html

[Faygo Kid]

19. Vietnam was nasty. So was Bud Day.

But not nearly as nasty as that horrid, unnecessary war.

Like Iraq, only even worse.

I have no use for haters like Bud Day, but at least he didn't load his pants like Ted Nugent or avoided the draft for an ass cyst like Rush Limbaugh (who is indeed the biggest ass cyst of all time).

I have no use for haters like Bud Day, however, whatever other good things they may have done (Mussolini made the trains run on time . . .)

[4bucksagallon]

20. As a ground pounder in Vietnam, I have to say that I have little......

respect for the fly boys that flew sorties over the North. They had a nine to five war, and sure now and then one of them got shot down, big fucking deal..........All they were were transports for high explosives used to destroy the dikes and civilian population of another country. There were times when we were deep in the shit and called for air support only to be told that it was unavailable "sorry you're on your own" because weather conditions were not right. FUCK THEM............................... I do admire the Spooky and Puff crews they were always available to aid us on the ground. One time in particular they were dropping basketball flares and firing rounds within feet of our position. We were backed up against the Son Thu Bon river in full flood, and had nowhere to go. They stayed on station all night keeping an NVA battalion from over running our company. Bless those guys and their firepower. But to the McCains and Days FU.

[tumtum]

21. Hey? What about us chopper pilots?

Many times we flew support missions for you ground pounders.

[4bucksagallon]

22. No I did not forget about you and after I posted..........

I remembered and yes in general I give kudo's to the chopper pilots especially the gunships and medevacs. LOL feel better now? Sorry I forgot you, but I was more thinking fixed wing aircraft when I wrote that.

[tumtum]

23. 1st tour, Huey's, 2nd tour, Cobra gunship.

Lots of ground support missions for you ground pounders. Glad we were there to help.

[SCVDem]

28. You're beef is with Johnson

Not the air assets.

They couldn't go where they wanted and only after the AAA and SAMs were active!

Semper Fi

VMA 214

[MADem]

26. I always associated him, up until the Swift Boat business, with the Tricare for Life fight.

He was right about that.

He's most definitely a 'mixed bag' in terms of his associations...

[DallasNE]

27. I Applaud Col. Day's Service To America

That service ended when he retired in 1977. Much of what followed showed a bitter old man that did not honor the service of other Vietnam veterans and that crossed the line into dishonesty with his shameful Swift Boat involvement. While political speech is protected it doesn't follow that it is respected simply because of prior, honorable service. When it crosses the line, as it did, the earlier respect is thrown under the bus. Once thrown under the bus it is hard to reclaim and Bud Day made no effort to be anything but a bitter, dishonest old man in his later years. But that doesn't diminish his earlier honorable years of service.

[warrant46]

32. a bitter, dishonest old man

And an ignorant tool of the NeoCon War Criminals

[HeiressofBickworth]

29. I do NOT applaud Day's service to America

nor do I applaud McCain's service, either. Both of them were shot down while committing the war crime of bombing women, children, old men and even farm animals. Yes, I remember the daily body count and when it was discovered that the military sometimes included farm animals in order to increase the count. I merely acknowledge that both men were able to survive the conditions they found themselves in after being caught. I think the real heroes of the Vietnam War period were those people who were willing to stand up for their moral values and oppose the war, even to the extent of self-exile or jail.

[harrose]

31. Heck, McCain even admitted to committing war crimes on 60 minutes. n/t

[danielatappency]

33. invitation

In honor of the passing of the great Col. "Bud" Day, SpiritClips from Hallmark invites you to watch and share "Indivisible," a short film about the courage of Senator McCain and Col. Day while they were held captive in Vietnam: http://www.hallmarkspiritclips.com/films/indivisible