George McGovern-He Served Well!

George McGovern was a great American  He served is country in many ways, far more than most of us.  He was a distinguished United States Senator for South Dakota who represented his state for 18  years.  He was no “chicken hawk” like so many in Washington who want to jam America into a foreign war, but never served a day in the service themselves.  The Senator  during World War II flew 35 combat missions as a B-24 bomber pilot and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.  But he was reluctant to get America into wars that did not serve the country’s national interest. He was called unpatriotic for opposing the Vietnam war.  It was a major theme for him when he ran for president against Richard Nixon in 1972.  His “bring the troops home”  sounds like the message from both political parties today.

I had the chance to visit with Senator McGovern on several occasions, the last time a few years back at the World War II museum in New Orleans.  He was always thoughtful, polite, but opinionated.  He represented the best of America, and we need more such thoughtful politicians in washington today.  The Senator quietly passed away this week at the age of 90.