Political Opinion: Remembering a hero

John McCain will always be remembered by several titles; senator, Republican presidential nominee, war hero, prisoner of war, Naval Officer, husband, and father. For the most part, he should be remembered as a man who fought for and loved our country. He was born August 29, 1936, and died on August 25, 2018. That is just 4 days before his 82nd birthday. Before the senator’s tragic death, he made a list of requests for events at his funeral. The list, though short, had impact, and was successful. On that list were requests such as George Bush and Barack Obama, the two men who defeated him to presidency, to kindly give eulogies for him. The last request was for our sitting president, Donald J. Trump, to not be there.

Looking back at everything McCain did and experienced in his lifetime is simply astonishing. He was one of the few politicians in the world who, at times, put party affiliations aside in order to further focus on the needs of America. He was in at least seven plane crashes, one of which he piloted, and survived every one. While being a prisoner of war in North Korea, his arms, legs, fingers and shoulders were broken several times. The shoulders, so many times in fact that he could no longer lift his arms past his face for the rest of his life.

After everything that McCain went through and did for this country, he still thanked us constantly and said that America had more than paid him back. There will never be another Naval Officer, man, person or American like John Sidney McCain III and in my opinion, that is a shame. He will be remembered, loved, appreciated, and most of all, missed.