John S. McCain, Jr.

Infobox Military Person
name=John S. McCain Jr.
born= birth date|1911|1|17
died= death date and age|1981|3|22|1911|1|17
placeofburial= Arlington National Cemetery


caption=Admiral John S. McCain, Jr.
nickname=Jack
placeofbirth= Council Bluffs, Iowa
placeofdeath= In air over North Atlantic
allegiance= United States of America
branch= United States Navy
serviceyears=1931-1972
rank= Admiral
spouse= Roberta McCain
unit=
commands=USS Gunnel (SS-253) USS Dentuda (SS-335) U.S. Naval Forces Europe U.S. Pacific Command
battles=World War II Korean War Vietnam War
awards=Navy Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star Legion of Merit Bronze Star
relations=Adm. John S. McCain, Sr. (father) Sen. John S. McCain III (son)
laterwork=

John Sidney McCain Jr. (January 17, 1911 – March 22, 1981) was a four star admiral in the United States Navy who served in World War II through the Vietnam War. In World War II, he was a submarine commander in several theaters of operation and was decorated with both the Silver Star and Bronze Star. In the Vietnam War, he was named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC), commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater from 1968 to 1972.

His father John S. McCain, Sr. was also a four-star admiral in the Navy, and they were the first father-son pair to achieve four-star admiral rank. His son John S. McCain III is a former naval aviator who retired with the rank of Captain and is currently a United States Senator and the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States.

Early years, education and family

McCain was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, while his father was away at sea and his mother was traveling cross country to visit with her sister.cite web | url=http://www.mccain.navy.mil/Site%20Pages/namesake3.aspx | title=USS John S. McCain (DDG56): Namesake | author=John McCain (likely) | publisher=United States Navy | accessdate=2008-10-02] His family name was "Jack", although he would also be called "Junior" by others, which he preferred less.

Besides his father, his uncle (his father's brother) was U.S. Army Brigadier General William Alexander McCain. His family tree also had other people engaged in military service, back through many wars.Timberg, "An American Odyssey", [http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/t/timberg-mccain.html pp. 17–34.] ]

McCain entered the United States Naval Academy in 1927, at age 16. He disliked the hazing tradition of Annapolis, and spent his years there gaining many demerits and and mediocre grades. For much of his final year there, he was banished from Bancroft Hall, the normal residence for midshipmen, and forced to live on the barracks ship "Reina Mercedes" instead. He graduated in 1931, finishing 423 out of 441 in class rank, eighteenth from the bottom. Upon graduation he was commissioned an ensign and assigned to duty aboard the battleship USS "Oklahoma" in the Pacific.Reynolds, "Famous American Admirals", p. 208.] He applied to flight school to become a naval aviator, but was turned down due to a heart murmur, and was accepted at submarine school instead.

He married Roberta Wright on January 21, 1933, when they eloped to a bar in Tijuana, Mexico, after Roberta's mother objected to her association with a sailor.cite news | url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/156488 | title=Hidden Depths | author=Meacham, Jon | publisher="Newsweek" | date=2008-08-30 | accessdate=2008-09-04] They would have three children: Sandy (born 1934), John Sidney III (born 1936), and Joe (born 1942).

The family was frequently uprooted as they followed him to New London, Connecticut, where the submarine training began in 1933, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and other stations in the Pacific Ocean.Alexander, "Man of the People", p. 19.] He served on the old, World War I-era submarines "S-45" and "R-13". From 1938 to 1940, he returned to the Naval Academy for a stint of teaching electrical engineering to midshipmen. In 1940 and early 1941, he sailed in the more modern "Skipjack" (then commanded by Larry Freeman) [Blair, "Silent Victory", p.164.] as part of the Pacific Fleet's SubDiv 15, under Captain Ralph Christie. [Blair, p.82.] In April 1941, McCain was detached to his first command, the antique "O-8", recommissioned as a training ship at the Submarine School in New London.

After the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, he would not see his family for long stretches.

World War II

McCain, by now a lieutenant commander, was assigned to command the submarine "Gunnel", joining her in May 1942 for trials and seeing the boat commissioned in August 1942.

