The McCain family is a prominent American naval family. Its member include Admirals John S. McCain Sr. (1884–1945) and John S. McCain Jr. (1911–1981), who were the first father-and-son pair to achieve four-star admiral rank in the U.S. Navy, and John S. McCain III (1936–2018) who served in the Vietnam War and as a Congressman and United States Senator from Arizona.
William Alexander McCain (1817–1863) lived in Carroll County, Mississippi. During his life, he owned a 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) plantation there known alternately as "Teoc" (the Choctaw name for the creek it was located on) and "Waverly", as well as 52 slaves (some of whose descendants share the surname and call themselves the "black McCains"). [1]
John S. McCain Sr. (1884–1945) was an admiral in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was posthumously promoted to the rank of admiral. [2] [3] His older brother, another William Alexander McCain, attended the University of Mississippi before transferring to West Point. He retired with the rank of brigadier general, and was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for actions in World War I and an Oak Leaf Cluster during World War II. [4] An uncle, Henry Pinckney McCain (1861–1941), also attended West Point and later retired from the Army as a major general. Camp McCain, a World War II training base and current Mississippi National Guard training site, located in Grenada County, Mississippi, was named for him. [5]
John S. McCain Jr. (1911–1981), was a submarine commander in World War II and later served as a Commander in Chief Pacific Command (CINCPAC) during the Vietnam War. He and his father were the first father-and-son pair to achieve four-star admiral rank in the U.S. Navy. [3] His son John S. McCain III (1936–2018), also served in the Vietnam War and spent five years as a prisoner of war in the "Hanoi Hilton" and other North Vietnamese camps from 1967 to 1972. Following his retirement from the Navy, he served as both a Congressman and Senator from Arizona. He ran for President twice, in 2000 and in 2008. [3] Another grandson, Joe McCain, attended the US Naval Academy but served in the US Navy as an enlisted man. [6]
John Sidney "Jack" McCain IV attended and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2009 and is a naval aviator. Jack McCain IV was awarded his diploma at Annapolis by President Barack Obama, the man who defeated his father in 2008. [7] Jack McCain IV is married to Captain Renee Swift-McCain (USAF Reserve). [8] Another great-grandson of John S. McCain Sr., James Hensley "Jimmy" McCain, enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2006. [9] He finished a tour of duty in the Iraq War in 2008. [10] A third, Douglas McCain, served as a Navy A-6E Intruder carrier pilot before turning to commercial aviation. [11]
George Dewey was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with the loss of only a single crewman on the American side.
John Sidney McCain Jr. was a United States Navy admiral who served in conflicts from the 1940s through the 1970s, including as the Commander, United States Pacific Command.
USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer currently in the service of the United States Navy. She is part of the Destroyer Squadron 23 within the Third Fleet, and has her homeport at Naval Station Everett in Everett, Washington.
The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (i.e., responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and related systems. Aerial weapons, however, were under the cognizance of the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance (BuOrd).
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery is a federal military cemetery in San Diego, California. It is located on the grounds of the former Army coastal artillery station Fort Rosecrans and is administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Fort Rosecrans is named after William Starke Rosecrans, a Union general in the American Civil War.
William Porter "Bill" Lawrence was a decorated United States Navy vice admiral and Naval Aviator who served as Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy from 1978 to 1981. Lawrence was a noted pilot, the first Naval Aviator to fly twice the speed of sound in a naval aircraft, and one of the final candidates for the Mercury space program. During the Vietnam War, Lawrence was shot down while on a combat mission and spent six years as a prisoner of war, from 1967 to 1973. During this time, he became noted for his resistance to his captors.
John Sidney "Slew" McCain Sr. was a United States Navy admiral and the patriarch of the McCain military family. McCain held several commands during the Pacific War of World War II and was a pioneer of aircraft carrier operations. He and his son, John S. McCain Jr., were the first father-and-son pair to achieve four-star admiral rank in the U.S. Navy.
Roberta Wright McCain was an American socialite and oil heiress. She was the wife of Admiral John S. McCain Jr., with whom she had three children including U.S. Senator John S. McCain III and stage actor and journalist Joe McCain. McCain was active in the Navy Wives Clubs and her Capitol Hill home was a popular salon for lawmakers and politicians. In 2007 and 2008, she actively campaigned in support of her son John during his presidential bid.
William Lowndes Calhoun was a United States Navy officer who served in World War I and World War II, eventually attaining the rank of admiral during World War II.
Faith of My Fathers is a 1999 bestselling non-fiction book by United States Senator John McCain with Mark Salter. Published by Random House, it is part autobiography, part family memoir. It traces the story of McCain's life growing up, during his time in the United States Naval Academy, and his military service as a naval aviator before and during the Vietnam War. His story is interwoven with those of his father John S. "Jack" McCain, Jr. and his grandfather John S. "Slew" McCain, Sr., both four-star admirals in the Navy.
The early life and military career of John Sidney McCain III spans the first forty-five years of his life (1936–1981). McCain's father and grandfather were admirals in the United States Navy. McCain was born on August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone, and attended many schools growing up as his family moved among naval facilities. McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958. He married the former Carol Shepp in 1965; he adopted two children from her previous marriage and they had another child together.
Faith of My Fathers is a 2005 American biographical drama television film directed by Peter Markle and written by Markle and William Bingham, based on the 1999 memoir of the same name by United States Senator and former United States Navy aviator John McCain. It aired on A&E on Memorial Day, May 30, 2005.
Hispanics in the United States Navy can trace their tradition of naval military service to men such as Lieutenant Jordi Farragut Mesquida, who served in the American Revolution. Hispanics, such as Seaman Philip Bazaar and Seaman John Ortega, have distinguished themselves in combat and have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration of the United States. Hispanics have also reached the top ranks of the navy, serving their country in sensitive leadership positions on domestic and foreign shores. Among those who have reached the highest ranks in the navy are Commodore Uriah Phillips Levy, of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewish descent, who participated in the War of 1812 as an assistant Sailing master; Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, for whom the rank of admiral in the U.S. Navy was created during the American Civil War; and Admiral Horacio Rivero, who led the navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Elliott Bowman Strauss, CBE was a rear admiral of the United States Navy who served during World War II.
Admiral Richard Michael Dunleavy is a retired US naval officer. He retired as a two-star rear admiral in 1992 after being demoted from the rank of three-star vice admiral as a result of the Tailhook scandal.
Herbert Douglas Riley was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice admiral. A United States Naval Academy graduate, he trained as naval aviator and distinguished himself first as commanding officer of the escort carrier USS Makassar Strait during the combats at Iwo Jima and Okinawa during World War II.
John V. Cox is a retired American military officer. A native of Missouri, he served nearly 33 years as a United States Marine Corps naval aviator before retiring with the rank of Major General. Cox served two tours of duty during the Vietnam War, flying 292 combat missions, and earned several important medals and awards during his career.
Thirteen Soldiers: A Personal History of Americans at War is a 2014 book by United States Senator John McCain and his frequent collaborator and former staff member Mark Salter. Published by Simon & Schuster, it contains a chapter representing one person's story from each of America's thirteen major wars.