John McCain (McCain Victorious)

John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is an American politician and serviceman who served as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009 and previously served as a from  beginning in 1987.

McCain followed his and, both four-star admirals, into the , graduating from the  in 1958. He became a naval aviator, flying ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the, he was almost killed in the. In October 1967, while on a bombing mission over Hanoi, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture, and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. His war wounds have left him with lifelong physical limitations.

McCain retired from the Navy at the rank of in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. He served two terms in the House before being elected to the Senate in 1986; where he was elected to three terms before running for president in 2000. McCain managed to defeat Texas Governor George W. Bush in the Republican primaries and went on to narrowly defeat Vice President.

Months after taking office, the occurred. McCain responded by ordering the invasion of Afghanistan and signing the CAND Act into effect.