John McCain: Military Heritage and Moral Influences

Family Military Legacy and Its Influence on McCain

John McCain is one of the most influential political figures in America. Considering the presidential campaign in which he was a major contender, he was among the most important figures in the race for the White House. However, his early childhood and young adulthood were determinant in the evolution of his life. At the same time, his family background played a crucial role in shaping his beliefs, moral standards, and the values he came to advocate.

The extent of his popularity and political success was not always obvious, owing in part to his continuous struggle and political disagreement with another prominent Republican, George W. Bush. The disputes that arose over the years — especially during the last decade — highlighted, on the one hand, the value of John McCain as an individual and, on the other, his political potential. A prediction regarding the 2004 presidential race noted that "if McCain were to run for president as a Republican in the primaries in 2004, he could damage Bush's candidacy beyond repair, much as Ted Kennedy destroyed a sitting president, Jimmy Carter, in 1980. If McCain were to run as a Democrat (or even as an Independent), he could win." His political as well as human integrity was therefore plain to see. These qualities, however, represent the cumulative result of factors and influences that shaped both his life and political career.

Probably the first and most important influence he received was that of his family. In general, the family provides the individual with the first and most essential traits of character. In John McCain's case, this statement is beyond doubt. His military career and his future life would stand as comprehensive proof of the values and norms his father and grandfather sought to promote in their own careers and family lives.

He came from a family traditionally engaged in the United States armed forces, one that instilled in McCain the idea of supreme courage manifested in fighting for one's country. "His father, John S. 'Junior' McCain, and grandfather, John S. McCain, Sr., were famous four-star Admirals in the U.S. Navy. His father commanded U.S. forces in Europe before becoming commander of American forces fighting in Vietnam. His grandfather commanded naval aviation at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Both men became highly influential in U.S. Navy operations." From this perspective, both male figures guided him toward his future career.

McCain's Grandfather and Father as Role Models

His grandfather was one of the most respected figures in the Navy during the Second World War, well known for both his great qualities as a battle leader and his colorful temper and unique character. His military record at the Academy, however, was not one that would impress critics. "John's grandfather, Slew McCain, graduated a lackluster 79th out of 116 from the Naval Academy. Like his son and grandson, both of whom ranked even lower, Slew McCain would prove that a second-rate record at Annapolis did not foreclose success in the Navy." The similarity among the three men is remarkable: none was considered to show great potential based on academic performance alone, yet all three proved to be remarkable military figures with a deep sense of devotion to their country and to the principles of American democracy.

By way of general description, "John McCain's grandfather was a gaunt, hawk-faced man known as Slew by his fellow officers and affectionately as Popeye by the sailors who served under him. McCain Sr. played the horses, drank bourbon and water, and rolled his own cigarettes with one hand. More significantly, he was one of the navy's greatest commanders, and led the strongest aircraft carrier force of the Third Fleet in key battles during World War II." As proof of his special character, reports at the time of Japan's defeat noted that the Admiral chose to celebrate in his own particular style: "he went from group to group [on the Missouri]," greeting old acquaintances, and announced he was at work on the concoction of three new drinks, the "Judy," the "Grill," and the "Zeke," each named after a Japanese plane. "Each time you drink one you can say, 'Splash one Judy' or 'Splash one Zeke,'" he explained.

Fully impressed by his grandfather's example, the youngest John McCain is said to have known from an early age the direction his life would take — service to his country.

The military career played an essential role in the lives of all three men from the very beginning. John McCain's grandfather was the only one not born in a military area. John S. Junior McCain was born "in Council Bluffs because his father, during an extended tour of duty on the San Diego, was sailing around the southern tip of South America, and Katherine had traveled to Iowa to stay with a sister who had moved there." Similarly, John McCain's birthplace was connected to one of his father's assignments: "on August 19, 1936, having been designated a naval aviator, Slew was appointed Commander of Aircraft Squadrons and Attending Craft at the Coco Solo Air Base in the Panama Canal Zone. Jack happened to be stationed there." Those were the circumstances of John McCain's birth. "In keeping with the McCain family tradition, he was named John Sidney McCain III. Jack's son, too, would be given a nickname, just as Jack and Slew had been before him. This John Sidney McCain would be known as 'Johnny.'" The McCain family was thus profoundly shaped by military service, from the birthplaces determined by assigned missions to the traditions that figured so prominently in daily life.

Like his forebears, John McCain's father was a man for whom career was paramount. He was frequently stationed in different parts of the world, which limited his contact with his family and son. This reality showed McCain what sacrifice for one's country meant and what honor in military service required. Although he had witnessed from his grandfather's example the emotional distance military life imposed on a family — even when the grandfather was physically present, he remained absorbed in military affairs — this reality made him value duty to country and gave him a glimpse of the high moral worth that service conferred on a strong character.

The emotional distance was felt by the children, and in particular by John. The father-son relationship was built on honor and mutual respect — a particular kind of affection not always associated with ordinary fatherly love. This dynamic marked his childhood and early adulthood and transformed him into a person who sought refuge in other areas of his life. As one account put it, "father and son did not hunt or fish together, go to the movies, museums, or ballgames. [John's mother] Roberta said she doesn't remember Jack ever disciplining John. 'Jack was really kind of removed from things in a way,' she said. John spoke of pride, honor, and integrity when discussing his father, but rarely love, as if their relationship was one of respect, but not real affection."

