AZ Senator John McCain Has Passed Away

According to Fox News, Senator John McCain has passed away at the age of 81, following a battle with brain cancer.

Earlier this week, he had announced he was discontinuing further treatment for his cancer, which was diagnosed in July of 2017.

McCain was born in 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone, where his father was stationed in the Navy.  Following in his father's footsteps, he attended the U. S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1958.  In 1967, his A4 Skyhawk was hit by a missile over Hanoi. McCain was captured and held captive by the North Vietnamese for over five years.. Several of those years were spent in solitary confinement. He was released in 1973.

His first taste of politics was in 1976, when he acted as the Navy's liaison to the senate.  In 1982, McCain was elected to the House of Representatives and in 1986, he won the race to replace AZ Sen. Barry Goldwater.  He ran for president twice.  In 2000, he won NH, but ended up loosing the nomination to George W. Bush.  He also ran as the Republican nominee in 2008.

He is survived by his wife, seven children, and five grandchildren.