House Resolution 6

A RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND COMMENDING THE DISTINGUISHED LIFE, PUBLIC SERVICE AND ESTEEMED CAREER OF WAR PATRIOT, NATIONAL HERO AND AMERICAN POLITICIAN EXTRAORDINAIRE, THE HONORABLE UNITED STATES SENATOR JOHN SIDNEY MCCAIN III, AND EXPRESSING DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY, COLLEAGUES, CONSTITUENTS AND FRIENDS UPON HIS PASSING.

WHEREAS, it is written in II Corinthians 4:17-18, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal," and as such, the immaculate author and finisher of our soul's destiny summoned the mortal presence of the Honorable United States Senator John Sidney McCain III of Arizona, to rest eternally, on Saturday, August 25, 2018, as he has made life's final transition from earthly travailing to heavenly reward, rendering great sorrow and loss to his family and friends; and

WHEREAS, the entirety of the United States lost a true patriot, naval aviator, war hero and beacon of America's political prowess with the passing of Senator John Sidney McCain III, born on August 29, 1936, the son of late United States naval officer, John Sidney McCain Jr., and his wife, Roberta Wright McCain, at Coco Solo Naval Station in the Panama Canal Zone, and there is now a hush in our hearts as we come together to pay our respects to the memory of one who has been called to join that innumerable heavenly caravan; and

WHEREAS, unequivocally destined to be a public servant, as deeply entrenched by the core values and tenets of selfless sacrifice instilled by his parents, Senator McCain, a 1958 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, who followed in his four-star admirals father and grandfather's footsteps, became a naval aviator and ground attack aircraft pilot during the Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS, enduring the unpredictable hardships of foreign conflict, Senator McCain survived the fire aboard the USS Forrestal in 1967, only to be shot down in his A-4E Skyhawk during a bombing mission, Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, suffering serious injury, captured and tortured by the North Vietnamese as a prisoner of war until 1973, which resulted in lifelong physical health implications, and garnered him the title of an American hero; and

WHEREAS, retiring from the United States as a Captain in 1981 and relocating to Arizona, McCain tossed his hat in the political arena, running for and winning his first bid for Congress in his 1982 campaign for the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms before transitioning into the United States Senate in 1987, wherein he easily won five consecutive bids for reelection; and

WHEREAS, while generally adhering to conservative principles, Senator McCain, who not only demanded the respect of his colleagues, but earned that respect and rapport by virtue of his military service and no-nonsense approach to addressing the most pressing needs of this nation, rose within the ranks of D.C.'s powerful political influence and served as Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and subsequent thereto as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2015, developing a reputation in the media as a political "maverick" for his willingness to disagree with his party on certain issues; and

WHEREAS, Senator McCain has been described as a "patriot of the highest order" and a "public servant in the finest traditions of our country," by former President George W. Bush, a sentiment echoed by former President Barack H. Obama, who stated the "Few of us have been tested the way John once was, or required to show the kind of courage that he did, but all of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own. At John's best, he showed us what that means"; and

WHEREAS, the Arizonan warrior politician's career in Washington spanned 40 years, first as a Navy Senate liaison and then as an elected official, maneuvers that sharpened him as a true conservative and foreign policy hawk, one who proclaimed in a speech at the Republican National Convention in his second bid for the office of United States President, that "I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else's. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again; I wasn't my own man anymore; I was my country's"; and

WHEREAS, it was this rationale that enabled Senator McCain to develop an impeccable ability to reach across the aisle of the Republican and Democratic parties' divide to place the essential needs and heightened policy concerns to build consensus and bipartisan coalitions to demonstrate unmitigated principles that the priority of these United States always supersedes those of partisan politics; and

WHEREAS, a celebrated and highly decorated war hero, who held the Silver Star, two Legion of Merits, Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Star Medals, two Purple Hearts, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and the Prisoner of War Medal, Senator McCain carried his own name into battle and into political fights for more than half a century, an odyssey driven by raw ambition and the conservative instincts of a shrewd military man with a resilient tenacity to advance the United States on the world stage; and

WHEREAS, one whose life and service has left an indelible imprint upon this nation, world and the political arena, Senator McCain's departure will mostly be endured by his survivors, who have both supported and defended him throughout his career as a national politician, including: his wife of 38 years, Mrs. Cindy Lou Hensley McCain; children, Douglas, Andrew, Sidney, John IV, James, Meghan and Bridget; his 106-year-old mother, Mrs. Roberta Wright McCain; five grandchildren; brother, Joe McCain; and a host of family, colleagues and very dear friends; and

WHEREAS, we encourage the family to find solace from the overwhelming sadness created by the earthly departure of their beloved family member and be renewed in their faith that Senator McCain fulfilled the purpose of his appointed time in adherence to the commandment of II Timothy 4:7, by having "fought a good fight, finishing his course and keeping the faith until the hour of his departure was at hand"; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to commend the life of an iconic staple of our national governing structure as the honorable gentleman from Arizona, Senator McCain, whose life light illuminated the path of hope for all he encountered along this earthly sojourn and inspired a nation to believe in the mantra of selfless perseverance:

NOW, THEREFORE, ON BEHALF OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby mourn the loss and commend the distinguished life, public service and esteemed career of war patriot, national hero and American politician extraordinaire, the Honorable United States Senator John Sidney McCain III, to whose family we express sincere and deepest sympathy upon his passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to the surviving family members of Senator John Sidney McCain III and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.