Message-ID: <3684923.1075858996828.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Thu, 18 Oct 2001 09:44:59 -0700 (PDT) From: jbuffing@westerngas.com To: theresa_staab@enron.com, amosley.houpo.houston@westerngas.com, bamendol.mktpo.d1domain@westerngas.com, bbeck.mktpo.d1domain@westerngas.com, bduncan.mktpo.d1domain@westerngas.com, mrood.admpo.d1domain@westerngas.com, tdelelli.mktpo.d1domain@westerngas.com Subject: Fwd: Fw: John McCain's Speech Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-From: Jennifer Buffington X-To: Theresa_Staab@enron.com, Andrea Mosley , Barbara Amendolari , Beth Beck , Barbara Duncan , Margaret Rood , Terri Delellis X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \TSTAAB (Non-Privileged)\Deleted Items X-Origin: Staab-T X-FileName: TSTAAB (Non-Privileged).pst ** Proprietary ** --------- Inline attachment follows --------- From: To: deannathaut@aol.com CC: tnmol6@aol.com, ceil66@aol.com, pennyw@swproperties.com, davidw@swproperties.com, Kaaleman@aol.com, Maureen DeFilippo Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2001 3:49:53 GMT Subject: ----- Original Message ----- From: Mary Kingston To: ; Connie Sodaro ; Beverly Hardy ; Julie Garcia ; Martina Castaneda ; Tina Zubia ; Sent: Friday, October 12, 2001 2:08 PM Subject: John McCain's Speech From a speech made by Capt. John S. McCain, US, (Ret) who represents >Arizona in >the U.S. Senate: > >As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war >during the >Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in >solitary >confinement or two or three to a cell. > >In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large >rooms with >as many as 30 to 40 men to a room. > >This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct >result of the >efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 >miles from >home. > >One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike >Christian. >Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair >of shoes >until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later >earned a >commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a Naval >Flight >Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. > >Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this >country-and our >military-provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. As >part of the >change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive >packages >from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and >other items >of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple >of months, >he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt. > >Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's >shirt on the >wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of >Allegiance >may not seem the most important part of our day but, now I can assure you >that in >that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event. > >One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and >discovered >Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That evening >they returned, >opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all us, beat Mike >Christian severely >for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and >threw him >in. We cleaned him up as well as we could. > >The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we >slept. Four >naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As said, we tried to >clean up >Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in >the corner of >the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of >red cloth, >another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He >was sitting >there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making >another >American flag. > >He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. >He was >making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able >to pledge >allegiance to our flag and our country > >So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget >the >sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our >nation >and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our >honor, >and our country. > > "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and >to >the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, >with >liberty and justice for all." > > PASS THIS ON... and on... and on!!!!!! > > HOW MANY CAN YOU SEND IT TO? > > _____ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com