Following Up on Ted Sampley: Responding to Comments

I've had many comments, both public and private, on the Ted Sampley post (below). I wrote a response to the commenters, and also am posting an expanded version here.

First of all, to Robin. I am sorry for your loss. Truly, I am. I hope you will take the time to look again at my essay, and reconsider your interpretation. I was not trying to write a hit job on a man who could not defend himself; I was trying to make sense of a complex personality who played a role in the POW issue and also in my own life.

I agree that Ted was a giant of a man. I wrote that he was like a force of nature. I was deeply touched that he and Jan Scruggs at long last made peace with one another. At core, Ted had a good heart, and this ultimately is what shone through.

Robin, I'm sure Ted is, like you wrote, having a blast "upstairs" with your father Bobby. I remember those many years ago, when Nick Rowe died, you told me a beautiful story about Nick searching through the halls of the Special Warfare Center until he found someone who knew your father. The person who arranged for you to tell me that story was Ted Sampley. I believe it also was Ted who arranged for you to meet Nick on that long-ago day. So now, with Ted and Bobby together, I'm equally sure that Nick is with them, too. And Rocky. God bless them all.

Concrete Bob: I much appreciate your insights. Thank you for posting. You continue to be a valuable advocate on behalf of our treasured troops. Keep up the good work!

POW Warrior and others: My post had nothing to do with promoting a long out of print book. Here is one thing I learned when I published Prisoners in 1994. The subject of POWS - no matter which side of the issue you support - interests virtually no one but those of us who have studied or followed the issue. This, in my view, falls in line with society's overall disinterest in the soldiers who fight on our behalf.

I never accused Ted Sampley of threatening my life. He never would have done that. Others, however, made clear and credible threats. I took them seriously. So, too, did Random House, the FBI, and - in an odd sequence of events too complex to outline here - the Secret Service.

Anonymous: Okay, I'll buy into the metaphor about my dad and the soldier we encountered circa 1970. Perhaps that soldier in California was in fact Ted Sampley. Perhaps my teenaged self did, in fact, protect the bullied Ted. This is why, "off stage," Ted and I had an understanding. We each knew that the other cared deeply about the soldiers. We did, however, hold polarized views on two issues (POWs and John McCain); and we had vastly different methods of expressing ourselves.

As for the rest of us who continue to walk the Earth on our short journeys: Do not ignore our soldiers. Honor them. Support them. Take the time to understand what they do for us, and to recognize their sacrifice. And also that of their families. They carry a weighty load.