American Senator John McCain, as a person, has become a cliché in public policy, causing a programmed attitude and misunderstanding among ordinary citizens. But an intelligent person will nevertheless think, analyze and understand that the importance of a politician of this magnitude should not be minimized. But it would be more correct to think about exactly what they are showing us and why. Indeed, it is bright, unusual and unpredictable behavior that attracts a lot of attention, and also allows you to “punch walls” through which you can’t get through with composure and restraint. But it’s not so easy to sort out such an abundance of available sources. Sites simply give a bang any information for every taste and color. They do not disdain even such unconfirmed announcements as "Senator McCain died."
But let’s try to sort everything out in order and approach the question: who is he, this emotional and not always tactful senator, with journalistic impartiality and meticulous detail.
Senator John McCain: biography
The name of John McCain is not known to the first generation of Americans, although earlier it caused more association with the American army. The two previous generations of John McCain were famous for their successful military careers. Both the father and grandfather of the current senator rose to the rank of four-star admirals of the US Army. But with such high political attributes as US Senator John McCain, this name appears in history for the first time. But this is a bit later. And first, on the basis of the US Air Force in the area of the Panama Canal, on August 29, 1936, little Johnny Jr. was born.
The manifestation of the extraordinary heredity of young Johnny was not long in coming. Although in a strange way it showed itself not in the boy’s abilities, but in his difficult character and precisely in the absolute absence of discipline inherent in the military. But the desire to be a leader, to crave permanent victories, to be in the center of attention and success made the athletic boy seek self-fulfillment in sports. For an egocentric, aggressive guy who wants to dominate his peers, wrestling has become the best sport. But even such opportunities could not satisfy the inner needs of a real fighter, so Johnny did not connect his future path with sports.
Military family
The family and everyday life of the military admiral - Johnny's father, already speak a lot about themselves. Constant moving, a narrow and defined circle of contacts, imprints of position and army discipline, military camps and the absolute absence of a quiet family life could not but affect the formation of the personality of the child. Psychologists believe that certain features of the formation of the child's psyche most clearly affect decision making, prioritization, manifestations of features in the character traits and behavior of an adult. And the picture of the boy’s family life is not the most calm and optimistic. And how does Senator McCain handle this all his life? His biography without this early period would not be complete.
However, to say that the features of the experience gained in childhood will exclusively affect the entire adult life of a person will also be very far from the truth. After all, an adult is capable and simply obligated to work on himself, to engage in self-education. All this allows not only to overcome the biological manifestations and acquired in childhood negative manifestations, but even to turn them into benefits for themselves and to melt them into pluses on the way to achieving their goals. And for a person like Senator McCain, fortunately, this feature has become quite inherent in a more mature age. Therefore, the explosiveness and aggression that characterize such a popular senator in their youth were a cause of considerable trouble, but today they have found vivid and memorable features of a politician, and undoubtedly lead to success.
Beginning of a career as a pilot
But in his youth, Johnny not only did not give hope for a good future, but also brought a lot of grief, worries and often created the need to connect military ties and the authority of his father and grandfather, so as not to lose the chance of getting a decent education. Therefore, he with great difficulty graduated from the Naval Academy. The young man falls under the most prestigious distribution. He becomes an officer and pilot of military aircraft on an aircraft carrier. Further training for pilots of this category should last another two and a half years. And while US Senator McCain left the details of his innumerable childhood adventures with his family and friends, then many unflattering facts are known from the subsequent period of his life. For example, drowning a military aircraft in the sea is not a joke. But getting off quite easily is also a talent, or rather, family support of the father. This fact served as the reason for John’s transfer to Europe, to summer school as an attack pilot, but didn’t break the young man’s career. And this is not the only flaw in the pilot. After three more such incidents (and each time with a successful bailout), McCain decides to ask to go to Vietnam.
This and similar stories widely known about McCain testify mainly to one thing - the turbulent youth of a high-ranking young man was carried out according to the principle “you need to try everything” and do not worry about anything. Of course, one can say that this is a waste of health and young years. But is it in vain? After all, in fact, this is a kind of youthful experience that allows a person to grow up and tame himself. Only one people has enough modest and less abundant adventures, and for others, the whole world is not enough. And do not forget that it was impossible to do without female participation here.
McCain's first marriage
Given the wide joys in the embrace of the female representatives, without disdaining even some kind of occupation, the young officer still tried to settle down. At 28, he met Carol Shepp, a beautiful Philadelphia model, and a year later they got married. For Carol, this was the second marriage, and from her first marriage with John's classmate, she left two sons, whom the future Senator McCain adopted. A year later, the newlyweds had a daughter - Sidney. But the scorcher by the age of thirty, having acquired the status of a loving spouse and father of the family, still did not want to cool down. Therefore, already in the next, 1967, Johnny took part in the Vietnam War as a pilot on an aircraft carrier.
War in vietnam
There were no incidents here again. Well-wishers attribute Johnny to blame, although official data do not confirm this. But it is worth noting that the fire on the aircraft carrier, the death of 21 combat aircraft, as well as 134 crew members of the future senator were not hooked. However, the war cannot but take and break lives, even of such extraordinary personalities as the American Senator McCain. His plane was shot down over Hanoi, and the pilot himself was sentenced to five years in prison for prisoners of war.
