Medium Leaves a Sour Taste on POWs

I have an intense dislike of television - both the programming and the process of watching - so it says a lot that I always carve time for the NBC series, Medium. The program features a psychic who uses her unorthodox gift in order to solve crimes. The episodes are always entertaining and intriguing. Last night's show, however, dealt an undeserved insult to American Prisoners of War and Vietnam veterans. In Episode 405 of Season 4, a man is found murdered and dismembered. The perps turn out be a cabal of former Vietnam War PWs who devised the murder in order to conceal a long-ago atrocity, when they killed and ate a dying fellow captive.

Excuse me??? Yes, the history of modern war includes appalling instances of cannibalism upon American PWs. In those instances, though, the war criminals consistently have been the captors, not the captives. Enemy soldiers have been known to eat our captive troops; but American soldiers have no history of cannibal acts. In fact, American war prisoners have a long and honorable tradition of sacrificing themselves in order to help their fellow captives - not the other way around - in war camps. The few exceptions, such as convicted collaborator Robert Garwood, stand out like the aberrations that they are. As for post-war camaraderie: former prison mates are noted for their inclination to band together for worthy causes, such as, supporting an important political campaign, and not for joining secret criminal bands.

I plan to contact NBC execs to lodge my objections to the Episode 405 plot line. Medium is a terrific show. This one episode, though, has left a sour taste on the subject of POWs.
www.nbc.com/medium