"Gunnel" was deployed as part of the November 1942 invasion of French North Africa. Operating conditions for the five submarines deployed there were not favorable, due to overcrowded waters, poor weather, and mixed-up signals, and the deployment had no accomplishments. Like many other U.S. subs, "Gunnel" was attacked in error by friendly aircraft.Blair, "Silent Victory", p.265.] The Hooven-Owens-Rentschler (H.O.R.) diesels (known as "whores") which powered "Gunnel" were troublesome; at one point "en route" home, drive gears of all four of the main engines were out of commission, and McCain had to rely on his tiny auxiliary for the last thousand miles (1850 km). "Gunnel" went into the navy yard for an extensive refit and was replaced on patrol station off North Africa by "Pilly" Lent's "Haddo".]

After the refit, "Gunnel" was ordered to the Pacific Fleet. In June 1943, in the East China and Yellow Seas, McCain sank two ships (confirmed postwar by JANAC): "Koyo Maru" (6400 tons) and "Tokiwa Maru" (7000 tons). Persistent trouble from the sub's diesels cut the patrol to only eleven days, after which McCain returned to Pearl Harbor. [Blair, "Silent Victory", p.439-40]

"Gunnel" was the first Pearl Harbor boat to have her H.O.R. diesels replaced, and she returned to action off Iwo Jima in December 1943. Alerted by HYPO of carriers, on the night of 2-3 December, McCain fired four torpedoes at IJNS "Zuihō" at a very long range of 6000 yd (5500 m, 3 mi), only to miss as "Zuiho" zigged. [Blair, "Silent Victory", p. 527] Although he missed, McCain was one of only a handful of U.S. submarine commanders to actually attack an enemy carrier.

On 18 March 1944, on patrol off Tawi Tawi, the main Japanese fleet anchorage in the Philippines, McCain got another shot at a carrier. He fired from extremely long range (9000 yd {8200 m}), missed the target, and sustained a counterattack of sixteen depth charges. He tried to attack the same carrier over the next four days, but could place his boat no closer than 5 nm (9 km). [Blair, "Silent Victory", p. 582]

During the May 1944 U.S. air strike on Surabaya, "Gunnel" lay off Tawi Tawi in company with Robert Olsen's "Angler", but McCain managed no attacks on Japanese ships. He shifted his operations to the coast of Indochina, where, on 8 June 1944, he picked up a convoy, escorted by yet another aircraft carrier. He was unable to approach closer than 15 nautical miles (28 km). In July 1944, he was detached for a brief return to New London.

On his return to Pearl Harbor then, the Navy ordered him to command the new "Dentuda" starting October 1944, with commissioning two months later. During his one patrol in command of that submarine, he damaged a large freighter and sank two patrol craft in the East China Sea and the Taiwan Straits. [Blair, p.630] At the conclusion of the war, McCain sailed "Dentuda" into Tokyo Bay and had one last meeting with his father, who had been commanding the Fast Carrier Task Force during the latter stages of the war. Slew McCain would die four days after the Japanese surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. [McCain and Salter, "Faith of My Fathers", pp. 3–6, 92.]

For his actions in the war, McCain was decorated with both the Silver Star and Bronze Star.Alexander, "Man of the People", pp. 13–14.]

Post-World War II

After the end of the war, McCain stayed in the Navy and his family settled in Northern Virginia.Alexander, "Man of the People", p. 20.] He was assigned as Director of Records to the Bureau of Naval Personnel until early 1949. He assumed command of Submarine Division 71 in the Pacific that year, sailing on the flagship "Carp", which took him to a variety of naval stations [Alexander, "Man of the People", p. 21.] and two exploratory cruises to extreme northern waters, adding to the knowledge of an increasingly important strategic area for submarine operations.

