This past year marked the passing of two great American patriots, John McCain and George Herbert Walker Bush. At their memorial services, I was reminded of the words of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., who was seriously wounded twice during the Civil War. He noted, “At the grave of a hero we end, not with sorrow at the inevitable loss, but with the contagion of courage.”
The lives of Senator McCain and President Bush remind us of what historian John Meacham has called “the soul of America,” a soul reflected in the core values of the Navy and the Marine Corps: honor, courage, and commitment. I will focus on the lives of two recently departed exemplary citizens whose service to our country transcended their service in the Navy and to their party: John Sidney McCain and George Herbert Walker Bush.
Honor
Honor is an elusive, intangible value, but one that we understand deeply and intuitively. A sense of honor is what motivated 18-year old George Herbert Walker Bush to enlist in the Navy the day after he graduated from high school and to then become the youngest pilot in the Navy. Following in Bush’s prop wash, John McCain attended the Naval Academy and graduated fifth from the bottom of his class on June 4, 1958. On a visit to the Academy in October 2017, Senator McCain told the Brigade of Midshipmen: “I would discover that a sense of honor had been imparted to me here that would speak to me in the darkest hours. And so I come back, again and again, to the place where I learned to dread dishonor.” Those who serve in the U.S. military learn a similar lesson.
A personal note: Prior to his passing 18 years ago, I regularly invited my father, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, to guest lecture to my classes about his experiences in these two wars. He would always end his remarks to my students by saying, “It was one of the greatest honors of my life to serve in the United States military.”
Courage
On September 3, 1944, Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Bush and his two crewmen were ordered to destroy a radio tower on Chichi Jima. Their plane was hit; Bush bailed out, but his two crewmen were killed and never found. President Bush later recalled that there were few days that he did not think of them. Thirteen days later, my father participated in the invasion of Peleliu, a small island that today few people other than scuba divers have even heard of. But Marines have because they suffered the worse casualties in this battle than any other in their history. The seven Medals of Honor awarded to veterans of the Battle of Peleliu testify to the courage of those who fought and died there.
It was a sense of honor and his dread of dishonor that gave John McCain the courage to survive two years of solitary confinement and to stand up to his North Vietnamese captors, although even he ultimately cracked under relentless torture and signed a “confession” that was dictated by his captors. His weight dropped to 105 pounds, and he attempted suicide twice. When his captors discovered that his father was the commander of American forces in the Pacific, they made the offer to Henry Kissinger to release him, but both McCain and Kissinger refused. McCain felt that if he accepted the enemy’s offer, he would lose his honor and give the enemy a propaganda victory. That truly courageous decision resulted in McCain spending another five and a half years as a prisoner of war. Kissinger recalled that when McCain was released and first met Kissinger in person, McCain thanked him for refusing the North Vietnamese’s offer and for “saving his honor.”
John McCain’s sense of and commitment to honor gave him courage. And how did he define courage? “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity to act despite our fears.” Amen to that.
Commitment
John McCain and George H. W. Bush were not just honorable, courageous people; they were also committed to the ideals and values of this country. When Bush returned to civilian life after War II, he could have chosen to live a comfortable life. When McCain returned from prison in North Vietnam, he could have chosen to live a relaxing life in Arizona. Who could have blamed either of them? Instead, both chose to enter the contentious world of electoral politics. They also chose to stand up for the ideals in which they believed, even if those beliefs sometimes were at odds with those of their own political party.
The 2018 elections marked one of the most contentious mid-term elections in American history. Following the examples of Bush and McCain, the country needs to focus on the values and ideals that unite us and re-commit ourselves to achieving liberty, equality, justice for all members of our society, and the rule of law. Americans—civilian and military, Republicans, Democrats, and Independents—must pledge to support and uphold these values.
Hopefully, citizens and politicians of all varieties will be drawn to and motivated by the honor, courage, and commitment of the likes of Justice Holmes, Senator McCain, and President George Herbert Walker Bush. Our country has never needed such “contagion of courage” more. If such contagion should spread, what would be the result?
First, U.S. policy would be based on facts and values. In the 1988 presidential campaign, Bush famously said, “Read my lips; no new taxes.” Yet, when the facts showed that it was fiscally necessary to raise taxes, Bush did so even though it hurt, if not killed, his chances for re-election. McCain’s values, through the training he received at the Naval Academy and because his experience in Vietnam, led him to strongly oppose the use of what the George W. Bush administration called “enhanced interrogation.” In 2008 he proposed a bill to ban waterboarding as a form of torture; while the bill passed, the president vetoed it.
