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April 24, 1973. "Interview with Lieut. Cmdr. John S. McCain, Vietnam POW." Photo by Thomas J. O'Halloran for U.S. News & World Report. View full size.
John S. McCain, the naval aviator who climbed from the depths of despair as a prisoner of war in Vietnam to the pinnacle of power as a Republican senator from Arizona and two-time contender for the presidency, died on Saturday at his home in Arizona. He was 81.
I come from a different political viewpoint than him but his passing has affected me as very few others in the public eye ever have. We are better for having received his service to America.
On a family vacation to DC in the summer of 2005 we just happened to come across the Senator and Sen. Joe Lieberman doing a photo shoot to accompany a magazine story. Remarkably, aside from the crew, we were the only ones in front of the Capitol Building that cloudy early morning. Senator McCain walked over after they were finished and spoke with us for a few minutes about baseball and DC weather. I was lucky enough to have been able to take several pictures of the two of them.
RIP Senator McCain
Principled. One of the many who dedicated their lives to making America truly great.
I never agreed with John McCain politically, but he survived 5½ years at the Hanoi Hilton, turning down a chance to go home early because there were other men there who'd been prisoners longer. For that alone, he earned my eternal respect. He was a deeply flawed man, like all humans are, but on balance, he was one of the good ones.
I'm glad that his pain is through, and he's finally at peace.
You were a true American hero.
Your politics were not always to my liking but your patriotism and loyalty to your fellow POW's will stand forever as a beacon to all true Americans.
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