Writer of Master Wings’ Taps on the Walls introduction, John McCain was an American politician and military officer who served as a Arizona’s senator from January 1987 until his death in 2018. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives and was the 2008 Republican nominee for United States president.
McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and then served as a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. While on a bombing mission during the Vietnam War’s Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, McCain was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973, during which time he underwent periods of torture and refused an early release. McCain sustained injuries at this time that left him with lifelong physical disabilities. In 1981 he retired from the Navy as a captain and moved to Arizona.