We have just watched the passage into history of a complicated man, a man whose personality and purpose both won over and angered people. And, of course, as his eulogists demonstrated, his life has been freighted with politics right through the ceremony in the National Cathedral today.
I never met John McCain III myself, though I met his father in the Philippines in 1967, while my unit (3rd Battalion, First Marines) was refitting to fight from the sea. I believe he was Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet then, and our Task Group was under his chain of command. We had a few drinks over conversation in the Subic Bay Officer’s Club as he wished us well on our coming special landing force missions. I cannot recall the date of that get together, but it had to have been very nearly the time his son was captured in late autumn.
It is not hard to think of John McCain III in the way the many pilots of my Marine cohort from our USMC Basic School Class 1-67 (July-November 1966) saw and pictured themselves. No doubt McCain, as do my aviator Marine comrades, spoke not of “getting into their aircraft” but of “strapping them on.” Fearless, confident, and in an intimate relationship!
Whatever John McCain’s qualities and positions, he is one of the most, if not the most prominent, symbols of my war-fighting generation. So my USMC flag, with black mourning ribbon, is up in front of our house in tribute to that A-4 pilot and in memory of many others from our day, including our Basic School fliers.
(Please be sure to read the comment I added to this post on 2 September recounting a Basic School classmate’s encounter with Lt. McCain more than five decades ago. It is a great story.)
And with the same kind of thoughts, Tracy and I decided yesterday to run down to the District and book into a Marriot that is a 10-minute walk away from the Vietnam War Memorial Wall to observe Cindy McCain’s placement of a wreath honoring Vietnam casualties and veterans at about 8:45 a.m. It turned out to be a quiet, yet solemn, event, with observers lining the chained-off greensward leading down to the wall and the walkway by it.
People gathered early around the Memorial Wall. It was a quiet and seemingl
y reflective group of all ages.
The procession had left Capitol Hill at about 8:30 a.m., arriving at the Memorial shortly before nine. Secretary of Defense Mattis and White House Chief of Staff Kelly escorted Cindy McCain to the prepositioned wreath, and she saw to its proper placement and paused to pay respects. From our range (and with my eyes) it was a bit hard to see, but the re
membrance offered to fellow Vietnam Veterans was touching.
It didn’t take long for many present to add their own sentiments. 
After the funeral party left, Tracy and I moved to Panels 14E and 15E to pay 
respects to Marines close to my experience, 2nd Lt. Earl F. Smith, from my Basic School Class— the first of our Basic School cohort to die in combat—and Cpl. Charles P. Alexander —the first member of the platoon that I led in Vietnam, 
Lima/1, 3/1, to die under my command.
We then returned to the cool comfort of our hotel to watch the memorial service at the National Cathedral. We would hear all the powerful and moving eulogies of leaders Senator McCain came to respect and befriend. I can only hope their words will ring powerfully among our leaders today—as the ideals expressed were the high ideals that took John McCain III and so many others into service and sacrifice.
Semper fidelis,
Andy
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Andy.
Thank you, Isobel.
The following is a personal remembrance of Senator McCain, offered by one of my Marine Officer Basic Training classmates, Alex Welch. It is a really touching memory with echoes in the eulogies for the Senator yesterday in National Cathedral.
Hello Andy:
I am not sure how many of our Marine Corps Group (TBS 1-67) had personal interaction with Senator McCain. I would like to pass along this tiny event as an example of how a passionate temper was redirected to show encouragement to a group of 15 Tufts University NROTC Midshipmen during the March 1963 “Spring Break”.
Here is what happened.
A group of us volunteered to go to Pensacola on Spring Break to understand the Navy’s flight program a little better.
The Navy flew us to Pensacola from Hanscomb Air Force Base (West of Boston) on an ancient C-54 on a Sunday.
The plane never went higher than 6,000 feet. It hit every storm cloud on the East Coast. In fact most of the East Coast was “socked in” for the day. We were restricted to “seat belts only” for the entire trip which lasted more than 6 hours,
Everyone was exhausted and feeling crummy. We were marched to a cinder block billeting area with bunks and a cement floor. We got there around 9pm.
