McCain family
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.
Family heritage
[edit]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]
Notes
[edit]- ^ Chideya, Farai (2008-10-21). "Black McCains Share Family's Struggles, Triumphs". NPR. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ Boatner 1996, p. 106.
- ^ a b c "Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet > Ships > USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) > About". United States Navy. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ Gilbert 2006, pp. 5–7.
- ^ Tynes, Scott. "Camp McCain Celebrates 75th Anniversary". DVIDS - News. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ Ahrens, Frank (3 February 2000). "Brother on Board". The Washington Post. p. C01. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ Superville, Darlene (2009-05-22). "Obama vows not to send people to war without cause". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
- ^ "Jack Mccain, Son of Sen. John Mccain, Weds Renee Swift in San Francisco". The Washington Post. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Sen. McCain's youngest son joins Marine Corps". Marine Corps Times. Associated Press. 31 July 2006. Archived from the original on 1 August 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-01.
- ^ "McCain win might stop sons from deploying". Navy Times. 10 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
- ^ Jennifer Steinhauer (2007-12-27). "Bridging 4 Decades, a Large, Close-Knit Brood". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
References
[edit]- Boatner, Mark M. (1996). The Biographical Dictionary of World War II. Novato, California: Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-548-3. OCLC 60230621.
- Gilbert, Alton (2006). A Leader Born: The Life of Admiral John Sidney McCain, Pacific Carrier Commander. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Casemate. ISBN 1-932033-50-5. OCLC 71012417.
Further reading
[edit]- McCain, John S. III; Salter, Mark (1999). Faith of My Fathers. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-375-50191-6. OCLC 40776751.