John McCain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John McCain
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| United States Senator from Arizona |
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| In office January 3, 1987 – August 25, 2018 Serving with Jeff Flake
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| Preceded by | Barry Goldwater |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st district |
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| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1987 |
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| Preceded by | John Jacob Rhodes |
| Succeeded by | John Jacob Rhodes III |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Sidney McCain III
August 29, 1936 Coco Solo Naval Air Station, Panama Canal Zone |
| Died | August 25, 2018 (aged 81) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
Carol Shepp
(m. 1965–1980) |
| Relations | John S. McCain, Sr. (grandfather) John S. McCain, Jr. (father) Roberta McCain (mother) |
| Children | 7 |
| Alma mater | United States Naval Academy |
| Profession | Pilot, Politician |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1958–1981 |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War (POW) |
| Awards |
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John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Arizona, a seat to which he was first elected in 1986. He was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama.
McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire.
While McCain was on a bombing mission over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture. The wounds that he sustained during war have left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics.
In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, most recently in 2016.
McCain entered the race for the Republican nomination for President in 2000, but to Governor George W. Bush of Texas. He secured the nomination in 2008, but was defeated by Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the general election.
He subsequently adopted more orthodox conservative stances and attitudes and largely opposed actions of the Obama administration, especially in regard to foreign policy matters. By 2013, however, he had become a key figure in the Senate. In 2015, McCain became Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Early years and education
John McCain was born at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone, to naval officer John S. McCain Jr. (1911–1981) and Roberta (Wright) McCain (b. 1912). He has a younger brother named Joe and an elder sister named Sandy. At that time, the Panama Canal was under U.S. control.
McCain's family tree includes Scots-Irish and English ancestors. His father and his paternal grandfather, John S. McCain Sr., both became four-star United States Navy admirals. The McCain family 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.
Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, McCain entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He also became a lightweight boxer. McCain did well in academic subjects that interested him, such as literature and history, but studied only enough to pass subjects that gave him difficulty, such as mathematics. He came into conflict with higher-ranking personnel and did not always obey the rules, which contributed to a low class rank (894 of 899), despite a high IQ. McCain graduated in 1958.
Prisoner of war
McCain's capture and subsequent imprisonment occurred on October 26, 1967. He was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. McCain fractured both arms and a leg when he ejected from the aircraft, and nearly drowned after he parachuted into Trúc Bạch Lake. Some North Vietnamese pulled him ashore, then others crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt and bayoneted him. McCain was then transported to Hanoi's main Hỏa Lò Prison, nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton".
Although McCain was seriously wounded and injured, his captors refused to treat him. They beat and interrogated him to get information, and he was given medical care only when the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a high-ranking admiral. His status as a prisoner of war (POW) made the front pages of major newspapers.
McCain spent six weeks in the hospital, where he received marginal care. He had lost 50 pounds (23 kg), was in a chest cast, and his gray hair had turned as white as snow. McCain was sent to a different camp on the outskirts of Hanoi. In December 1967, McCain was placed in a cell with two other Americans who did not expect him to live more than a week. In March 1968, McCain was placed into solitary confinement, where he would remain for two years.
In mid-1968, his father John S. McCain Jr. was named commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater, and the North Vietnamese offered McCain early release because they wanted to appear merciful for propaganda purposes, and also to show other POWs that elite prisoners were willing to be treated preferentially. McCain refused repatriation unless every man taken in before him was also released. Such early release was prohibited by the POWs' interpretation of the military Code of Conduct which states in Article III: "I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy". To prevent the enemy from using prisoners for propaganda, officers were to agree to be released in the order in which they were captured.
Beginning in August 1968, McCain was subjected to a program of severe torture. Eventually, McCain made an anti-U.S. propaganda "confession". He has always felt that his statement was dishonorable, but as he later wrote, "I had learned what we all learned over there: every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine." Many U.S. POWs were tortured and maltreated in order to extract "confessions" and propaganda statements; virtually all of them eventually yielded something to their captors. McCain received two to three beatings weekly because of his continued refusal to sign additional statements.
McCain was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam for five and a half years until his release on March 14, 1973. His wartime injuries left him permanently incapable of raising his arms above his head. Since his release from the Hanoi Hilton, McCain has returned to the site with his wife Cindy and family on a few occasions to come to grips with what happened to him there during his capture.
