Presidency of John McCain (SIADD)

The Presidency of John McCain began at noon EST on January 20, 2009 when he became the 44th President of the United States. McCain was a United States Senator from Arizona at the time of his victory over Illinois Senator Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election. He is the oldest man elected to the office of the presidency, and the first president born outside of contiguous United States.

Awards and decorations
John McCain has received the following medals and decorations:

Other awards
On January 27, 2010, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili awarded McCain the Order of the National Hero of Georgia for his strong support for Georgia during the 2008 Georgia-Russia War, stating at one point that now "we are all Georgians" and vehemently criticising the actions of Russia. The award ceremony was held in the southwestern Georgian resort of Batumi. Saakashvili said McCain called him during the war and told him "not to surrender and not to say no to freedom" when "some well-known world figures were telling us to stop resistance." He continued that "The fact that a part of Georgia is free today is the achievement of our friends. It was the idea of freedom that stopped [Russian] tanks in Georgia". McCain said the award was "an expression of partnership and solidarity between our two nations, confronted by common challenges, bound by common interests, and united by common democratic values. Of all the honours I've received in my life the National Hero Award is among the most meaningful and it is one that I would cherish forever." At the beginning of the ceremony, McCain was also handed what Saakashvili said was a golden pistol that once belonged to an American pilot captured by Soviet troops in Vietnam. He said it had been sold during the August war to a Georgian businessman by a Russian general.