mccain was given an option, he could return to the u.s. or stay in vietnam. he could have cycled back to the united states after the fire and never returned to vietnam, but he specifically volunteered to go back. it would be a fateful decision. mccain was reassigned to the uss-ariscany. the missions launched from the deck were some of the most dangerous of the war. on october 26th, 1964, over vietnam, mccain s a-4 sky hawk was hit by enemy fire. he was shot down by a surface-to-air missile and immediately parachuted out. he was injured upon bail-out, so both arms broken, a leg broken and knocked unconscious. 50 years to the day later, mccain reflected on those fateful hours. senator, when you woke up