The American Triumph Journal

He didn't become President but he is still an above average man. Honor, trust, patriot,
hero and maverick are words used to describe Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. He is a former
prisoner of war. He is a devoted husband and supportive father of seven children. He is
America's own, born in the U.S. Navy submarine base, Coco Solo (which sailed in the
Atlantic ocean near Colon, Panama). His life is an American triumph. In the following
paragraphs, his triumph will be celebrated.

McCain continued the legacy of his parents and grandparents by pursuing a military
career. His father and grandfather were both four-star U.S. Navy admirals. McCain
spent much of his childhood moving from place to place as his father received different
naval postings. He attended more than 15 schools while growing up.

After his high school graduation, McCain entered the United States Navel Academy at
Annapolis, Maryland. After his graduation from the academy, 1958, he went on to flight
school becoming a fully trained naval aviator in 1960. During this time he flew
non-combat missions and was stationed in the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas. In
1966, he was reassigned to the aircraft carrier, USS Forrestal. Forrestal was assigned
to a bombing campaign during the Vietnam war during the summer in 1967.

On July 29, 1967, McCain narrowly escaped death during an accidental fire aboard the
aircraft carrier. The massive fire took the lives of more than 130 men and took 24 hours
to get under control. McCain was struck in the legs and in his chest by bomb fragments.
After this disaster, McCain, could have gone home. Instead McCain volunteered for
more combat duty. He was reassigned to the naval aircraft carrier, USS Oriskany.

On October 26, 1967, McCain's plane was shot down by a soviet missile while on a
bombing mission in Hanoi (a city located in North Vietnam). Upon ejecting from his
severely damaged plane, McCain broke both his arms and one of his legs. Upon
crashing in a lake, an angry mob of North Vietnamese people attacked him and broke
his shoulder with a rifle butt. He was taken prisoner and remained in captivity for five
and a half years. There was plenty of torture inflicted on him during this period.
Discovering that McCain was the son of a top U.S. Navy admiral, they offered him an
early release. McCain refused the offer. He would not break U.S. military regulations
that required P.O.W.'s to be returned in the order that they were captured. It was a hard
decision to make but it was also a honorable decision to make. It was a decision based
on integrity, patriotism and conscience. Later McCain would start another career and
continue to make hard decisions based on those same standards.

His second career started in 1977, while still serving in U.S. Navy he was given the job
as their liaison to the U.S. Senate.

Currently, he has served in the senate for 21 years. He has been a ranking member of
the Armed Services Committee and a ranking member of the Commerce, Science &
Transportation Committee. He was a serious contender for the 2000 Republican
presidential nominee. He is the 2008 Republican presidential nominee. He has chosen
Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice president. He and Palin fired up their party
greatly with their speeches during the Republican National Convention held in MIchigan
during the week of September 2, 2008. The theme of the convention was "county 1st."
Among the chief stands of his presidential campaign are plans for the following: success
in Iraq which might include a strong American military presence till 2013 and health care
reform that will improve quality and lower cost through added market competition. Part
of his plan is giving Americans a $5,000 dollar tax credit to help people afford to buy
health care.

McCain's life is an American triumph. His accomplishments can be called extraordinary.
His triumph was made possible by his courage and determination. Those qualities are
evidenced from his military and political career. He is referred to as the maverick for
bravely going against his party on issues he believed in his heart to be incorrect. One
of those issues were the Iraq war, when he stood almost alone as a Republican
condemning President Bush early on over Defense Secretary Rumsfield's war strategy.
His willingness to go down a path of independence is leadership and good character.

He has demonstrated unquestionable leadership, selflessness and devotion to country.
Those qualities of McCain were seen during his concession speech for his bid for the
presidency of the United States for 2009. He made it clear that he would have liked to
be president and that he had disagreements with his rival Barack Obama. However,
when he mentioned Obama's name the crowd started to boo and get routy. McCain told
them to stop. McCain went out of his way to tell the crowd many things that he admired
about Obama including citing Obama's ability to inspire people. He told the crowd of his
supporters, who were disappointed in his defeat for the whitehouse, to throw their
support to Obama. He told them, that President Obama will have his support. He gave
a very gracious speech that once again showed his character.

updated November 4, 2008

The American Triumph Journal is a free online magazine.

John McCain

The American Triumph Journal

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