"Let me tell you what I know about him [Ted Sampley]. He served in the Army for ten years. He was decorated six times for his service in Vietnam, seven of those years as a Green Beret. He has been active in the POW movement since 1971.

"In October of 1988, Sampley led a group of activists into Laos, where they handed out leaflets offering a reward for missing U.S. servicemen. Two of the group were captured and held for 41 days. Sampley was detained by Thai authorities for crossing back into Thailand from Laos. He is publisher and editor of the U.S. Veteran Dispatch. He is also chairman of the group that keeps a 24-hour vigil for POWs and MIAs in front of the Lincoln Memorial.

"It was Sampley who first broke the story that the Unknown Soldier for Vietnam was Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie. The government, pressured by CBS television, finally used a DNA sample, and acknowledged that the Unknown Soldier was indeed Blassie. Recently, Sampley was named Veteran of the Year by VietNow, a national veteran's organization.

"My point was simply this.The other POWs ran for office and no one challenged their credentials regarding their service to their country, no matter how much they may have disagreed with them politically. By contrast, there is a dedicated group of people, who have legitimate credentials, who are challenging McCain's war record. . . . McCain supporters froth at the mouth when this point is mentioned. I have no way of knowing who is correct. But because of the controversy, it seems to me that voters ought to look into the matter and make up their own minds. That is my view."