[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 37 (Thursday, March 14, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1828-S1829]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JOHN McCAIN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, more than four decades ago, millions 
of people watched in awe as Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the 
Moon. I remember that day still, and I am sure many of you do. It 
remains one of our country's proudest moments. But not every American 
was able to share in the excitement. As the senior Senator from Arizona 
put it, when the momentous event occurred, I had no idea it was 
happening. I and several hundred comrades were otherwise engaged. That 
is because 2 years earlier, on his 23rd bombing run over Vietnam, a 
missile hit Lieutenant Commander McCain's plane. He ejected, his body 
spiraling through the air until it hit water thousands of feet below--a 
lake right in the center of Hanoi.
  An angry mob set upon him. They ripped off his clothes; they hit, 
kicked, and spat upon him. They bayoneted his ankle and his groin. The 
Senator was left with two broken arms and a broken leg, and he passed 
sort of in and out of consciousness. But he has never forgotten what 
came next, when Vietnamese forces gathered him up and took him to the 
so-called Hanoi Hilton. As the massive steel doors locked shut behind 
him, Senator McCain said he felt ``a deeper dread than [he has] ever 
felt since.''
  He would remain an enemy captive for the next 5\1/2\ years, cut off 
from family and friends, from even the simplest joys of life, things 
you and I take for granted: the aromas of Thanksgiving, the far-away 
thrill of cheering a hometown team on to victory, the sounds that let 
us know the world around us is alive with action, with movement, with 
hope. But John McCain never lost hope even when he was locked in 
solitary confinement and even when he was tortured. His captors poorly 
cast his broken arms on purpose. They broke an arm again and hung the 
young captive by his lifeless limbs so they could torture him some 
more.
  Eventually, Vietnamese officials discovered he was the son of a high-
ranking Navy officer and offered him a release. He turned their offers 
down. It was partly because he knew an early release would be used 
cynically by the Communist propaganda machine but, more importantly, 
because he refused to skip the line ahead of his fellow POWs.
  It is one thing to talk about attributes such as courage and bravery 
in the abstract, it is quite another to demonstrate those qualities in 
the most trying of circumstances. It reminds me of an old saying: ``The 
superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions.'' That 
kind of man--well, that is just who John McCain is.
  His campaign motto in 2008 was ``Country First.'' For some 
politicians that might have been just a slogan, but for my colleague 
from Arizona I know it was authentically and truly him. Senator McCain 
still wears the scars of his long detention. He cannot raise his arms 
above shoulder level. One of his legs still has not fully healed. I can 
only imagine the weight of the memories he still must carry with him. 
Yet he endures--a man who has always seen his life in service, 
transformed from a captive of the enemy into a servant of the people.
  For more than 30 years he has represented Arizona with great 
distinction, in both the House and Senate. He is a valued member of the 
Senate Republican Conference, especially when it comes to issues he 
cares about most passionately--defense being at the top of the list. As 
someone who experienced the horrors of war in the truest sense, he 
understands what it means to send young Americans into harm's way, and 
he never takes those decisions lightly.
  Because he knows what it means to be in chains, he also understands 
what it means to be free. He was able to leave his prison behind, but 
for millions around the world there is no escape from suffering and 
despair. That is why Senator McCain has always been so outspoken about 
his view of the responsibility we, as a free people, have to help 
others secure their own liberty, whether in Pyongyang, Libya, Damascus, 
or--a cause close to my own heart as well--Burma.
  He has been absolutely unafraid to take unpopular and sometimes 
solitary stands on issues when he believes in the cause. He never 
wavered in his support for the surge in Iraq, for instance, even when 
others said it would take a ``willing suspension of disbelief'' for the 
policy to succeed, but it did. That is why when he speaks, others 
listen--even when they may not agree with him.
  Senator McCain provides a unique and much needed perspective in the 
Senate, and we are fortunate to have him as our colleague. He certainly 
knows I am grateful for his contributions. Let's take a moment today to 
mark the 40th anniversary of Senator McCain's release from captivity 
and to thank him for his sacrifice on behalf of all of us for enduring 
the unendurable, for keeping faith with his fellow POWs, and for 
believing in our country when others had given up hope. We honor him 
for his service, service that began as a plebe so many years ago, and 
service that continues today as a Member of the Senate.
  We thank you, Senator McCain.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Arizona.

[[Page S1829]]

  Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I am grateful for the kind words and 
sentiment expressed by my leader Senator McConnell, and I appreciate 
very much his kind remarks. On this anniversary day, I still think the 
greatest honor of my life was the privilege of serving in the company 
of heroes who inspired all of us to things that otherwise we may not 
have been capable of. It has been a great honor for me to serve with 
Senator McConnell as my leader in the Senate. On this particular day, I 
appreciate his very kind sentiments.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Maryland.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. Madam President, what a wonderful speech. I am proud to 
serve with Senator McCain. America has so few heroes. America needs all 
the heroes we can get, and people whom we can identify with--not comic 
book figures wearing weird costumes. There are men and women who put 
themselves in harm's way and do daring and dashing things for the good 
of other people, and it is just an honor. We have our dustups, but that 
is part of the fun.
  I just want to salute Senator McCain in the warmest and most sincere 
way. God bless Senator McCain, and we wish him good health--and even a 
good voice and occasionally a good amendment. Again, it is an honor.
  If I might speak to the Republican leader, I am so glad Senator 
McConnell did this today because I think we need to take a pause to 
understand why we are in it together, why we should respect each other, 
work with each other, and take a moment or two to recall a great story 
about a great hero.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Arizona.
  Mr. McCAIN. Madam President, I thank the Senator from Maryland. I can 
assure her that if she and I had served together in that place faraway, 
she would have been a very tough and courageous resister.
  Ms. MIKULSKI. I thank the Senator.

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