The man, who shot down McCain's plane over North Vietnam in October 1967 died from cancer January 17, 2009 in a dilapidated home in Krasnoye Syelo not far from St. Petersburg, Russia.
This man, the former Soviet lieutenant colonel Yuri Trushechkin, had to keep quiet about it, as Soviet Union repeatedly denied that Soviet officers were serving in any capacity on the side of the North Vietnamese.
The former Soviet anti-aircraft unit commander said he was proud of what he and his Soviet comrades had done in Vietnam. He served in a mixed Soviet-North Vietnamese missile unit during the Vietnam war, guarding at that time the bridge near a power plant under attack from a 20-strong strike force whose pilots included Mr McCain. The Soviet-made missile blew off a part of one wing of Mr McCain's plane and he ejected upside down moments before it crashed.
Until McCain ran for president, the retired officer did not speak to the media about it. But last year, he revealed that he had received the Order of the Red Star for shooting down McCain's plane and that he had been receiving a 1,000 ruble (30 US dollar) a month supplement to his military pension for services in Vietnam.
After the news got to the media, St. Peterburg communists turned to the government demanding that Yuri Trushechkin be given a medal. Here's the quote from their demand: "This sincere Cold War hero is now living in St Petersburg and thinks he simply did his duty, but in reality he defended the USSR and Russia, helping to guard socialism in Vietnam and teach a lesson to the future Number One enemy of Russia." (this was not in 1967, this was said in November 2008).
Yuri Trushechkin lived on his $300 a month military pension in his small run down home with no heat and running water. He did not want to meet with John McCain because he was sure that the senator "hated Communism and Russians".
Gee, who really hates who...
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