McCain Revisits Hanoi Prison, Assails Abuse of U.S. POWs

John McCain made his peace with the Vietnam War long ago, but walking the dark, suffocating halls of the prison where he was once held, he was not ready to forgive the Vietnamese captors who tormented his American comrades.

McCain led his wife, Cindy, and teenage son Jack on a poignant tour Wednesday of the “Hanoi Hilton,” the notorious prison where 300 downed American pilots were held during the war.

“I put the war behind me when I left. The memories I have are of the wonderful people I had the privilege of serving with,” said McCain, whose habit of screaming obscenities at guards earned him a total of three years in solitary confinement during his 5 1/2 years in detention.

McCain, who was shot down over Hanoi and captured Oct. 26, 1967, twice tried to hang himself in prison.

During his visit, just ahead of the 25th anniversary Sunday of the conflict’s end, McCain talked about prison life three decades ago.

McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona, seemed at ease during his tour of Hoa Lo Prison, the complex’s formal name. But when asked how he felt toward the Vietnamese guards, he said he has not softened.

“I still bear them ill will, not because of what they did to me, but because of what they did to some of my friends,” McCain said.