McCain underwent treatment for his injuries that included months of grueling physical therapy. He attended the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. during 1973–1974. McCain was rehabilitated by late 1974 and his flight status was reinstated. In 1976, he became commanding officer of a training squadron that was stationed in Florida.
McCain served as the Navy's liaison to the U.S. Senate beginning in 1977.
McCain retired from the Navy on April 1, 1981, as a captain. He was designated as disabled and awarded a disability pension. Upon leaving the military, he moved to Arizona. His numerous military decorations and awards include the Silver Star Medal, two Legions of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Star Medals, two Purple Heart Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and Prisoner of War Medal.
Brain tumor
In July 2017, he was diagnosed with brain cancer; since the diagnosis he has taken a reduced role in the Senate, casting his last vote that December. President Trump made a public statement wishing Senator McCain well, as did many others, including former President Obama. He is in good spirits as he continues to recover at home with his family in Arizona. He is grateful to the doctors and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding care, and is confident that any future treatment will be effective." On July 24, McCain announced via Twitter that he would return to the United States Senate the following day.
On July 25, 2017, less than two weeks after brain surgery, McCain returned to the Senate, and cast a deciding vote allowing the Senate to begin consideration of bills to replace Obamacare. Along with that vote, he delivered a speech criticizing the party-line voting process used by the Republicans, as well as by the Democrats in passing Obamacare to begin with, and McCain also urged a "return to regular order" utilizing the usual committee hearings and deliberations. On July 28, he cast the decisive vote against the Republicans' final proposal that month, the so-called "skinny repeal" option, which failed 49–51.
McCain has not voted in the Senate since December 2017, instead opting to remain in Arizona to undergo cancer treatment. On April 15, 2018, he underwent surgery for an infection relating to diverticulitis and the following day was reported to be in stable condition.
Death
On August 24, 2018, McCain's family announced that he was stopping treatment for his brain cancer. McCain died the next day.
Images for kids
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McCain at the Naval Academy, 1954
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Lieutenant McCain (front right) with his squadron and T-2 Buckeye trainer, 1965
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Lieutenant Commander McCain being interviewed after his return from Vietnam, April 1973
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Lieutenant Commander McCain greeting President Nixon, May 1973
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The residence of John and Cindy McCain in Phoenix, Arizona
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McCain in 1983, during his first term in the House of Representatives
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President Ronald Reagan greets McCain as First Lady Nancy Reagan looks on, March 1987
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President George H. W. Bush meets with McCain, 1990
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McCain's grandfather and father on board a U.S. ship in Tokyo Bay, circa end of World War II in 1945
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McCain's Senate website from 2003 to 2006 illustrated his concern about pork barrel spending.
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U.S. President George W. Bush with Senator McCain, December 4, 2004
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General David Petraeus and McCain in Baghdad, November 2007
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McCain formally announces his candidacy for president in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 2007
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President Bush holds Cindy McCain's hand as he endorses her husband for president, March 5, 2008
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The Palins and McCains campaign in Fairfax, Virginia, following the 2008 Republican National Convention on September 10
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U.S. President Barack Obama and McCain at a press conference in March 2009
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McCain in his Senate office, November 2010
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The "Three Amigos" walking in Kunar Province in eastern Afghanistan in July 2011: McCain (second from left), Lindsey Graham (second from right in front), Joe Lieberman (right in front)
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Kerry (far left) and McCain (third from left) with members of the Saudi Royal Family after greeting the new King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, January 2015
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Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen meets with McCain, who is the leader of the U.S. Senate delegation, June 2016
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McCain campaigning with former Governor Romney in Mesa, Arizona, during his 2016 re-election campaign
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The National March on the NRA in August 2018. The NRA spent $7.74 million to support John McCain.
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McCain votes no on repealing the Affordable Care Act by giving a thumbs down.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Senators Joni Ernst, Daniel Sullivan, John McCain, Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham, and Cory Gardner attending the 2016 International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit in Singapore
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Grave of John McCain III next to his Naval Academy classmate Charles R. Larson at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery
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Cindy McCain, Secretary James Mattis and Chief of Staff John F. Kelly lay a wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
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McCain's daughter Meghan mourning while he lies in state at the Arizona State Capitol
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See also
In Spanish: John McCain para niños