Second, U.S. policy would emphasize the importance of allies. Both George H. W. Bush and John McCain recognized the value of allies in achieving America’s goals and objectives. After Saddam Hussein attacked and occupied Kuwait in 1990, President George H. W. Bush assembled a coalition of more than 30 countries to force Iraq out of Kuwait. The United States spent $55 billion on the first Gulf War, but Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Japan reimbursed the United States $50 billion, leaving the net economic cost of the first Gulf War to the U.S. at $5 billion.
John McCain was a strong supporter of U.S. alliances. When he died, Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO, tweeted, “John McCain—soldier and senator, American and Atlanticist. He will be remembered in both Europe and North America for his courage and character, and as a strong supporter of NATO.” Both Bush and McCain understood the value of allies as a force multiplier for the United States.
Third, there would be compromise in U.S. policy. Bush and McCain recognized that compromise was the genius of American politics and that it was essential for to the effective functioning of the U.S. government. As a senator, McCain regularly reached across the aisle and sponsored legislation that he believed was in the best interest of the country. In 2002, he co-sponsored the McCain-Feingold Act, which placed significant restrictions on campaign contributions. McCain worked closely with Senator Ted Kennedy on immigration reform, and in his memoir called the failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform “a harder disappointment than other defeats.”
Kennedy and McCain also worked, albeit unsuccessfully, for health-care reform.
Like McCain, George H. W. Bush was pragmatic and reached across the ideological divide to develop and implement policies and programs that he viewed as in the nation’s interest. He supported the Clean Air Act and signed the United States on to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which led to the Paris Agreement.
Fourth, policy would be consistent. Bush and McCain believed that policy consistency was necessary. Since 1945, the United States has led the world toward a more democratic, peaceful, and prosperous world based on a consistent, coherent vision for world order. That consistency and coherence and American leadership remain vital in the support of a peaceful international order. Like most post-World War II American statesmen, Bush and McCain supported the institutions created to establish and preserve the international order, with the United States taking the lead. The United Nations, NATO, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and international treaties and agreements were the foundation of this order.
Fifth, U.S. policy would be compassionate. Although they both suffered significant challenges and setbacks, Bush and McCain were compassionate and empathetic. Given the torture inflicted on McCain by his captors, one could certainly understand if he held deep-seated resentment, even hatred, of the North Vietnamese. Yet, in 1994 he co-sponsored a bill with Senator John Kerry calling for an end to economic sanctions imposed on North Vietnam. McCain visited Vietnam more than 20 times and was often warmly received.
George H. W. Bush was described as a compassionate conservative, and many of his actions and policies reflected that approach. For example, Bush supported and signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act. Soon after his death, it was revealed that Bush had anonymously written to a young Filipino boy for 10 years through a non-governmental program, Compassion International, that sponsors letter-writing programs with churches in developing countries to support and encourage young people.
Sixth, U.S. policy would be clearly communicated. Both Bush and McCain believed in clear, straight-forward communication. McCain named his 2000 presidential campaign bus the “Straight Talk Express,” and in his attempt to communicate with voters he often met with reporters and answered their questions endlessly. To McCain, the press was not “the enemy of the people,” but rather an essential element of democracy: the means to communicate with the people.
George H. W. Bush was a relentless communicator, even though “public speaking was not always his strong suit,” as his biographer John Meacham pointed out at his memorial service. But his desire to communicate privately was one of his most admirable qualities. During his first year as president, Bush made almost 200 calls to world leaders and met with these leaders 135 times. The George H. W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A&M University is filled with thousands of personal, hand-written notes that Bush sent to foreign leaders, friends, family members, and political allies and opponents.
In an interview with NPR’s Rachel Martin, Presidential historian Jeffrey Engel noted, “From time to time, President Bush, if he had a few moments on his calendar, would call up a foreign leader, whether in Africa, whether in Asia, whether in—somewhere else, and just ask them, what’s going on in your world? What do you think is important? And then just listen.” Just listen; imagine that.
George Herbert Walker Bush and John S. McCain had unbounded confidence in the ideals, institutions and public servants of the United States. Bush flew 58 combat missions in World War II, and John McCain flew 23 in Vietnam. And after fighting, they chose to continue their service to their fellow citizens by staunchly supporting American ideals and institutions through service to the nation. The Central Intelligence Agency had such respect for Bush’s service as director that the headquarters building was named after him. And NATO considered naming its headquarters after John McCain following his death.
In a sense, the passing of George Herbert Walker Bush and John McCain marked the end of an era, but in another sense, the values that they represented and, indeed, personified, are the values on which the United Sates’ future should be based. Today, George H. W. Bush and John S. McCain rest eternally and remind us of the values they represented so eloquently: honor, courage, commitment.
