John McCain's formative years and education
- 10.07.2008
- Article Number: 16
| John McCain was born in 1936 at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone, Panama, to naval officer John S. McCain, Jr. (1911–1981) and Roberta (Wright) McCain (b. 1912). At that time, the Panama Canal was under U.S. control.
John McCain has Scots-Irish, Anglo-Irish and English ancestry. His father and his paternal grandfather both became four-star United States Navy admirals.His family, including his older sister Sandy and younger brother Joe, followed his father to various naval postings in the United States and the Pacific. Altogether, he attended about 20 schools.
In 1951, the family settled in Northern Virginia, and McCain attended Episcopal High School, a private preparatory boarding school in Alexandria. He excelled at wrestling and graduated in 1954.
McCain at Annapolis, c. 1954
McCain at Annapolis, c. 1954
Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, John McCain entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. There, he was a friend and informal leader for many of his classmates,[10] and sometimes stood up for targets of bullying. He also became a lightweight boxer. McCain came into conflict with higher-ranking personnel, he did not always obey the rules, and that contributed to a low class rank (894 of 899) despite a strong intelligence. He did well in academic subjects that interested him, such as literature and history, but studied only enough to pass subjects he struggled with, such as mathematics.John McCain graduated in 1958. |
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John McCain Prisoner of War
- 10.07.2008
- Article Number: 15
| John McCain was again almost killed in action on July 29, 1967 while serving on the USS Forrestal, cruising off the coast of Vietnam. The crew was preparing to launch attacks when a Zuni rocket from an F-4 Phantom was accidentally fired across the carrier's deck. The rocket struck John McCain's A-4E Skyhawk as the jet was preparing for launch. The impact ruptured the Skyhawk's fuel tank, which ignited the fuel and knocked two bombs loose. McCain escaped from his jet by climbing out of the cockpit, working himself to the nose of the jet, and jumping off its refueling probe onto the burning deck of the aircraft carrier. Ninety seconds after the impact, one of the bombs exploded underneath his airplane. John McCain was struck in the legs and chest by shrapnel. The ensuing fire killed 132 sailors, injured 62 others, destroyed at least 20 aircraft, and took 24 hours to control. This incident, with flight deck video, is still used in US Navy Recruit Training damage control classes. A video of the incident has been made available by McCain's Presidential Exploratory Committee.
After the Forrestal incident, John McCain joined the VA-163 Saints on board the short-staffed Oriskany. Before McCain's arrival, on October 26, 1966, a mishandled flare caused a deck fire, resulting in the death of 44 crew, including 24 pilots, and the Oriskany underwent significant repairs.
On October 26, 1967, John McCain's A-4 Skyhawk was shot down by an anti-aircraft missile, landing in North Vietnam's Truc Bach Lake, near Hanoi. McCain broke both arms and a leg after ejecting from his plane. After he regained consciousness, a mob gathered around him, spat on him, kicked him and stripped him of his clothing. He was then tortured by soldiers from North Vietnam, who crushed his shoulder with the butt of a rifle and bayoneted him in his left foot and abdominal area. He was then transported to the infamous Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton. There he shared a cell with Bud Day, a highly decorated POW who helped nurse McCain.
Once John McCain arrived at the prison, he was placed in a cell and interrogated daily. When McCain refused to provide any information to his captors, he was beaten until he lost consciousness.
When it was discovered his father was the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command, (CINCPAC), commander of all U.S. forces in Vietnam, he was offered a chance to return home. John McCain turned down the offer of repatriation due to his belief in the principle of "first in, first out": he would only accept the offer if every man taken in before him was released as well.
John McCain signed an anti-American propaganda message as a result of vigorous torture methods, which to this day have left him incapable of raising his arms above his head. His captors tried to force him to sign a second statement, and this time he refused. He received two to three beatings per week because of his continued refusal.
John McCain was held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years, mostly in the Hanoi Hilton, and was finally released from captivity in 1973, having been a POW for almost an extra five years due to his earlier refusal to accept an out-of-sequence repatriation offer. McCain was reinstated to flight status and became Commanding Officer of the VA-174 Hellrazors, the East Coast A-7 Corsair II Navy training squadron.
In 1976 he became the Navy's liaison to the Senate. He retired from the Navy in 1981 as a captain.[19] During his military career, he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, the Purple Heart, and a Distinguished Flying Cross.
John McCain is one of five veterans from the Vietnam War currently serving in the United States Senate; the others are Thomas Carper (D-DE), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), John Kerry (D-MA) and Jim Webb (D-VA).
A television film entitled Faith Of My Fathers, based on john McCain's memoir of his experiences as a POW, aired on Memorial Day, 2005 on A&E ---- John McCain Prisoner of War ----
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John McCain's early life
- 10.07.2008
- Article Number: 14
| | McCain was born in Panama in the then American-controlled Panama Canal Zone to Admiral John S. McCain, Jr. and Roberta (Wright) McCain. Although McCain was not born within a state of the United States, his US citizenship (and future eligibility to be elected to the presidency) was assured at birth both by jus sanguinis, since both of his parents were U.S. citizens, and jus soli, as the Canal Zone was at that time a United States possession. Both his father and grandfather were U.S. Navy admirals. His father commanded American forces in Vietnam while McCain was a prisoner of war. His grandfather John S. McCain, Sr. commanded naval aviation at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. He attended Episcopal High School and graduated in 1954. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, McCain then entered the United States Naval Academy. By his own admission, McCain was a rebellious midshipman and his career at the Naval Academy was lackluster. He had his share of run-ins with the faculty and leadership. Despite his difficulties, he has indicated in his autobiography that he never wavered in his desire to show his father and family that he was of the same mettle as his naval forbears. Dropping out was unthinkable and so he successfully completed his training and graduated from Annapolis in 1958. Upon his graduation McCain reported to train as a naval aviator at the Pensacola, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas. During a practice run in Corpus Christi, his aircraft crashed into Corpus Christi Bay, though he escaped without major injuries.[3] Eventually he graduated and became a naval flight attack pilot. |
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John McCain Stand
- 10.05.2008
- Article Number: 9
| Abortion: Wants to overturn Roe v. Wade; supports state aid to boost adoption.
Economy: Would get rid of the Alternative Minimum tax, keep Bush tax cuts and reform social security.
Environment: Supports a global coalition, including China and India, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Gun Control: Sponsored legislation requiring background checks at gun shows, voted against assault weapons ban extension, opposes requiring trigger locks for handguns.
Health Care: Opposes universal coverage. Supports health care tax dividends for low-income Americans.
Immigration: Supports amnesty for illegal immigrants and says undocumented workers should be put on the path to U.S. citizenship.
War In Iraq: Voted for 2003 invasion and says U.S. troops should remain until Iraq can defend itself. |
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John McCain Life Stories Blog
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