By now a commander, from February through November 1950, McCain was executive officer of the heavy cruiser USS "Saint Paul", and from June 1950 was involved in the early stages of the Korean War, joining Task Force 77 to patrol the Formosa Strait.cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=FB0F17FD385D0C778EDDAA0894D9484D81 | title=Adm. John S. McCain Jr. is Dead; Ex-Commander of Pacific Forces | publisher="The New York Times" | date=1981-03-24] cite web | url=http://www.uss-saint-paul-ca73.com/The%20Fighting%20Saint.htm | title=Executive Officers | publisher=The Fighting Saint website | date=2008-09-26 | accessdate=2008-10-02]

Now a captain, McCain was assigned to a series of posts at The Pentagon in alternation with various commands. He was Director of Undersea Warfare Research and Development from 1950 to 1953, commander of Submarine Squadron 6 aboard flagship "Sea Leopard" in the Atlantic from 1953 to 1954, commander of the attack transport "Monrovia" from 1954 to 1955 in the Mediterranean, Director of the Progress Analysis Group from 1955 to 1957, and commander of the heavy cruiser "Albany" from 1957 to 1958.

McCain was promoted to rear admiral in 1958.Alexander, "Man of the People", p. 34.] From that year to 1960 he was assigned to the the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, where he joined the Legislative Affairs Office as Chief Legislative Liaison. There he formed many useful political connections, as senators, representatives, admirals, and generals were all frequent social visitors to his centrally-located D.C. house, which would later become the Capitol Hill Club. [Timberg, "Nightingale's Song", pp. 40–41.] (His son John would witness these interactions and two decades later assume the same role, on the way to the start of his political career.)

From 1960 to 1962, McCain held commands in the Atlantic, including Amphibious Group 2 and Amphibious Training, and served on "Taconic" and "Mount McKinley". From 1962 to 1963 he was Chief of Naval Information, initiating the post and garnering influence with the Washington press that would aid his career.

He was promoted to vice admiral in 1963, and was made commander of the entire Amphibious Forces, Atlantic Fleet. In April 1965, he led the United States invasion of the Dominican Republic as commander of Task Force 124. He then served three roles simultaneously: vice chairman of delegation to the United Nations Military Staff Committee, Commander Eastern Sea Frontier, and Commander Atlantic Reserve Fleet. The U.N. post was considered to be a dead-end, but his political contacts kept his career going. [McCain, "Faith of My Fathers", p. 94.] In May 1967, he was promoted to admiral, and became Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe, stationed in London. He was involved in the investigations that followed the 1967 USS "Liberty" incident.

McCain was known for his salty charactercite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,951632,00.html | title=(Milestones: Died) | publisher="Time" | date=1981-04-06] Timberg, "Nightingale's Song", p. 32.] and trademark cigar.

McCain was a strong promoter of the importance of seapower. During the Cold War, McCain stressed the importance of maintaining naval superiority over the Soviet Union. He was especially concerned in light of the growing number of submarines deployed by the Soviet Navy, calling them, "a direct threat to our free use of the oceans of the world." He also said that the Soviets' maritime goal "encompasses not only the military uses of the sea, but also those relating to world politics, economics, commerce and technology," and likened its propaganda value to the Space Race. [cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F1061EF93C5E1A7B93C6AB178AD85F4C8685F9 | title=Admiral Says Soviet Is Striving to Rule the Seas | author=Arnold, Martin | publisher="The New York Times" | date=1968-01-24]

Vietnam War

In April 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, McCain was named by President Lyndon Johnson as Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC), effective in July 1968, stationed in Honolulu and commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater. [cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F50F16F73E541B7B93C3A8178FD85F4C8685F9 | title=Gen. Abrams Gets Top Vietnam Post; Deputy Is Named | author=Frankel, Max | publisher="The New York Times" | date=1968-04-11]

When the Nixon Administration took office in January 1969, the secret National Security Study Memorandum 1 collected views of top officials on the prospects for President Richard Nixon's policy of Vietnamization. There was a division of thought among those contributing, but McCain was one of those who were relatively optimistic, believing the North Vietnamese had entered peace talks due to military weakness, that the South Vietnamese pacification progress was real, and the tide was favorably turning.Kissinger, "Ending the Vietnam War", p. 50.]

In April 1970, McCain gave personal briefings to Nixon in Honolulu and San Clemente, where he highlighted the threat from North Vietnamese operations in Laos and Cambodia and emphasized the schedule for withdrawal of U.S. ground forces from Vietnam had to be flexible.Kissinger, "Ending the Vietnam War", pp. 144–145.] McCain's views helped persuade Nixon to go ahead with the Cambodian Incursion later that month.