The distant relationship made him simultaneously weak and strong. On one hand, it deprived him of the regular American family life that a thorough analysis of their dynamics reveals was largely absent. On the other, it strengthened his ability to adapt and to be independent. This was partly the product of the "resentment" he felt toward his father. As he admitted on one occasion: "I didn't spend as much time with him as maybe I would have if he'd been more committed to being around me."

Education, Upbringing, and the Search for Identity

Despite the military tradition of his family, the path McCain would later take was not one he had chosen from the outset. His parents' influence was decisive. In his early childhood he listened to war stories without any practical consideration of what those stories conveyed. His parents, however, later chose his direction by steering him toward a military education. "In the early years of his life, Johnny's parents made one decision about which they would be unwavering: when Johnny grew up, he would follow the family model and attend the Naval Academy and would then enter the navy. (...) The first demonstrative move Jack and Roberta made toward realizing their goal came in September 1946; they enrolled Johnny, then 10 years old, in St. Stephen's School in Alexandria, Virginia" as part of a preparation designed to make him eligible for the Naval Academy later on.

In contemporary society, parents who decide their children's life path are often viewed as overstepping the child's freedom to choose. At the time of McCain's early childhood, however, such actions represented part of a process by which the values and moral standards of previous generations were instilled in the character of the young adult — preparing him for a life conducted according to the highest moral code of the military. Although it might seem old-fashioned in retrospect, it represented for John McCain both an incentive and the opportunity to follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps.

His experience of the parent-child relationship had an important effect on the political positions he later adopted. The fact that his parents had carefully guided the factors and environment that influenced him is reflected in the political stances he would exhibit as a senator. He became an advocate for parents' right and duty to monitor the elements that could affect the mental and physical well-being of their children. In 1999, "McCain issued 'An Appeal to Hollywood' calling for a 'new social compact' that reminds parents of their serious responsibilities in determining the entertainment media in which their children involve themselves. 'Our homes are being flooded by a tide of media violence,' said McCain. 'As concerns grow over the climate of violence in our culture today, it's important not only for parents to take a greater role in their children's lives but also to encourage the industry to be responsible citizens.'"

The first years of his formal education proved essential for his development as an individual. The school environment was demanding not so much academically as morally. "When McCain arrived at Episcopal in the fall of 1951, he found a place steeped in heritage and traditions that demanded rigid adherence to social and cultural codes, as exemplified by the honor code." This environment gave him his first opportunity to step outside the restricted, disciplined family world his parents had created.

His relationship with his siblings was greatly influenced by the family's circumstances. Although they might have appeared to outsiders as a traditional American family, McCain and his siblings were mostly raised by their mother. As he recalled: "My father was gone so much at sea and so there was a kind of self-reliance on us and within the family." This state of affairs influenced not so much his military career as his broader perspective on life as a complex endeavor.

The time spent in schools, and later at the military academy, was for John a period of continuous soul-searching and a struggle to find his own identity — a time he would later characterize as one of experimentation. He discovered a passion for films and music and embraced the life a regular young adult would lead. This was a natural consequence of the pressures that a family background such as his placed on the formation of a young character. The death of his father prompted him to stop his teenage adventures and enroll in the Naval Academy. Even so, he resented having little control over his future and was often assessed through the subjective lens of his family's reputation. "If there was ever a military brat, it was Johnny McCain. He was born in a navy hospital in the Panama Canal Zone while his father was stationed there, but that was just the beginning of the long, odd childhood of a boy who grew up under the pressure of being the son and grandson of navy brass." These pressures help explain his less-than-distinguished academic record at the Academy.

The rebellious dimension of his young adulthood also contributed substantially to the way he later conducted politics. His admiration for Marlon Brando as the embodiment of "cool," and the periods of rebelliousness that many ordinary people can identify with, allowed him to present himself to the electorate as "a man of the people. He visited hundreds of town meetings and local gatherings (...) people felt that they could approach him and that he would listen to what they had to say."

Conclusion: A Life Shaped by Service and Experience

Overall, John McCain stands as one of the most important figures in American politics. Whether despite his age — had he been elected president, he would have become the oldest person elected to that office — or precisely because of it, he developed a sense of conviction and value that can only be understood as the product of a singular family background, an education rooted in a strict code of behavior, and the accumulating weight of lived experience. An important role in shaping his character was also played by the women in his life who, despite public scandals and controversies, stood by him and, in doing so, underscored the genuine nature of his qualities.

From his grandfather's battlefield leadership to his father's emotional distance, from the honor codes of his preparatory schools to the ordeal of captivity in Hanoi, each phase of McCain's life contributed a distinct layer to the man and the politician he became. His story illustrates how a military upbringing can simultaneously impose constraints and forge resilience — producing a public figure whose deepest convictions were shaped long before he ever entered the arena of electoral politics.