John S. McCain - The Last Republican Patriot?

John McCain was a genuine American Patriot. He will be sorely missed.

His life was a testament to what is meant by patriotism. It was also a testament to what it means to be a naval officer.

To some extent, the virtues John McCain displayed in his own life were not just his personal virtues, but the virtues of his chosen profession.

And any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worth while, I think can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction: "I served in the United States Navy."

• Remarks at the U.S. Naval Academy (1 August 1963), Public Papers of the Presidents 321, p. 620