During all this time, his son, a naval aviator John S. McCain III was held in North Vietnam as a prisoner of war for nearly five and a half years, having been shot down in October 1967. Each year Jack McCain was CINCPAC, he paid a Christmastime visit to the American troops in South Vietnam serving closest to the DMZ; he would stand alone and look north, to be as close to his son as he could get.McCain and Salter, "Faith of My Fathers", pp. 287–288. John McCain states he has received dozens of reports over the years of his father doing this.]

During Operation Linebacker, the resumed bombing of the north starting in April 1972, the targets included the Hanoi area and the daily orders were issued by McCain, knowing his POW son was in the vicinity.Timberg, "An American Odyssey", pp. 106–107.] McCain's tour as CINCPAC ended in September 1972, [Frankum, "Like Rolling Thunder", p. 161.] despite his request to have it extended so he could see the war to its conclusion, which was turned down by Nixon. For the next two months, he served as special assistant to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr.

National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger would later characterize McCain's approach to the Vietnam War by saying, "He fought for the victory that his instinct and upbringing demanded and that political reality forbade."

Retirement

Admiral McCain retired in November 1972.Reynolds, "Famous American Admirals", p. 209.] He felt despair over his reluctant retirement from the United States Navy and fell into prolonged poor health afterwards.McCain and Salter, "Worth the Fighting For", pp. 3–4.] His son John felt his father's "long years of binge drinking" had caught up with him, despite his mostly successful subsequent recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous.

He died of heart failure on a military aircraft en route from Europe on 22 March 1981, with his wife at his side. [The plane landed at Bangor, Maine where his death was confirmed, and then went on to Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington. See "Worth the Fighting For", p.5. This has lead some web sources to inaccurately report the place of death as Washington.] He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on March 27, 1981.

Namesakes

USS "John S. McCain" (DDG-56) was named for both Admirals McCain.

Grandson John S. McCain IV is currently attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the fourth-generation John S. McCain to do so.

Awards

John McCain received the following medals and decorations ("incomplete"):Fact|date=October 2008

ee also

References

Books

*cite book |title = Man of the People: The Life of John McCain |first = Paul |last = Alexander |authorlink=Paul Alexander |isbn = 0-471-22829-X |year = 2002 |publisher = John Wiley & Sons|location=Hoboken, New Jersey
*cite book
last = Blair, Jr.
first = Clay
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2001
chapter =
title = Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location = Annpolis, Maryland
id = ISBN 155750217X
*cite book | last=Frankum | first=Ronald Bruce | title=Like Rolling Thunder: The Air War In Vietnam 1964-1975 | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield | year=2005 | isbn=0-7425-4302-1
*cite book | last=Kissinger | first=Henry | authorlink=Henry Kissinger | title=Ending the Vietnam War: A History of America's Involvement in and Extrication from the Vietnam War | publisher=Simon and Schuster | year=2003 | isbn=0-7432-1532-X
*cite book
last = McCain
first = John
authorlink = John S. McCain III
coauthors =
year = 1999
chapter =
title = The Reminiscences of Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., U.S. Navy (retired)
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location = Annpolis, Maryland
id = ASIN B0006RY8ZK
*cite book | last=McCain | first=John | authorlink=John McCain |coauthors =Salter, Mark | title=Faith of My Fathers | publisher=Random House | year=1999 |location=New York | isbn=0-375-50191-6
*cite book | last=McCain | first=John | authorlink=John McCain | coauthors =Salter, Mark | title=Worth the Fighting For | publisher=Random House | year=2002 |location=New York | isbn=0-375-50542-3
*cite book | last=Reynolds | first=Clark G. | authorlink=Clark G. Reynolds | title=Famous American Admirals | publisher=Naval Institute Press | year=2002 | isbn=1557500061
*cite book |last=Timberg |first=Robert |title=The Nightingale's Song |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=1996 |location=New York |isbn=0-684-80301-1 Online access to [http://www.amazon.com/Nightingales-Song-Robert-Timberg/dp/product-description/0684826739 a portion of Chapter 1] is available.
*cite book |last=Timberg |first=Robert |title= |publisher=Touchstone Books |year=1999 |location=New York |isbn=0-684-86794-X Online access to [http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/t/timberg-mccain.html Chapter 1] is available.