July 2, 2008

The Candidates Were Once Kids Like You!

Where did John McCain grow up? Find out all about his early years

By Jessie Maxwell

On the Move: Meet Johnny McCain

John McCain III, or Johnny, as his family calls him, was born into a military family. Both his father and his grandfather were four-star Admirals in the United States Navy. Because his father was a Navy Admiral, young Johnny moved around a great deal. He attended more than 20 different schools growing up.

COURTESY JOHN MCCAIN McCain With Family: John McCain sits with his grandfather, father, and younger brother, Joe

Johnny was born on August 29, 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone, which was then a United States territory inside the country of Panama. His parents, John McCain and Roberta Wright McCain, were stationed at the U.S. naval base.

The Loud One

John McCain has an older sister named Sandy and a younger brother named Joe. But Johnny was the rowdy, boisterous one. He started arguments at the dinner table and was known to fight with anyone who provoked him. According to his mother, Johnny's temper tantrums were so terrible that he would hold his breath until he passed out. His mother would have to dunk Johnny into a bath of cold water to get him to calm down and breathe again. "Whenever I worked myself into a tiny rage," McCain wrote in his book, Faith of My Fathers, "my mother shouted to my father, 'Get the water!'"

Young John spent the summer of 1946 living with his grandmother. He had not yet turned ten. His grandmother shared her love of reading with him. He read American classics by James Fenimore Cooper and Mark Twain. He also fell in love with the tales of King Arthur's court.

A Unique Style

For high school, McCain attended Episcopal High School, a small private boarding school in Alexandria, Virginia. There, he earned the nickname, "the Punk". He had a magnetic personality and made friends quickly, but he wasn't exactly a star student. His grades weren't very good.

But lack of academic focus didn't stop McCain from taking advantage of his school's activities. "The formative years of my life were at Episcopal High School," McCain told a small audience during a recent visit to Episcopal. "I did not excel academically, but I enjoyed it immensely." McCain served as an editor for the school newspaper and yearbook. He joined the drama club, missionary society and literary society. He also wrestled, setting a school record for fastest pin, and he played junior varsity football. In his free time, he worked as a waiter.

McCain's friends from high school remember his unique style. Students at Episcopal had to wear a uniform coat and tie. McCain mocked the formal dress code by pairing his coat and tie with dirty blue jeans. "John used to wear his jeans day in, day out, week in, week out to where they would almost stand up in the corner by themselves," Rives Richey, one of McCain's closest high school friends, told biographer Robert Timberg. But McCain's wardrobe rebellion didn't stop there. He also wore shoes so old that they had to be held together with tape.

The Military Man

For college, McCain followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather and enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He studied hard for the entrance exams and earned a better score than anyone had expected. Nevertheless, McCain has admitted that he was reluctant to enter the military service. He had wanted to pursue a liberal arts education at a university, but the call of duty and tradition propelled him toward the Naval Academy. In his book, McCain wrote, "I remember simply recognizing my eventual enrollment as a fact of life."

AP McCain and his dad in 1956

After graduation, McCain served as a naval pilot. He fought in the Vietnam War, and nearly lost his life twice. The first time, his aircraft carrier caught on fire. The second time, only a few months later, he was shot down while flying over North Vietnam. He is modest about his war service. "It doesn't take a lot of talent," he says, every chance he gets, "to intercept a surface-to-air missile with your own airplane." He was held as a prisoner of war for more than five years.

A Passion for Politics

Upon returning to the United States, McCain pursued a career in politics. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and later served as a United States Senator for Arizona. McCain wanted to run for president in 2000, but he didn't gain enough support to earn the Republican nomination. This time around, he is determined to win.

Click HERE to read about Barack Obama as a kid!