Our guest this week is United States Air Force retired Major General John Borling of Rockford, IL, a father, grandfather, author and founder of Service Over Self (S.O.S.) America, a non-profit dedicated to promoting the values of; freedom, responsibility, liberty and duty.

John and his wife, Myrna, both Rockford, IL natives, have been married for 61 years and are the proud parents of two daughters and two grandchildren. 

John served in the United States Air Force for 37 years and retired as a Major General in 1994.  He was a fighter pilot who flew 97 combat missions in Vietnam, before being shot down, captured by the North Vietnamese, and held as a POW in the infamous Hanoi Hiton for 6 1/2 years.   His many awards include: a Silver Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Bronze Stars with V for Valor, and two Purple Hearts among a host of other accolades.   

John is author of the book:Taps On The Walls: Poems From The Hanoi HIlton.  The book includes a collection of stories and poems John shared with his fellow POWs, by literally tapping on the prison walls, one letter at a time.  He credits these poems with helping maintain his sanity and connection to friends and loved ones.  He was able to record and memorialize the poems shortly after his release in 1973.  With the encouragement of others, including the late Senator John McCain, a fellow POW, he published the poems in 2013, on the 40 year anniversary of their release as POWs. 

John is also founder and chairman of SOS America, a non profit patriotic, membership organization that supports a military service program for our young adults that augments the high cost of the All Volunteer Forces (AVF) of the U.S. Military. 
 
John also has a blog entitled The Third Degree, a weekly Sunday column that relies on the good judgment of the American people to make informed decisions for themselves and the nation. TTD, however, in keeping with its definition, reserves the right to pose hard questions on personal and public subjects worthy of interrogation.

It’s an inspiring conversation, especially as we go into Memorial Day Weekend, here on the SFN Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Links - 
Email - john@third-degreeUS.com
Website – https://third-degreeus.com/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-borling/
Taps On The Walls: Poems From The Hanoi Hilton - https://tinyurl.com/3rp278c3

Special Fathers Network - 
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 700+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated.  There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through."

SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.

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