Last Goodbye To A Patriot

Víctor Caycho

All sectors of the country joined to unanimously highlight the figure of Senator John McCain, of Arizona, who died on Saturday, August 25 and whose funeral will take place this Sunday at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland. Political leaders and local organizations highlighted the fact that McCain, who died at the age of 81 as a result of brain cancer, always put patriotism above partisan rivalries or “tribal struggles,” as he did. qualified in a farewell message. Senators and Republican politicians and Democrats praised that aspect of McCain, which they considered a legacy of firmness, conviction and at the same time chivalry for the next generations of Americans. McCain became a public figure at 31 years of age, when he appeared on television screens as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. 

The North Vietnamese offered to release him before the other prisoners, but he refused, demanding that the others leave as well. He was finally released in March 1973. As a politician he represented Arizona for the Republicans, first in the Lower House, in 1983, and three years later in the Senate. From there he was reelected several times. As a senator he came to sponsor, along with seven other colleagues, a bill of immigration reform that was approved in the Senate but did not pass in the House of Representatives. He also had a decisive gesture in casting the vote with which he prevented the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, better known as ObamaCare, in 2017. Senator John McCain, a true hero of the United States during the war in Vietnam, died on Saturday, May 25, as a result of a brain cancer that prostrated him for more than a year. His death occurred on the same day that nine years ago he died, coincidentally due to the same disease, Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy.

Both were endearing friends, despite being in opposite stores. The two joined in causes that they considered fair, among them the one of launching a project of integral migratory reform, that along with other six colleagues who conformed the “Group of the Eight”, obtained that it was approved in the Upper House, but that did not happen in the House of Representatives by decision of the Republican majority.

“Ted” Kennedy and McCain were known at that time as “the Lions of the Senate”. Their powerful voices will no longer be heard, but their ideas and their open, frank, loyal and temporizing personalities leave a legacy for the new political and community generations, according to the analysts. He was recognized as “a rebel”, and many times he proved it, including his direct criticism of President Trump. No one can forget his vote towards the end of his career, in 2017, which will go down in history: With his decisive “no” to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, better known as ObamaCare, McCain was the unexpected savior of President Obama’s greatest legislative feat. McCain died at his ranch in Arizona and although its end was predictable, the announcement of his death impacted the entire nation. 

This weekend, in a rare gesture of unity, two former presidents, one Republican-George W. Bush-and the other Democrat-Barack Obama-will speak at the funeral ceremony scheduled for Saturday, September 1 at the National Cathedral of Washington. The coffin with the remains of Senator McCain was brought on Thursday from Arizona – the one he represented after being elected six times – where the state Capitol paid him tribute. This Friday, already in Washington, a body ceremony will be held in the rotunda of the federal Capitol. 

The next day, the procession will pass the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and continue to the funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington. On Sunday, a private funeral is planned at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Weigh national The death of John McCain, at 81 years of age and only five days before his name day, caused general dismay. From all sectors emerged messages and statements of regret. President Donald Trump – with whom McCain had strong differences despite being in the same political store – expressed in a tweet his “deepest solidarity and respect” to the McCain family. The first lady Melania Trump thanked on Twitter the service provided by McCain to the country.

Trump also signed a proclamation in which he ordered to hoist at half mast the flag of the United States, until the day of his burial. He also asked that Vice President Mike Pence deliver a speech at the farewell ceremony at the Capitol in Washington this Friday. Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said: “John McCain was a hero, my boss and my friend … In the past 13 months, John has urged us to listen to each other and restore the confidence of the American people in his government. ” Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey said that one of the things he learned from McCain “was that the Senate works better when we try to put patriotism above partisanism.” 

He added that “it was an honor to work with him on a series of legislative issues, including immigration reform, foreign policy and national security.” Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona said McCain “forgave fast … certainly he always put the well-being of the country above his own.”