The John McCain destroyer has been rededicated in honor of the U.S. senator now fighting brain cancer, his office said in a statement Wednesday.
The guided missile destroyer expanded the dedication of the USS John S. McCain to include the senator, the statement said. The ship had previously been named to honor McCain's father and grandfather, according to the statement.
"Today, we add the story of Sen. John S. McCain to the spirit of the mighty vessel which already carries the legacy of his father and grandfather," Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said in the statement. "As a warrior and a statesman who has always put country first, Sen. John McCain never asked for this honor, and he would never seek it.
"But we would be remiss if we did not etch his name alongside his illustrious forebears, because this country would not be the same were it not for the courageous service of all three of these great men," Spencer continued.
McCain was a POW for more than five years in Vietnam after his Navy fighter was shot down before being released in 1973, according to History.com. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, representing Arizona. He lost to Barack Obama for the 2008 for general presidential election.
History.com wrote that McCain's father and paternal grandfather, John Sidney McCain, Sr. and Jr., were both four-star admirals in the Navy. Last July, the Mayo Clinic announced that McCain had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer that Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., died from on Aug. 25, 2009, according to the Arizona Republic. McCain has remained in treatment for the cancer.
"I am deeply honored to be added to the name of the naval destroyer USS John S. McCain," McCain said in a statement from his office. "My father and grandfather dedicated their entire lives to their naval service.
"The greatest honor of my life was to serve in the company of heroes, and I look back with incredible gratitude for my formative years in the Navy. I hope the generations of sailors who will serve aboard the USS McCain will find the same fulfillment that my family does in serving a cause greater than oneself," he added.
Admiral John S. McCain Sr. was a distinguished carrier task force commander of World War II and Admiral John S. McCain, Jr. was the former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, the statement said.
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