John McCain: From Naval Academy to Political Icon
John Sidney McCain III was a prominent figure in American politics, known for his military service, his time as a prisoner of war, and his long career as a U.S. Senator for Arizona. This article delves into his educational background and early life, tracing his path from a military family to a national political stage.
A Legacy of Military Service and Early Life
Born on August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone, John McCain came from a family deeply rooted in military tradition. His father, John S. "Jack" McCain Jr., and his grandfather, John S. McCain Sr., both rose to the rank of four-star admirals in the United States Navy. This heritage instilled in him a strong sense of duty and service to his country.
Growing up, McCain's family moved frequently due to his father's naval career. He attended approximately twenty schools during his youth, including St. Stephen's School in Alexandria, Virginia, from 1946 to 1949. McCain later recalled that these repeated farewells to friends were among the saddest regrets of his childhood, and that he grew more determined to assert his crude individualism at each new school.
United States Naval Academy
Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, McCain entered the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in June 1954, joining the Class of 1958. From a young age, he heard his parents telling friends, "Johnny's going to the Naval Academy." It wasn't an aspiration; it was an expectation.
While at the Naval Academy, McCain excelled in subjects that interested him, such as literature and history, but he put in just enough effort to pass subjects he found difficult, like mathematics. He also engaged in boxing, displaying an aggressive style in the ring. Robert Timberg described his style in the ring in The Nightingale's Song. “Unschooled as a boxer, McCain would charge to the center of the ring and throw punches until someone went down."
Read also: Read about John Ratcliffe's education
McCain's time at the Naval Academy was marked by both academic pursuits and disciplinary challenges. He came into conflict with higher-ranking personnel and often disobeyed the rules, accumulating enough demerits to become something of a class legend, though not enough to warrant expulsion. Despite these infractions, he was greatly influenced by William B. Ravenal, an English master at Episcopal, whom he revered as "one of the wisest, most honorable men I ever met."
McCain graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958, ranking near the bottom of his class. This low class rank was attributed to indifference both to disciplinary rules and to academic subjects he did not enjoy.
Naval Aviator Training and Early Career
After graduating from the Naval Academy, McCain underwent flight training at Pensacola Naval Air Station and Corpus Christi Naval Air Station. During a training run at Corpus Christi, he crashed his single-engine AD-6 "Skyraider" into Corpus Christi Bay. He was knocked unconscious on impact but managed to swim to the surface and return to his quarters in good enough shape to keep his plans for a night on the town.
In 1963, he was assigned to a training squadron at Meridian Naval Air Station as a flight instructor, where the airfield is named for his grandfather. On July 3, 1965, while still stationed at Meridian, he married Carol Shepp and adopted her two sons from a previous marriage, Doug and Andy. In 1966, their daughter, Sidney, was born, after McCain had been selected for combat duty in the Vietnam War.
Vietnam War Service and Prisoner of War
With the outbreak of the Vietnam War, McCain volunteered for combat duty and began flying carrier-based attack planes on low-altitude bombing runs against the North Vietnamese. He served aboard the USS Forrestal and USS Oriskany.
Read also: John Jay College: Rankings & Programs
On July 29, 1967, McCain was nearly killed in a severe accidental fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal, then on active duty in the Gulf of Tonkin. While preparing for his fifth mission over North Vietnam, a Zuni missile accidentally fired from an F-4 Phantom on the other side of the flight deck struck McCain's A-4, ruptured its fuel tank, and ignited the spreading fuel. McCain crawled out of the cockpit and onto the plane's refueling probe. He dropped to the deck, rolled through a firewall, patting out flames where his flight suit had caught fire. He suffered minor wounds when struck in the legs and chest by fragments. The fire claimed 134 lives and took a full 24 hours to bring under control.
On October 26, 1967, McCain prepared for his twenty-third mission over North Vietnam. He pleaded with the operations officer to include him in the mission. The target was a thermal power plant in Hanoi. As McCain dove in on the target, he heard the tone sounded, warning him that a surface-to-air (SAM) was flying toward him. His A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi.
Striking part of the airplane and hitting the airstream, he broke his left arm, his right arm in three places and his right knee, and was knocked unconscious. He came to when he hit the water of Truc Bach lake in the center of the city. He pulled his life jacket toggle with his teeth, and a group of Vietnamese using bamboo poles fished him out of the water. An angry crowd gathered as he lay dazed on the ground. Someone smashed a rifle butt into his shoulder. He was placed on a stretcher and set down on the floor of an empty cell, stripped to his underwear and under a blanket.
