Senator McCain announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for president early in 2007, and he has consistently been a frontrunner. But now Rudy Giuliani and the as yet unannounced contender Fred Thompson are giving McCain some serious competition.

Early Life and Education
John Sidney McCain, III, was born to Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., and Roberta McCain on August 29, 1936, in Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone. His father served as a Navy commander in Viet Nam at the same time his son was being held prisoner of war by the North Vietnamese. His grandfather had served in the Navy at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.

In 1954, after graduating from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, McCain was accepted by the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, from which he graduated in 1958. He then underwent training in naval aviation in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Pensacola, Florida. After completing this training, he qualified as a naval attack pilot.

McCain married model Carol Shepp in 1965 and adopted her two children. The couple had one daughter, but their marriage ended when they divorced in 1980; that same year, he married Cindy Hensley. McCain and Cindy have four children; their son James joined the Marine Corp in 2006.

Military Service
In October of 1967, Lieutenant Commander John McCain’s aircraft, a Skyhawk, was shot down over Truc Bach Lake, near Hanoi. He ejected from the plane but was badly injured with both arms and a leg broken. He was captured and tortured by a group of North Vietnamese who spit on him and kicked him; then, later he was tortured by North Vietnamese soldiers. He was eventually taken to Hoa Lo Prison, which was jokingly called “Hanoi Hilton.” At the prison, he was beaten unconscious on a daily basis, because he refused to divulge any information

His captors offered to release him when they found out that his father was the Pacific Commander, but he refused. The U.S. Military Code of Conduct requires that those who were first captured must be the first to be released. McCain would allow his release only if all of the other prisoners captured before him were also released. Although he signed a propaganda report after undergoing extreme torture, he regrets that signing. However, his captors were unable to use the report, and thus they tried to get him to sign a second one that they could use, and he steadfastly refused, a refusal that earned him more beatings and torture.

McCain was retained and tortured for nearly six years in North Vietnam at the notorious “Hanoi Hilton.” After his release in 1973, he returned to the U.S. He was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1981, he retired from naval service; he had attained the rank of captain.

Politics
McCain was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982. He embraced the Republican philosophy and was a Ronald Reagan supporter. He served two terms in the House, and then he was elected to the Senate in 1985, filling the seat held by Barry Goldwater.

Senator McCain announced his intention to seek the Republican nomination for president early in 2007, and he has consistently been a frontrunner. But now Rudy Giuliani and the as yet unannounced contender Fred Thompson are giving McCain some serious competition.

For further information:
John McCain Biography