WASHINGTON -- United States senator and retired Navy Capt.
John S. McCain died yesterday in Arizona after a long battle with cancer. He
was 81.
McCain chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee, but it
was his life of service and his heroism in Vietnam that inscribed his name in
the hearts of service members everywhere.
“We have lost a man who steadfastly represented the best
ideals of our country,” Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said in a DoD
release. “As a naval officer and defiant prisoner of war, John McCain stood
with his brothers-in-arms until they returned home together.”
McCain, the grandson and son of four-star Navy admirals, was
captured in North Vietnam in 1967. He was wounded in ejecting from his
aircraft. The North Vietnamese sought to gain propaganda by torturing him into
asking for an out-of-sequence release. He refused to leave. He spent more than
five years in the Hanoi Hilton.
Selfless Service to the Nation
“Passionately committed to our country, Senator McCain
always put service to the nation before self,” Mattis wrote. “He recognized
that for our experiment in democracy to long endure, people of action and
passion must serve. In this he represented what he believed, that ‘a shared
purpose does not claim our identity -- on the contrary, it enlarges your sense
of self.’”
McCain graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958. He
trained as an aviator and volunteered for service as a Navy pilot in Vietnam.
“Senator McCain exemplified what it means to be a warrior
and dedicated public servant,” Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a written release. “Both as a naval officer
and as a member of Congress, he was a lifelong and tireless advocate for the
men and women of the U.S. military.”
Upon returning from Vietnam, McCain underwent months of
grueling physical therapy and was returned to flight status. He commanded a
training squadron in Florida and then served as the Navy’s liaison to the U.S.
Senate. He retired as a captain in 1981. His military decorations include the
Silver Star, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze
Star medals, two Purple Hearts and the Prisoner of War Medal.
Sen. John McCain greets Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and
U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Oct.
3, 2017. Mattis and Dunford testified about the political and security situation
in Afghanistan.
Sen. John S. McCain greets Defense Secretary James N. Mattis
and Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
before a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Oct. 3, 2017.
Mattis and Dunford testified about the political and security situation in
Afghanistan.
McCain was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and
then to the U.S. Senate from Arizona. He joined the Senate Armed Services
Committee in 1987, and championed getting soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines
and Coast Guardsmen what they needed. He also took the time to listen to their
concerns and went directly to the frontlines to hear from them.
Supporter of the U.S. Armed Forces
“Senator McCain recognized the sacrifice and hardships
military members and their families can experience and proudly served as their
champion in Congress,” Dunford said. “He visited our nation's wounded warriors
around the country to offer encouragement and to thank them for their service.
Through his tenacious and selfless leadership in the Senate, he fought hard to
ensure our armed forces remained strong and had the support and resources
needed to succeed when placed in harm's way.”
Dunford added, “While we mourn Senator McCain's passing, we
are eternally grateful for his distinguished service to our nation, his
advocacy of the U.S. military and the incredible example he set for us all.”
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