Senator John McCain was announced dead on August 25 due to his battle with brain cancer. He lived to age 81. He will be remembered to many as a man who fought for his country.

McCain was born to Roberta McCain and John S. McCain Jr. on August 29, 1936.

McClain’s father was a U.S. Naval officer, so the family was constantly moved from base to base.

After graduating high school, McCain followed in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, attending the Naval Academy at Annapolis. He graduated in 1958 and finished flight school two years later.

In July of 1965, McCain married Carol Sheep. Together they adopted two children, Douglas and Andrew McClain. Later having a daughter, Sidney.

As a service to his country, he volunteered to go to Vietnam. On October 26, 1976, near North Vietnam, his plane was shot down. He got captured and spent five and a half years in captivity receiving harsh treatment.

McCain continued in the Navy, though the injuries that had been sustained in Vietnam prevented him from getting very far. So in 1976 he was assigned as the U.S. Navy liaison for the Senate, getting his first insight into politics.

McCain and Sheep divorced in 1980 and he later married Cindy Lou Hensley in 1981. Together they had Meghan, John, James, and an adopted daughter Bridget.

In 1982, McCain was elected into the House of Representatives at age 46. After spending four years in the House of Representatives, he finally gained a seat in the Senate. McCain tended to stay in the middle ground between the two houses, earning the name “Partisan-Blind.”

McCain made two attempts at becoming President, but lost to George W. Bush the first time, and Barack Obama again in 2008.

We should never forget the sacrifices that McCain made over his lifetime, as he did them in the name of our country.