b'U . S .M i l i t a r ypilots in the military and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for the heroic mission he flew in Chichi Jima at the end of 1944, in which his Avenger torpe-do bomber flying from the USS San Jacinto was shot down, and his two crew mates perished.John S. McCain, III, descended from the loftiest mil-itary pedigree in the country, as both his father and grandfather rose to the rank of four-star Admiral in the U. S. Navy. Following in their legacy, McCain entered the Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1954, graduating four years later near the bottom of his class, but set to enter flight school at NAS Pensacola. He completed his training and earned his wings at NAS Corpus Christi in June 1960, his father having made the trip to pin the golden wings on his sons uniform. Three months ear-lier, McCains AD Skyraider lost power and crashed in Corpus Christi Bay, 150 yards short of the runwayhe was snatched from the bay by a rescue helicopter and suffered only minor injuries.McCain would be captured by the Viet Cong in Au- U. S. Army rotary-wing aviators at Corpus Christi Army Depotgust1967afterhisA-4ESkyhawkwasshotdownWhen McCains brother Jack was promoted to command- celerated level of torture for most of the rest of his time during his twenty-third mission over North Vietnam.er of the Navys Pacific Fleet, his Vietnamese captors of- in confinement. John McCains unfathomable patriotism For the following six-and-a-half years, John McCainfered him early release in an attempted public relationsand heroism ranks him at the top of all Naval aviators who was imprisoned and tortured by the Viet Cong, in- move.Honoringtheunspoken first-in,first-outoathtrained and earned their wings at NAS Corpus Christi.cluding being held in solitary confinement for twoamong he and his comrades, McCain refused release un-years in conditions so horrible, his guards had to saveless all POWs captured before him were set free as well.The Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) has occu-him from a suicide attempt.The Viet Cong refused, and he was subjected to an ac- pied almost 140 acres at NASCC since 1961, as rotary 64THE COASTAL BEND GUIDE TheCoastalBend.com'