John Sidney McCain III Biography PDF

11/23/24, 10:50 AM Print Document John Sidney McCain III 29 August 1936 – 25 August 2018 John Sidney McCain III was born on 29 August 1936 at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone (then a U.S. territory). He was the second of thre...

11/23/24, 10:50 AM Print Document John Sidney McCain III 29 August 1936 – 25 August 2018 John Sidney McCain III was born on 29 August 1936 at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone (then a U.S. territory). He was the second of three children born to Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., and his wife, Roberta. His father commanded two submarines during World War II and had been awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star for his service during the conflict. Among Admiral McCain’s significant post–World War II assignments were Commander, Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet, and as commander in chief of U.S. Naval Forces Europe and later of U.S. Pacific Command. McCain’s paternal grandfather, Admiral John S. McCain, Sr., had been the commander of the South Pacific Force during the 1942 Solomon Islands campaign, and was later the commander of Carrier Task Force 38.1. Leading a component of William F. Halsey’s Task Force 38, the elder McCain saw almost continuous combat action during World War II. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, McCain enrolled at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and graduated in 1958. He later graduated from flight school in 1960 as a naval aviator. With the outbreak of the Vietnam War, McCain was assigned to Attack Squadron (VA) 46 on board USS Forrestal (CVA-59) and flew his A-4 Skyhawk on bombing runs against the North Vietnamese. He escaped serious injury on 29 July 1967 when the carrier suffered a catastrophic fire during flight operations while on Yankee Station off North Vietnam that ultimately killed 134 crewmembers. On 26 October 1967, during his 23rd mission, McCain’s plane was shot down during a bombing run over the North Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. While ejecting, he broke both arms and shattered his right knee. McCain was captured by the North Vietnamese and was moved to Hoa Loa Prison (nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton”), then to a hospital, and before Christmas to a prison camp known as "The Plantation" northeast of Hanoi. During his captivity, his captors learned he was the son of a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy and repeatedly offered him an early release. Knowing the North Vietnamese would use his release as a powerful piece of propaganda, McCain continually refused, citing the military Code of Conduct. McCain would spend five and a half years as a prisoner of war in various prison camps with three and a half of those years in solitary confinement. During his years of captivity, he was repeatedly beaten, tortured, and subjected to psychological torment. He was finally released on 14 March 1973, along with other American POWs. McCain was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Distinguished Flying Cross for his Vietnam service. After the war, McCain was determined to continue to serve as a naval aviator, but due to his years of captivity, he had lost most of his physical strength and flexibility. After nine months of rehabilitation, McCain returned to flying, but it soon became clear that his injuries had permanently impaired his ability to advance in the Navy. He retired from the service in 1981. After he retired from the Navy, McCain moved to Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife. While working in public relations for his father-in-law’s beer distribution business, he began to make political connections. McCain was first elected to a political office on 2 November 1982, easily winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was reelected in 1984. In 1986, with the retirement of longtime Arizona senator Barry Goldwater, McCain won a seat on the U.S. Senate. He represented the state as a U.S. senator until his death on 25 August 2018 at age 81. His life’s work and legacy live on through many organizations and causes, including the McCain Institute at Arizona State University, his namesake USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), and his publicly engaged family. McCain is buried at the U.S. Naval Academy. about:blank 1/2 11/23/24, 10:50 AM Print Document Lieutenant John Sidney McCain III. Photograph from the collections of Naval History and Heritage Command, L38-57.01.01. about:blank 2/2