The Aristeia of the McCains

John S. McCain, Sr., graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1906. In the War to End All Wars (Ha!), he served in the Atlantic on convoy duty. By 1936, he was designated Naval Aviator, and was a preeminent scholar on the carrier tactics that would become so vital after Pearl Harbor. Not all was rosy for McCain - a significant mental lapse regarding recon missions over the "Slot" near the Solomon Islands resulted in heavy losses in the series of battles at Guadalcanal, specifically the Battle of Savo Island on August 9th, 1942. By October, he was the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics. . .not exactly a front line post. However, by 1944 he returned to the Pacific Theatre as Commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force, which supported the vast amphibious operations being carried out at the time. He earned the Navy Cross for a series of valiant excursions defending the Canbarra and the Houston, contributing significantly to the eventual Allied triumph. His expertise and shrewd tactics as Air Planner and Carrier Commander earned him two Gold Stars and eventually the Distinguished Service Medal. He died as a Vice Admiral in September of '45, 4 days after the War's conclusion, and Navy Secretary James Forrestal commented "He was a fighting man through and through."

His son, John Jr., was a submarine commander in WW2. During Operation Torch, the American-British invasion of North Africa in November of 1942, he commanded the USS Gunnel, which was repeatedly attacked in error by friendly aircraft - a common occurrence at the time. The quad diesel engines of his sub were endlessly troublesome, earning the nickname of "whores" from the sailors (the engines were Hoover-Owens-Rentschlers, or H.O.R). After a retrofit, he and his sub were transferred to the Pacific and, in his second patrol in the East China and Yellow seas, sunk two ships, the Koyu Maru and the Tokiwa Maru. But the whores were still painfully unreliable, and his ship was re-engined at Pearl Harbor and returned to action at Iwo Jima in January of '43. He served throughout the Pacific for the rest of the War, but scored no significant sinkings - however, his brazen aggression resulted in a few impressive near-misses against Nipponese carriers. After the war, he served at various posts at the Pentagon, the Pacific and the Atlantic, culminating in his stint as Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Command during Vietnam - during which his son was famously shot down and held prisoner at the Hanoi Hilton for 5 and a half years.

John the III grew up as a military brat, hop-scotching the world with his dad at various military bases. In school, he was known for his fiery personality and fierce competitiveness, and earned multiple varsity letters as a wrestler. At the Naval Academy, class of '58, he was a member of the "Century Club" for his accumulation of over a hundred demerits - everything from poor hygiene to disobedience. Commented McCain (kudos for use of vulgarity by prez candidate), "It was bullshit - I resented the hell out of it." However, he was widely respected by fellow midshipmen, and excelled at political science, history, and english literature. He also began a lifelong obsession with the sweet science, competing as a lightweight. Otto Helwig, a champion Naval heavyweight and McCain teammate, commented "He was not the most skilled, but he was the most feared - he never gave up."

During his years of training as a Naval Aviator in Pensacola and Corpus Christi, he earned the rep as a carouser and ladies man, dating a stripper who went by the moniker "Marie the Flame of Florida." (All the hip kids dine at the Pussy Ranch at one time or another). He said in his memoirs he "generally misused my good health and youth." Nice. By the time Vietnam got underway, McCain was an elite Navy pilot.

Students of that conflict will recall the infamous Operation Rolling Thunder - infamous for it's micromanagement by LBJ and Robert McNamara. McCain participated successfully in the bombing sorties targeting industrial sites and infrastructure in his A-4E, avoiding Soviet anti-aircraft defense measured that spelled doom for so many pilots. However, he fumed at the quixotic, Heller-esque nature of the target list. Like his father before him, his early war years were stained by a friendly fire incident when rocket from an F-4 accidentally fired on the USS Forrestal's carrier deck struck McCain's bird. The fuel tank was struck and the ensuing explosion impaled him in the chest with a piece of shrapnel, and killed 132 sailors. McCain was transferred to the USS Oriskany.

McCain's POW ordeal began on October 26, 1967, when on a 20 plane sortie to destroy a Hanoi thermal power plant his A4 was shot down by a Soviet missile. He broke both arms and a leg upon ejecting, eventually being captured by a mob who mercilessly beat him before imprisoning him in Hanoi. He was tortured endlessly, enduring rope bindings, pulled teeth and broken bones during interrogation sessions. Eventually he was transferred to the Hanoi Hilton, and remained there until his release on March 15, 1973. The ordeal was exacerbated by Senator McCain's refusal to submit to interrogation and Western anti-war delegations.

McCain's political highlights will be documented tomorrow.