Vietnam War hero and U.S. Senator John Sidney McCain III (1936–2018) was born on this day in the Panama Canal Zone, the son and grandson of four-star admirals. Young “Johnny” was destined to serve.

“Leadership is both burden and privilege,” McCain said, knowing both deeply. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958, he served as a pilot for 22 years. In 1967, his plane was shot down over Hanoi. He spent more than five grueling years as a POW—much of it in solitary confinement.

Released in 1973, McCain rebuilt his life. “Speaking from experience, failing stinks,” he said. “Just don't stop there. Don't be undone by it. Move on. Failure is no more a permanent condition than success.”

A longtime admirer of Ronald Reagan, he entered politics in 1977 and was elected to Congress from Arizona in 1982, then to the Senate in 1985. Known for candor and grit, he said, “If hypocrisy were gold, the Capitol would be Fort Knox.”

In her biography Citizen McCain, journalist Elizabeth Drew praised his remarkable independence and grit, writing that McCain “had acquired a reputation for speaking out against injustice, for going his own way.”

That enduring spirit, rooted in sacrifice and conviction, earned him national respect across party lines. Though he did not win the presidency, his grace in loss and unwavering commitment to country left a legacy far more powerful than any title.