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"When you have done all you have been told to do, say, 'We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty." ~ Luke 17: 9-10
Everett Alvarez Jr. made John Wayne cry when they met at a White Hous e dinner. Alvarez was the first American pilot shot down over North Vietnam . For many Americans he symbolized the suffering of all who served i n Vietnam. Alvarez spent 8 years as a POW. He was fed dead birds, rice cra wling with roaches, and sewer-water soup to make him sick and weak. In a s mall yard outside his cell, he scratched the outline of a cross in the pai nted stucco. Later he would add the words, "LORD, I am not worthy, but o nly say the word and my soul shall be healed." To stay focused on survival , Alvarez re-enacted daily all that he could recall of the Mass as an altar boy. When he was put with other POWs, Alvarez found strength in teamwork. The very few Americans who chose not to be part of the group were more int erested in themselves and ultimately collaborated wit... |