We were told to assemble the next morning at 0500 for breakfast and then be bused to a satellite medical facility for some simple physicals. That would take a few hours. Then we would meet our liaison officer who would put us on the 6 day schedule for T-34 student orientation.
Well, everything went wrong. The schedules were not convenient for the Navy Doctors. And after waiting for several hours we were told to march to the chow hall, eat and form up again for Medicals around 1pm.
We had not had much sleep; and we felt we were kind of a nuisance to everyone. So our use of precious Spring Break Time was looking to be a terrible decision.
So tired and lost, we ate, then went back to our barracks around 1130.
We all simply lay down for that 20 minute snooze. A big mistake.
At 1:10 we met our liaison officer in a most unforgettable fashion.
A raging series of unprintable insults flew everywhere. Also in full flight passing right over my bunk was one of those old zinc alloy metal trash cans. It reverberated on the cement floor with a terrible noise.
Our liaison officer was a Navy Lieutenant with a “McCain” name tag. He was a fire breathing dragon.
Using some senior Navy Chiefs he hustled us to the medical examinations … and then got us organized for the rest of the 6 day program.
Later when Lieutenant McCain left the scene we apologized to the Navy Chiefs but explained some of the extenuating circumstances surrounding our “sleep in”.
The rest of the week went superbly. We had great lectures by top pilots. Probably had more than 8 hours in T-34’s.
In a foreshadowing of things to come, we spent time dodging around all the Laotian and Vietnamese student pilots driving their T-28’s through paces.
We saw Lieutenant John McCain from a distance …which was just fine by the way….He was a busy guy working on several assignments and some one had tossed “the kids from Tufts” at him at the last moment.
Then on Friday night, impromptu, he took us all to the “O-Club” .
As we sat down at the bar, Lieutenant McCain handed me a cold Heineken .
With a warm smile he said, “sorry about that trash can” . Then went on to the rest of us expressing his apologies for the poorly organized timetable and said, ” I am truly sorry for misjudging you guys…and I have heard great reports that you all did very well . Thanks for giving up your Spring Break.”
He spent 2 hours with us and insisted on paying for drinks and dinner. And thanked us and wished us success and left for more work.
Over the years, I have noted the famous volatile temper followed by the ultimate peacemaker. And above all the desire to set things right.
Whether it be in support of some wet-behind-the-ears midshipmen from Boston, or flying in from Arizona right after a brain operation to cast a key vote in the preservation of the Affordable Care Act.
He was a leading, driving force in helping us reestablish relationships with Vietnam. He even met his tormenting guards for a couple of moments and shook hands moving relationships forward. No apparent bitterness.
As shallow self interest and crude personal stories surround many of our political leaders today, John McCain has remained in a class by himself- always showing that he cares for the country and its everyday citizens.
He will be missed. It was a gift to have known him up close, if even only for a Spring Break many years ago.
Thanks Andy. A poignant moment in the nation’s disruptive history. So appropriate for John McCain’s funeral services to pay respects to the Vietnam fallen in this manner.
Agreed.
Andy, thank you and Tracey for showing up to honor John McCain, especially at the Wall which is such a place of deep emotion for all of us. As the week’s well-planned events have enfolded, it is has been signature McCain speaking to us once again to remind us that honor, moral courage and dedication to the ideals of our country are what have and will continue to make this a great nation.
Thank you, Betty and Roger. A few powerful days have just given us indelible memories. Semper fi.
Andy,
As I read your comments, I could not help but think of the closing scene of the Gladiator and Lucilla’s comments:
“He was a soldier of Rome. Honor him.”
You and Tracy have honored John McCain.
Bob
Andy; You’ve given us a meaningful and superb closing of a truly “American” week. And Alex’s input is certainly one of thousands of most memorable “McCain stories.
Semper fi,
Phil
Thanks, Phil. It was a day of deep reflection about many things, and Alex nailed the man. Semper fi, Andy