before he was senator and presidential candidate john mccain he was lieutenant commander john mccain in the u.s. navy who served his country as a fighter pilot. during the vietnam war his plane was shot down and he was captured at a p.o.w. despite suffering debilitating injuries mccain continued his service as the navy senate liaison and served for 23 years before retiring in 1981 as a captain. the naval air force is honoring mccain tweeting a man who served his country until his last days, a true patriot, an american hero. rest in peace john sydney mccain iii. cnn analyst is joining us now. good to have you with us. what does john mccain mean to you and others who are serving on behalf of our country? good evening. what i would say is he had a special connection with those in