John McCain Passes Away

[Fallout]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45312217

Regardless of how much I disagreed with his politics, brain cancer is a horrendous experience to go through, and I'm glad he's at some peace. I hope his family can find some peace and solace in this time.

[Jack-Hammer]

I didn't agree with many of his political views, but I never doubted that he was an inherently honorable person. He was never in anyone's pocket, he owed no allegiances to interests groups and even went out of his way to abstain from votes in which he feels he'd be compromised or in which could be construed as showing any sort of favoritism. For instance when it came to votes on any sort of alcohol related matters, he would always recuse himself because his family is closely connected to Anheuser-Busch through the Hensley & Co. distributor, of which his widow is Chairwoman of the Board for the company. The last few years, some of his opinions on various issues such as gun control and some LGBT rights were changing.

Cancer is a bitch, no question about it and you knew for almost an absolute fact that his case was terminal. I mean, let's face it, 80 year old men don't beat brain cancer. The body is already worn out and the treatments will buy some time but can also make the experience all the more difficult, just depending on how a person responds to said treatments. At least he passed with dignity and grace, which I think is ultimately what most of us want.

Rest easy soldier and thanks for the service. :wave:

[Slyfox696]

Same as others, I'm not sure I always agreed with him politically, but I do like/respect the fact he wasn't afraid to stand up to Donald Trump, when so many others in the Republican Party are basically bending over for him. And that integrity wasn't just on display the past year and a half, who could ever forget McCain refusing to go down the racist road Republicans ultimately chose?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrnRU3ocIH4

[Big Nick Dudley]

He redeemed himself with his opposition to Trump. In 2007/8, he kind of sold out his Maverick persona. Regardless, I always found him to reside outside of the conservative elitist realm. I have a lot of respect for McCain.

[EnviousDominous]

To me; he was the most genuine politician in Washington. No matter how nasty things got, he was always level headed and did everything he could to keep things real. He was the only politician I knew who would actively try to find middle ground without selling out his status as a hard-nosed Republican, and thus wasn't afraid to make positive change while working with fellow members of Congress from the left.

He came out to a few deployed locations where I was stationed. He always knew the right questions to ask. Other political figures would stop by and ask the usual round of disingenuous nonsense questions like "How are you holding up?" and "Are you liking the food?" Senator McCain would look us in the eye when he was asking us a question, and it would be something like "How is your family?" or "How long have you been here?" You could tell by the tone of his voice and by his demeanor that he really did care about the answer, and he showed that he was conscious of what's on the mind of most deployed members. The officers in charge couldn't bullshit him, he'd get the vibe of the camp directly from the junior enlisted members and he would do something significant if there was a problem.

He was also a very warm and approachable person. I attended a military appreciation barbecue at his ranch in Arizona, and I was terrified to approach him. I was in line getting my food, and the person behind me made a snarky comment about the food. I said something equally snarky and that person laughed. When I looked to see who it was, it was Senator Lindsey Graham. I kept my cool, but I was totally star struck. I sat and talked with Senator Graham, and some of the conversation was him talking about how good a friend Senator McCain had been to him. I asked if it would be taboo to just walk up and talk to Senator McCain, and he walked me over to him. Senator McCain had just picked up a plate of cake for dessert, but he stood there with a warm smile and mentioned that he remembered seeing me in Afghanistan. We chatted for about five minutes, and he asked if I wanted a picture. That was one of the greatest days of my life, and I'm sure that Senator McCain had granted that same feeling to many other people he knew in his life.

My heart goes out to his Mom and Daughter, we all lost a great Senator, but they lost the man behind the legend.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/936811_10151363117841268_610672347_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=c1e5edfac20c17496714b44b874ec997&oe=5C290A17