Book Description
John McCain's grandfather was rail thin, a gaunt,
hawk-faced man known as "Slew" by his fellow
officers and, affectionately, as "Popeye" by the
sailors who served under him. McCain Sr. played the horses,
drank bourbon and water, and rolled his own cirgarettes with
one hand. more significantly, he was one of the Navy's
greatest commanders, who led the air craft carrier of the
Third Fleet in key battles during World War II.
John McCain's father followed a similar path, one that was
equally distinguished by heroic service in the Navy as a
submarine commander who fought off Japanese depth charge
attacks during World War II. McCain Jr. was a slightly built
man, but like his father, he earned the respect and affection
of his men. He too rose to the rank of four-star Admiral,
making the McCains the first family in American history to
achieve that distinction. McCain Jr.'s final assignment was
command of all U.S. forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam
War.
And it was in the Vietnam War that John McCain III faced
the most difficult challenge of his life. A naval aviator, he
was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and seriously injured. When
Vietnamese military officers realized he was the son of a top
commander, they offered McCain early release in an effort to
embarass the United States. Acting from a sense of honor
taught to him by his fathers and the U.S. Naval Academy,
McCain refused the offer. He was tortured, held in solitary
confinement, and imprisoned for five-and-a-half years.
This memoir is the story of what McCain learned from his
grandfather and father, and how their example enabled him to
endure these hard years. It is a story of three imperfect men
who faced adversity and emerged with their honor intact.
Ultimately, Faith of My Fathers is a story of fathers
and sons, what they give to each other, and what lasts.