But the happy star over John, or rather, the admiral father, again became the reason for the special attitude to his son, even from the side of the enemy. But is it worth it to rejoice or upset, judge for yourself. Upon learning that the captured pilot is the son of an admiral of the US Air Force, the Vietnamese forces decided to take advantage of this in their political game. Whoever and what would not tell, and the fact that John tried to say goodbye to life in the cell, and also turned gray prematurely, says one thing that this experience was not easy for him. There is evidence that the attitude to such a valuable prisoner was not the worst, and without physical violence or atrocities. But the biggest shocks for a person can be triggered by a completely non-physical influence and not even so much by mental violence (although it is difficult to imagine a captivity that can avoid both the first and second), but by some internal overcoming.
Return from captivity
Upon returning to their homeland after five and a half years, McCain was given a disappointing medical diagnosis. After an unsuccessful crash in Vietnam, serious damage to the arms and legs cannot be completely cured. Doctors predicted that future Senator John McCain would never be able to fly again. The biography of the military pilot on this, one can be sure, has come to an end. But such a sentence aroused in young McCain only the desire once again to show his rebellious temper and firmness of character. Anyway, he independently lifted the plane into the sky and again became the cause of its crash, once again successfully catapulting. This fact did not entail any special consequences, but the pilot position still had to be abandoned.
Senator's second marriage
Returning from captivity, John could not resume his relationship with his wife, but he sincerely felt guilty for himself. No matter how strange it may sound, but for such an aggressive and troubled person, pleading guilty looks like a heroic act. Not everyone can say for himself, as Senator McCain later wrote, that such a move was caused by his own egoism, as well as the immaturity of understanding the situation. The very recognition of one’s mistakes already characterizes a person from the best side. And for a person like John, such a recognition speaks of personal growth, internal activity and the desire to move forward and improve.
So, in 1980, the McCains officially divorced, but John continued to support the ex-wife in her long treatment after a car accident, and also left her both at home. But, obviously, there was another reason for this, since a month later John had married a teacher from Arizona - Cindy Lou Hensley. Although it should be clarified that the new relatives were very wealthy businessmen. For five years, the couple had a daughter and two sons, who in the future continued the military traditions of the McCain family. A striking fact was the McCain’s desire to adopt a seriously ill newborn child from Bangladesh in the early nineties. Undoubtedly, the initiative belonged mainly to the spouse. But it is also worth noting that (already at that time senator) John McCain, never stood aside in matters relating to children.
Officer John McCain Achievements
After Vietnam, McCain got the post of liaison officer with the Senate. He served here until his complete retirement in 1981. Despite all the losses and troubles of his youth, Senator McCain has an impressive list of military awards: the Order of the Bronze Star and Silver Star, the Cross for Military Combat Merit, the Order for Combat Merit, and the Purple Heart. It is worth noting that McCain is among the ten richest senators, although this is not so much his merit as a solid dowry of his wife. Cindy inherited her father's beer company.
Also, the writing of several books can be attributed to the senator’s achievements, although he co-authored with his assistant Mark Salter. Agree that having such a temperament, writing a book is a true achievement, even if in collaboration with an assistant. In addition, McCain's autobiography Faith of My Fathers has become a bestseller.
The beginning of a political career
After his resignation, John was able to devote himself to the father-in-law's beer business for a short time, but thanks to the support of the latter, he entered the political arena. Just a year later, in 1982, as a member of the Republican Party, McCain went to the House of Representatives. And in 1986 - already as a senator from the state of Arizona, John McCain achieved real political heights. But here, the inexhaustible energy of a middle-aged, but an unprecedentedly active person did not allow him to sit still. By 2000, McCain was taking part in presidential election races. And here all the election campaign methods found what to profit from and what to dig into. It is enough to recall how stormy the senator's youth was. But few people today can be discouraged. Therefore, gradually a lot of facts acquired a new interpretation and even a form of accusation. Not only the war years were lifted, but also personal, family life. Journalists were able to twist even the adoption of a black girl in such an unpleasant way, despite the fact that this could hurt the psyche of the child. Therefore, for sure, all this could affect the election results.
Politics, like war, still changes people, even as powerful as Senator McCain. A photo of a young soldier, full of optimism and heroism next to a photo from captivity, as well as pictures of a politician, shows an un commented difference, given the age characteristics. This cannot but impress and just makes you wonder how the severity of years rests on the almost imperceptible tension of the lips, how the life traumas transferred put gray hair on the hair, how the position itself and the forced behavior oblige, being displayed on the face and facial expressions.
Political Achievements of Senator John McCain
As a senator, McCain has earned the respect, approval and support of Americans (and not only). He supported a reasoned ban on abortion. As an experienced military man, he supported a missile defense program, and also opposed arms control. As a visionary politician, he advocated the use of the death penalty and also approved a tax cut, although not immediately. As a thinking person, Senator John McCain could afford to go against party priorities, for example, by voting for constitutional amendments prohibiting gay marriage (contrary to the majority of Republicans). He also supported the stem cell research program, and federal funds were allocated to it. Here you can also mention the reformist desires of the senator regarding the electoral law.
After losing the last presidential election to Barack Obama, John McCain chose not to tempt fate and remain a senator, as long as he was destined for fate. It is not known for what reason, but in the summer of 2015, the Internet spread the news that Senator McCain had died. But everything turned out pretty quickly, the fact was not confirmed. True articles have appeared that all this is misinformation. Although the noise, especially on social networks, it has done enough. Discussions did not subside even after clarifying the truth.
