John S. McCain III • Born in Panama on August 29, 1936 • Nicknamed ”The Maverick” for not being afraid to disagree with his political party (Republican) • Naval aviator during the Vietnam War • Prisoner of war in Vietnam from 1967-1973 • Arizona senator since 1986 • Republican nominee for president of the United States in 2008 McCain in the Navy McCain’s father and grandfather were both admirals in the Navy. He followed in their footsteps and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958. He is pictured here with his parents and his younger brother, Joe. His son, Jimmy, also became an officer in the Navy McCain in training (1965) As the U.S. began to increase the number of troops in Vietnam in 1965, McCain was training to become a fighter pilot. On October 26, 1967, his A-4 Skyhawk was shot down by a missile as he was flying over Hanoi. He was badly injured when he was pulled from Truc Bach Lake by North Vietnamese. Shot Down McCain’s bomber was hit by a surface-to-air missile on Oct. 26, 1967, destroying the aircraft’s right wing. According to McCain, the plane entered an “inverted, almost straight-down spin,” and he ejected. But the sheer force of the ejection broke his right leg and both arms, knocking him unconscious, the report said. McCain came to as he landed in a lake, but burdened by heavy equipment, he sank straight to the bottom. Able to kick to the surface momentarily for air, he somehow managed to activate his life preserver with his teeth. Once he reached the surface, he was pulled ashore by some North Vietnamese… Shot Down As his captors tore at his clothes in the wake of the crash, McCain recalls realizing the extent of his injuries. When he noticed the injuries to his right leg–- which he says had fractured at the knee – - one of his captors slammed a rifle butt into his right shoulder, shattering it...He was then bayoneted in the abdomen and foot. Over the next few days, he “lapsed from conscious to unconsciousness” while the North Vietnamese interrogated him, he said. “I refused to give them anything except my name, rank, serial number and date of birth…I was in such a bad shape that when they hit me it would knock me unconscious…” Prisoner of War (1967 – 1973) McCain was held captive in Hanoi and tortured for 5 ½ years. When his father was named commander of US forces in Vietnam, the North Vietnamese offered to release him for propaganda purposes, but McCain refused since all of the other prisoners were not going to be released, too. McCain runs for the Senate in 1986 Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater announced that he planned to retire rather than seek re-election. McCain ran for his seat and won. He has been a senator representing the state of Arizona for the past 32 years. USS John S. McCain In 1992, McCain and his family attended the launching of a destroyer named in his honor. Presidential Candidate John McCain McCain was the Republican Party candidate for president in 2008. He vice-presidential running mate was Sarah Palin, who was the former governor of Alaska. McCain lost to Senator Barack Obama but made a gracious concession speech in which he acknowledged that history was made as Senator Obama became the first African American elected president. The John S. McCain III Terminal at Sky Harbor Airport In 2017, the Phoenix City Council voted to name Terminal 3 at Sky Harbor Airport after McCain. The senator said he was “deeply humbled” at the honor. McCain Returns Home for Cancer Treatment McCain announced in July 2017 that he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. While he worked when he was able, he spent increasingly more time at his home in Arizona so that he could get treatment. Here he is at home with his wife, Cindy, and his friend, Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals. Fitzgerald wrote an open letter to McCain that was published in the Arizona Republic on Christmas Day 2017, thanking McCain for his service to our country..