McCain spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war (POW) in North Vietnam, enduring torture and harsh conditions. He was initially refused medical treatment for his injuries. He drifted in and out of consciousness for several days as interrogators demanded information about his squadron and refused him medical attention. He was feverish, his knee grossly swollen, unable to keep food down, and desperately thirsty. On the fourth day, he pleaded to be taken to the hospital.
In mid-1968, his father, John S. McCain Jr., was made commander of U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater. The North Vietnamese offered McCain early release, hoping to use it for propaganda purposes. However, McCain refused repatriation unless every man taken in before him was also released, adhering to the POWs' interpretation of the military Code of Conduct.
Read also: Lucas III's Path to Coaching
Beginning in late August 1968, McCain was subjected to severe torture. He was bound and beaten every two hours, suffering from heat exhaustion and dysentery. His right leg was reinjured, his ribs were cracked, some teeth were broken, and his left arm was re-fractured. After four days of this, McCain signed an anti-American propaganda "confession."
McCain was haunted by the belief that he had dishonored his country, his family, his comrades, and himself by his statement, but as he later wrote, "I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point."
McCain was released on March 14, 1973, along with other American POWs, less than two months after the Vietnam ceasefire went into effect. He was reunited a few days later with his family in Orange Park, Florida.
Post-Vietnam Service and Transition to Politics
After returning to the United States, McCain underwent three operations to treat his injuries at Navy hospital in Jacksonville. He was promoted to commander in July 1973 and in the fall enrolled in the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., where he studied the history of the French and American wars in Vietnam. He also began months of intensive physical rehabilitation to get his knee to bend with the hope of regaining flight status. He passed his physical - barely - and regained flight status.
In August 1974, he was assigned to the Replacement Air Group VA-174 at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, the largest squadron in the United States Navy. As commanding officer, McCain relied upon a relatively unorthodox leadership style based upon the force of his personality. He removed personnel he thought ineffective and sought to improve morale and productivity by establishing an informal rapport with enlisted men. McCain's leadership abilities were credited with improving the unit's aircraft readiness; for the first time, all fifty of its aircraft were able to fly. The squadron was awarded its first-ever Meritorious Unit Commendation, while McCain received a Meritorious Service Medal. McCain later stated that being commanding officer of VA-174 was the most rewarding assignment of his naval career.
During their time in Jacksonville, the McCains' marriage began to falter. McCain had extramarital affairs; he was seen with other women in social settings and developed a reputation among his colleagues for womanizing. Marital difficulties were in fact quite common among the returned POWs. However, McCain later said, "My marriage's collapse was attributable to my own selfishness and immaturity more than it was to Vietnam, and I cannot escape blame by pointing a finger at the war. The blame was entirely mine."
McCain retired from the Navy as a captain on April 1, 1981. He was designated as disabled and awarded a disability pension. Upon leaving the military, he moved to Arizona.
Entry into Politics
After retiring from the Navy, McCain moved to Arizona and entered the political arena. In 1982, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Arizona's 1st congressional district. He served two terms in the House before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986.
Throughout his career in Congress, McCain established a reputation as a "maverick" for his willingness to break from his party on certain issues. He gained national visibility and became a prominent voice on issues such as campaign finance reform, military policy, and foreign relations.
Presidential Campaigns
McCain ran for president twice, first in 2000 and again in 2008. In 2000, he lost the Republican nomination to George W. Bush. In 2008, he secured the Republican nomination but was defeated by Barack Obama in the general election.
Later Senate Career and Legacy
After his presidential bid, McCain continued to serve in the Senate, where he remained a prominent voice on national security and foreign policy issues. He chaired the Senate Armed Services Committee and played a key role in shaping defense policy.
In his later years, McCain became known for his opposition to President Donald Trump and his efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. He cast the deciding vote against the American Health Care Act of 2017, which would have partially repealed the ACA.
John McCain passed away on August 25, 2018, after a battle with brain cancer. He was remembered as a war hero, a statesman, and a political icon who dedicated his life to serving his country.
tags: #John #McCain #education #history
