thedrifter
02-24-08, 08:30 AM
HIGH PROFILE, HIGH RISK FOR MCSONS
By JAMES FANELLI
February 24, 2008 -- If he wins the White House, John McCain will be getting a promotion to commander in chief - but his two military sons could find their careers stalled.
Jimmy McCain, 19, is a Marine lance corporal who recently completed a tour of duty in Iraq, and Jack McCain, 21, will graduate from the Naval Academy next year. But military experts say officials will be reluctant to put a president's son into a war zone where he could be taken hostage.
"There would have to be an added measure of security," Marines spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Hughes said of Jimmy. "Even with his dad as a presidential candidate, we've had to be cautious of him becoming a target."
For a president's child to serve in combat is not without precedent. FDR's son James fought in the Pacific during World War II. Dwight Eisenhower's son John served in Korea. And Lyndon Johnson's son-in-law, former Sen. Charles Robb, commanded a Marine infantry company in Vietnam. But those wars came long before the Internet.
"The bad guys today, in a few clicks on Google, could figure out where he served and where he was," Hughes said.
Last May, the British Army, citing threats, canceled Prince Harry's deployment to Iraq.
Even Sen. McCain's own years as a Vietnam POW highlight the value of a well-known soldier to an enemy. His father commanded the US Pacific Command.
"Once the North Vietnamese figured out who he was, they wanted to use it for propaganda purposes," said Jim Currie, of the National Defense University.
jfanelli@nypost.com
Ellie
By JAMES FANELLI
February 24, 2008 -- If he wins the White House, John McCain will be getting a promotion to commander in chief - but his two military sons could find their careers stalled.
Jimmy McCain, 19, is a Marine lance corporal who recently completed a tour of duty in Iraq, and Jack McCain, 21, will graduate from the Naval Academy next year. But military experts say officials will be reluctant to put a president's son into a war zone where he could be taken hostage.
"There would have to be an added measure of security," Marines spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Hughes said of Jimmy. "Even with his dad as a presidential candidate, we've had to be cautious of him becoming a target."
For a president's child to serve in combat is not without precedent. FDR's son James fought in the Pacific during World War II. Dwight Eisenhower's son John served in Korea. And Lyndon Johnson's son-in-law, former Sen. Charles Robb, commanded a Marine infantry company in Vietnam. But those wars came long before the Internet.
"The bad guys today, in a few clicks on Google, could figure out where he served and where he was," Hughes said.
Last May, the British Army, citing threats, canceled Prince Harry's deployment to Iraq.
Even Sen. McCain's own years as a Vietnam POW highlight the value of a well-known soldier to an enemy. His father commanded the US Pacific Command.
"Once the North Vietnamese figured out who he was, they wanted to use it for propaganda purposes," said Jim Currie, of the National Defense University.
jfanelli@nypost.com
Ellie