| Jim Garamone at the DoD News offers the below
piece:
WASHINGTON,
Aug. 26, 2018 — 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.
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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