John McCain Passes Away at Age 81

War hero and longstanding Arizona Senator John McCain has passed away after a long battle against brain cancer. His family announced on Friday that he had stopped all treatment.

McCain was a 1958 graduate of the Naval Academy and a Naval aviator. While on a bombing mission in Vietnam in 1967 he was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese. He endured torture but still refuse early repatriation, choosing instead to stay with his fellow prisoners of war in Vietnam. The torture left him with lifelong disabilities. He was a prisoner of war for five and a half years.

McCain was elected to the U.S. House of representatives in 1982, and to the U.S. Senate in 1987 in the state of Arizona, winning re-election five times. He was known for his “maverick” personality, and frequently reached across the aisle to work with Democrats on important bills.

He was a candidate for President in 2000, losing in the primary to George W. Bush, and then in 2008, winning the Republican nomination in the primary, but losing to Barack Obama in the general election. 

Most recently McCain has been noted for his feud with President Donald Trump, however his support of the conservative agenda was always consistent.

McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer in July of last year. Doctors found a tumor while removing a blood clot from above his left eye. He continued his work in the Senate until a couple of months ago.

Senator McCain is survived by his wife, Cindy, and his seven children.