[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 144 (Tuesday, August 28, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO JOHN SIDNEY McCAIN III: AMERICAN HERO, LION OF THE SENATE, 
        NAVAL AVIATOR, AND PATRIOT WHO ALWAYS PUT COUNTRY FIRST

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 28, 2018

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise not to mourn the death but to 
celebrate the remarkable life of John Sidney McCain III, the lion of 
the Senate, a valiant naval aviator, and an `American Pericles' who 
always put country first.
  In degree and kind, it will be a long time before our nation again 
sees the likes of John McCain, whom we lost at the age of 81.
  The son and grandson of Navy admirals, Senator McCain chose to give 
back to this country through service, as has been the calling of his 
family since the early years of the last century.
  Senator McCain's love of country was manifested not merely through 
words; he showed his fidelity to this nation through his deeds.
  During his six years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, 
Senator McCain endured the torture and indignities of the infamous 
Hanoi Hilton.
  When his imprisoners realized he was of official stock, they offered 
him early release.
  Then-naval aviator McCain refused, and showed the valor and courage 
for which he would soon become known.
  After his time as a POW, he was elected in 1982 to the U.S. House of 
Representatives and served for two terms prior to his election to the 
United States Senate in 1986, a position he held until his death.
  Through his six terms in the U.S. Senate, Senator McCain developed a 
well-deserved reputation as a statesman--a legislator who did not 
conform to partisan entrenchment and worked to formulate innovative 
solutions with members across the aisle.
  John McCain's first duty always was to country.
  When President Bill Clinton called for the nation to bind the wounds 
of the Vietnam War, President Clinton sent Senator John McCain.
  When the pervasive, and at times corrosive, effect of money in 
politics reached critical mass, Senator John McCain reached across the 
aisle and championed landmark legislation to curb the excesses of our 
system of campaign finance.
  And, when the Trump Republicans' threat to the landmark Affordable 
Care Act came within striking distance of reality, Senator John 
McCain--by then diagnosed with terminal brain cancer--appeared on the 
floor of the institution he loved so much, and saved the law championed 
by his former political rival, President Barack Obama.
  Through it all, Senator John McCain exhibited grace, class, and 
sacrifice; he was the very embodiment of the civic virtue this country 
needs and requires of its public servants.
  Senator John McCain's record of service has both earned the respect 
of his colleagues throughout the years and has been a source of 
inspiration to millions of young people across the nation and around 
the world.
  Senator John McCain's dedication to country over party, to his fellow 
countrymen over self, and to the greater good over personal gain, is a 
model of conduct for those who seek to lead this nation.
  I send my sincerest thoughts and prayers to his family in this most 
difficult time, and urge all Americans, in celebration of this 
extraordinary statesman, to work to recover our sense of civility and 
to find the common ground needed to advance the common good.
  I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in memory of an 
American hero, John Sidney McCain III.

                          ____________________